“Long-Tail keywords? What is this thing?” When I was a beginner on SEO, I was completely confused by this term. If you are reading this, you probably want to get more visitors to your website, but you find that SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is very difficult. You are not alone. When I first started, I tried to rank for big words, and I failed. But then I learned about a secret weapon: long tail keywords.
In this guide, I will explain to you exactly what long tail keywords are and why they are the best friends of new websites.
We are now in 2025, and the world of search is changing very fast. With the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the way people talk to search engines has changed. People do not just type “shoes”, they ask their AI app, “which shoes are best for running on concrete?”
What is Long Tail Keyword?
In my experience, a long tail keyword is a highly specific search phrase that people use when they are closer to making a purchase or finding a specific answer, usually with three or more words.
The most important thing is not actually their length, but their specificity. Long tail keywords tell you exactly what the searcher intends to find. These phrases with lower search volume—meaning fewer people search for them compared to big, popular topics—but they are much easier to rank for.
For example:
- Head term: “Croissant” (Very high volume, very broad).
- Long Tail Keyword: ” The best blueberry croissant delivery in Paris. ” (Low volume, very specific).
So, when we talk about long tail keywords, we are talking about targeting these specific, less popular, but highly relevant searches.
Why Is Long Tail Keyword Important?
You might ask me, “Why should I waste my time on keywords that only 20 people search for?” This is a very good question. Now I will give you three very strong reasons to show why you must focus on them, especially if you are trying to do seo for a new site.
- Much Less Competition:
If you try to rank for a head keyword like “link building” you are fighting a war you cannot win easily. That keyword has over 6 billion results in Google. You have to be better than 6 billion other pages to be number one. That is scary.
However, if you choose a long tail word, like “best free SEO link building software,” the competition is much lower. Big companies often ignore these small keywords. This means a new blog or a small business has a real chance to reach the top of Google.
- Higher Conversion Rates:
This is the most important part for your business. Long tail keywords have what we call “commercial intent“. Think about it: If someone searches for “keto diet,” they are probably just curious. They want to know what it is. They are not ready to spend money. But, if someone searches for “keto diet supplement for beginners,” they know exactly what they want. They are much closer to making a purchase.
The traffic you get from long tail keywords converts into sales much better than traffic from general keywords.
- Adapted to Modern Search Habits:
In 2025, with AI and voice search becoming more popular, people are searching in more conversational and detailed ways. Long tail keywords fit perfectly with how people speak to search engines and AI assistants.
How to find long tail keywords? (Practical Guide)
You do not need to be an expert to find these words. I used to overcomplicate this, too. Now, I will try to make this very simple. Imagine you have a baking website, and you want to write a blog post about croissants. Just follow my steps and let’s do this together!
Method 1: Use a Keyword Research Tool
In my experience as an SEO content creator, most of time I use keyword research tool to find long-tail keywords. There are two powerful tool, Ahrefs’ Keywords Explorer and SEMRUSH’s Keyword Magic Tool. If your budget is limited, you can try WordStream’s Free Keyword Tool. But today I will do our practical with Keyword Magic Tool.
1. Just enter a base term, add your domain and target country, and hit “Search.”
Filter to find the real long-tails. The default “Broad Match” view works fine. But we need to narrow down to genuine long-tail keywords. Usually I set filters like:
Volume: 0–1,000
Keyword Difficulty (KD %): 0–29
Word count: 3+ words
Click the “Questions” filter—question-based queries are almost always long-tail.
Congratulations to yourself! Now we have got some long-tail keywords.
Method 2: Browse Reddit, Quora, and related forums
Sometimes, if people can’t find a good answer on google, they would usually ask it at forums or social media. To find hidden gems, you should go where your audience hangs out and talks to each other.
We can add question words before the terms we want to search for. In this case, I add “How” before the “croissant”, then I saw this post.
We can think about that maybe some people want to know how much a croissant is in France, in paris or somewhere else. So I have a quick check in SEMRUSH’s Keyword Magic Tool with “how much a croissant in”, and revealed that “how much is a croissant in paris” is actually a long-tail keyword with a low KD score.
So we can try writing a blog post about the prices of different croissants in the Paris area. The point is, we can receive some great ideas from these forums that we might not have thought of on our own.
Method 3: Analyze your Competitors’ keywords
I do not always have to reinvent the wheel, sometimes I will see what is already working. I visit my competitors’ website and examine the titles and subheadings (H2s and H3s) in their articles, which often reveal the long-tail keywords they are targeting for SEO. Or more efficiently, I use SEMRUSH’s Organic Research. Plug the domain and filter it as you did in Method 1.
Repeat it with more competitors’ websites, and I’m sure you would uncover more long-tail keywords.
Tool & Resource Checklist
To make this job easier, here is a list of tools I recommend. I have separated them into free and paid options.
Google Trends (Free): This tool helps you see if interest in a keyword is going up or down.
Answer The Public (Free Trial): This tool is fantastic for finding questions. You type in a word, and it generates a visual map of questions (who, what, where, why) people ask. It is great for long tail research.
Semrush / Ahrefs Organic Keywords Tool (Paid): If you have a budget, they are very powerful.
Long Tail Keywords: Strategic Importance in AI Search
One thing we can’t ignore in 2025 is that AI is everywhere. Tools like ChatGPT, Google’s AI Overviews (SGE) are changing how we search. Searching is not only about typing keywords anymore—it’s about having a conversation with AI. Instead of typing “Paris weather,” they’re likely to ask, “What should I pack for a 10-day trip to Paris in November?” That specific, spoken question is exactly what a long-tail keyword is all about.
Conclusion:
Do not be afraid of low search volumes. Long tail keywords are the secret path to success for beginners. With lower competition and higher conversion rates driven by clear intent, they are ideally suited for the new era of AI-powered search.
Now that I’m sure you can have a better understanding of what long-tail keyword is. Remember, the goal is to be the best answer to a specific question. Start searching today, good luck!
