A Long Tail search is an search phrase with five or more words. As internet consumers become more savvy, they tend to use search phrases with more words. Between December 2009 and January 2010, queries of five or more words increased 6 percent. Shorter search queries (those of one to four words) in the same period fell 1 percent month over month.
What does that mean for us? While we tend to optimize short phrases for Search Engine Optimization, we need to keep the long tail searches in mind. Those long tail searches are the ‘low hanging fruit’ for SEO!
How do we find them? Search Engine Optimization professionals use sophisticated tools to gain insight on the most common search phrases and their derivatives. Google also offers a free Keyword Tool that’s a good starting point.