A long-tail keyword is a longer, more specific search query which, on its own, has low search volume but offers a clear intent and low competition. Instead of the short, highly competitive term ‘online shop’, a user searching via the long tail might look for ‘have a B2B online shop created with customised prices’. The term originates from the long-tail theory and describes the phenomenon whereby the vast majority of all search queries do not consist of a few popular terms, but rather of countless rare, long-tail queries that accumulate in the long tail of the distribution.
For keyword research, long-tail keywords are the most important lever, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises. They are attainable because fewer competitors are vying for them, and they convert better because the intent behind them is more precise. Someone searching for “shopware migration costs b2b” is on the verge of making a decision; someone searching simply for “shopware” is often still a long way from doing so.
The figures behind the long tail
The importance of the long tail can be clearly demonstrated. A widely cited analysis by Ahrefs shows that around 92 per cent of all keywords have fewer than 10 search queries per month. These rare terms may seem insignificant individually, but together they account for around 91 per cent of all searches. This means that the vast majority of total search traffic does not come from the few popular head keywords, but from the mass of specific long-tail queries.
The term originates from the ‘long-tail’ theory put forward by journalist Chris Anderson, who described in 2004 how providers of digital products generate a large proportion of their turnover not from a few bestsellers, but from the sum of many niche products. Applied to search, this means that it is not the few top terms, but the infinite number of rare queries that make up the majority of search traffic. This shift in focus from the head to the tail of the distribution is the core idea that makes long-tail keywords so valuable for online marketing.
Added to this is a figure from Google itself: around 15 per cent of all daily search queries have never been seen before, a fact Google confirmed once again in 2025. People are constantly formulating new, unique queries, and by definition, these are precisely what belong to the long tail. Anyone who optimises exclusively for well-known, high-volume terms is thereby ignoring a large and steadily growing portion of actual demand.
Head, Body and Long Tail
Keywords are usually divided into three zones. The following table compares them and shows why the long tail is the most attractive zone for most businesses.
| Type | Example | Search volume | Competition | Probability of conversion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head (Short Tail) | shop | very high | very high | low |
| Body (Mid Tail) | B2B online shop | medium | medium | medium |
| Long Tail | Have a B2B online shop with tiered pricing created | low | low | high |
The table illustrates the trade-off: head keywords theoretically generate a lot of volume, but are practically unattainable and convert poorly. Long-tail keywords generate little volume individually, but are attainable and convert above average. For a medium-sized business that cannot compete with the budgets of large platforms, the long tail is therefore usually the only realistically viable area.
Why long-tail keywords convert better
The key advantage lies in specificity. The longer and more specific a query is, the clearer the search intent behind it. A long-tail keyword often already contains all the information needed to understand exactly what the user wants. ‘Web agency’ is ambiguous; ‘web agency shopware b2b munich costs’ leaves no room for doubt: here, someone in a specific region is looking for a specific service provider for a specific system and is interested in the price. This clarity has two effects. Firstly, the right content can address the query precisely, leading to higher rankings. Secondly, the person is further along in the buying process, which increases the likelihood of a conversion.
This conversion advantage is also reflected in the costs. Because fewer providers are competing for long-tail terms, both the organic effort and, in the case of paid adverts, the cost per click are lower. A long-tail term therefore not only delivers a higher probability of conversion but also a better cost per qualified lead. For businesses with a limited marketing budget, this is a crucial lever for remaining visible and profitable despite fierce competition.
Example: The long tail in practice
A service provider specialising in bespoke business software wants to attract new enquiries via organic search. The head term “software development” has enormous search volume, but a keyword difficulty close to the maximum; there’s no chance of competing here against large corporations and major agencies. Using tools such as Sistrix and Google Search Console, the company instead identifies long-tail terms such as “cost of having bespoke warehouse management software developed” or “programming an ERP-Shopware interface”. These terms each have only a few search queries per month, but they are achievable and precisely match the queries that bring qualified prospects to the sales team. A hundred such long-tail pages generate more qualified traffic in total than a futile race for that one head keyword. The principle stems directly from the original search engine optimisation: many small, precise hits beat that one unattainable home run.
