How to find and use long-tail keywords for more search traffic

Executive overview

Most keywords are dominated by authoritative sites, making it hard to rank. Long-tail keywords — searches with low individual volume but massive cumulative demand — offer a way in.

There are two distinct types, and they require different strategies. Broad topic long-tails ride on a head term; topical long-tails are standalone topics with low competition.

96.54% of all US search queries have fewer than 50 searches per month. Ignoring long-tails means ignoring the majority of search traffic.

What long-tail keywords actually are

• Defined by low individual search volume, not by word count
• Longer phrases tend toward lower volume, but exceptions are common
• 9.3% of keywords with over 1M monthly searches have three or more words
• Every topic has a search demand curve; long-tails sit along the tail

Bucket 1: Long tail of broad topics

• A single page targeting a head term can rank for thousands of long-tail variations
• Healthline's weight loss article ranks for ~9,500 top-10 keywords; 96% are long-tails
• Targeting a long-tail within a broad topic separately wastes time — Google consolidates them
• Always check SERP traffic, not just keyword volume; a lower-volume keyword can drive far more traffic
• Look at keywords-per-page and total traffic in site analysis to spot high-potential topics
• Best for established sites with authority to rank head terms

How to find these topics: In Ahrefs Site Explorer, pull a competitor's top pages report, sort by number of keyword rankings, and filter for pages ranking in the top five for their head term with traffic well above what the head-term volume would predict.

Bucket 2: Topical long-tail keywords

• These are standalone topics, not subsets of a broader query
• Lower search volume means far less competition; results come faster
• Ranking for 20–50 such topics individually at ~70 visits/month compounds to thousands of monthly visitors
• Ideal for new sites or those without a strong backlink profile

Three strategies to find topical long-tails

1. Modifier keywords — Use phrase match in Keywords Explorer with modifiers like "with", "for", "without" to surface specific, low-competition variations (e.g. "black shoes with navy suit")
2. Location appenders — Append city or region names to product/service keywords (e.g. "rent a truck in [city]"); individually small but high commercial intent and cumulatively significant
3. Questions filter — In Keywords Explorer, run a questions report on a competitive topic, cap keyword difficulty low (e.g. KD ≤ 5); uncovers FAQ-ready topics even in saturated niches