What are long tail keywords?
Long tail keywords form part of the broader umbrella of Search Engine Optimisation and should be a focus of your school marketing efforts, as they help you to target your desired audience at a cheaper cost.
Long tail keywords are keyword phrases, usually three to five words in length that your school community would specifically search for online. They are more precise than ‘short tail terms’ as these terms tend to be very short and general to capture a wider audience. Long tail keywords target less people but are more specific and engaging as they reveal more of the searchers intent.
The name stems from the long tail point on the search demand curve graph, as defined by Ahrefs. Although individual search volume is low, the total search demand as a group is high.
Long tail keywords are used for website content, including blogs, website copy, white papers, news articles, infographics and any other content you can offer to your school community.
Here are some examples of short tail terms compared with long tail keywords. The short tail terms are very general and broadly used, whereas the long tail keywords pinpoint distinctive requirements from the searcher.
| Short tail term | Long tail keyword |
| Coffee barista | Organic coffee barista in Perth |
| Girls school | Christian girls school in Sydney |
Why are long tail keywords important?
By using long tail keywords in your copy, you are focusing on narrower and directed searches that your parents and community are intentionally looking for as opposed to broader, more generic searches. This means that your audience is more likely to be an engaged lead that will click through. You can better understand the intent of their search and so benefit from a higher conversion value.
Given long tail keywords tend to be searched for less frequently as they are more specific, there will be less competition for them. This greatly improves your likelihood of ranking higher as there are less bids on the keywords or phrases, and if you use pay-per-click marketing, it makes bidding cheaper.
How do I use them?
To create effective and successful long tail keywords you need to align them with the objectives of your school content and be niche.
Let’s be honest, its highly competitive out there on the World Wide Web and without a big budget for SEO it can be hard to rank as high as you would like. Long tail keywords are all about being specific, so tailor your phrases to what makes your school different and special. For example, ranking for ‘parenting tips’ in your school blogs would be very difficult. Instead, use a targeted long tail keyword like ‘parenting tips for boys sports’, or better yet, hone in further with ‘encouraging camaraderie in boys basketball’ to really distinguish your school and voice your USP. Remember to use language and terms your school community will know and understand.
Long tail keywords should be used in the title, body copy and meta description of your content for full effectiveness. Include relevant keywords throughout your copy, headlines and image titles for best practice Search Engine Optimisation.
Long tail keywords are important as they capture your audience when they are searching for something more defined and particular – so they are more likely to be nearer the purchasing stage. This makes your content highly valuable in encouraging action at the final stage. Remember to litter your content with relevant keywords and a unique long tail keyword for optimum chance of being found.