Finding long-tail keywords
Long-tail terms can be systematically identified using a range of freely available and paid tools:
- Google Autocomplete and ‘Similar Questions’. Even the suggestions in the search bar and the ‘People also ask’ section provide dozens of genuine long-tail variations drawn directly from search behaviour.
- Google Search Console. It shows, free of charge, which long-tail queries your site is already generating impressions from – often using terms you would never have thought of.
- AlsoAsked and AnswerThePublic. Both visualise the questions users ask on a particular topic and are a goldmine for informational long-tail terms.
- Sistrix and Ahrefs. These tools provide search volume and keyword difficulty for every term, helping you to separate achievable long-tail terms from those that are a lost cause.
- The Google Keyword Planner. It groups related terms, thereby revealing clusters of long-tail variants, although without active ad campaigns this is only possible within broad ranges.
Keyword Difficulty, a metric ranging from 0 to 100 that is primarily estimated based on the backlink profile of the ranking pages, is particularly useful for the long tail: it shows which of the many long-tail terms are actually within reach. As a rule, these are the terms with low scores, which large providers do not target specifically due to their low individual search volume.
Developing a long-tail strategy
An effective long-tail strategy does not involve creating a hundred individual pages for a hundred terms, but rather grouping related long-tail queries into thematically strong pages. The process can be described in four steps.
- Form topic clusters. Instead of isolated keywords, group related long-tail terms into clusters that cover a common topic, such as everything to do with shop migration, costs and data transfer.
- Create pillars and spokes. Each cluster is assigned a comprehensive pillar page on the main topic and several specific subpages that explore individual long-tail queries in depth.
- Answer questions directly. Long-tail queries are often questions. If you address them verbatim and provide clear answers, you will not only rank better but are also more likely to be cited in AI-generated answers and featured snippets.
- Use internal linking. Pillar and Spoke pages link to one another. This internal linking distributes relevance and guides users through the topic according to their information needs.
The major advantage of this approach is that a well-structured, comprehensive page ranks not only for the single term for which it was optimised, but also for hundreds of related long-tail variations that nobody had explicitly thought of. It is precisely this effect that makes the long tail so efficient, as the cost per acquired enquiry decreases with every additional variant that the same page covers.
The long tail and AI search
The shift towards AI-generated answers is making the long tail even more important. According to the Sistrix analysis from February 2026, AI overviews appear in around 20 per cent of search queries, and the click-through rate for the number one result has fallen from 27 to 11 per cent. AI systems are increasingly answering broad, generic questions directly. Specific long-tail queries with a concrete intention to buy or make an enquiry, on the other hand, continue to lead to websites because they involve a decision that an AI summary cannot make. At the same time, AI systems prefer to cite content that provides precise answers to specific questions, and this is exactly what well-structured long-tail pages deliver. For AI visibility and survival in zero-click search, long-tail content is therefore a key component, and anyone wishing to be cited in AI overviews cannot do without specific, in-depth answers.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a keyword need to be to be considered long-tail?
There is no fixed word limit. The key factors are a combination of low search volume, low competition and high specificity. Long-tail keywords usually consist of three or more words, but even a short, highly specific term can be considered long-tail if it is rarely searched for and conveys a clear intent.
Are long-tail keywords worth the effort despite their low search volume?
Yes, precisely because of their sheer volume. A single long-tail term generates little traffic, but the sum of many such terms accounts for a significant proportion of total search traffic. As around 91 per cent of all searches come from the long tail, the potential is enormous, and the high likelihood of conversion makes this traffic particularly valuable.
How do I write content for long-tail keywords?
Ideally, through thematically comprehensive pages that cover many related long-tail queries at once, rather than through thin, individual pages for each term. A detailed guide page on a topic often ranks automatically for hundreds of long-tail variations because it naturally answers the questions surrounding the topic.
Are long-tail keywords only relevant for SEO?
No. Long-tail keywords are also attractive in Google Ads because competition – and therefore the cost per click – is often lower, and the clicks convert better thanks to clear intent. The same principle applies in both areas: specific queries are cheaper to attract and yield more valuable results.
Is AI search replacing the long tail?
On the contrary. AI primarily answers broad, generic questions directly. Specific long-tail queries with an intent to buy or make an enquiry continue to drive traffic to websites. Furthermore, AI systems tend to prioritise content that provides precise answers to specific questions, which benefits well-structured long-tail pages.