The step-by-step guide to finding good long tail keywords for your business

Unlike other SEO activities, keyword research is one of those things that’s worth spending the time upfront. And that’s mainly because for tasks like link building you can actually see the backlinks, track KPIs, and make quick adjustments.

Keywords, however, require a longer period to display their full effect, and it might even take a new website some 6 months to properly rank for a keyword. Additionally, although it might not feel like a complicated task to many, it is one of those things that you can easily get wrong without even noticing.

But chances are, you won’t rank for most head terms because of the competition. That’s where long tail keywords come in.

Research shows that long-tail keywords often convert approximately 2.5 times better than head terms because they capture more specific user intent (Yotpo). This makes them essential for businesses looking to maximize ROI from organic search.

Feel confident and want to skip ahead? Use this table of contents to jump to any section of this guide:

1. Finding Seed Keywords
   • Brainstorming
   • Amazon
   • Clickbank
   • Quora
   • Industry-leading websites
   • Competitors
   • Examples
2. Generating Long-Tail-Keywords
   • LSI keywords
   • Semrush
   • Keywordtool.io
   • Google Trends
   • Google Suggest
   • AlsoAsked
   • Limitations
3. Filtering Keywords
   • Good filters
   • Keywords everywhere
   • Filtering in Excel
4. Analyzing the SERPs
   • Moz Bar
   • SERP metrics

 

Implications of Keyword Research & Using Long Tail Keywords

First off, let’s start by clarifying WHY good keyword research is CRUCIAL to SEO. Here are some of the main implications:

• Mediocre keyword research will only bring you mediocre results
• Poor research will waste you a TON of time (a couple of months best case scenario)
• Strong keyword research will boost all of your other SEO activities
• Proper keyword research brings a unique understanding of your target market and their problems, questions, and ideas
• You will never run out of content ideas if and when you find a good source of keywords
• Proper keyword research helps you present your products and build profitable offers

As you can see, there’s plenty of benefits (or otherwise downsides) of putting in the time for keyword research upfront. Now that we have that covered let’s take your SEO to the next level with these few actionable steps.

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1. How to find seed keywords

To have a good search engine optimization process, you need to start by finding seed keywords first. Your task here is to generate a big list of words that are related to your industry.

According to Michigan State University’s Digital Experience Studio, a structured approach to keyword identification is essential for building sustainable SEO strategy. Their guidance reinforces the importance of systematic brainstorming before tool-based research.

For this guide, we’ll be using an example of a graphic design website. Following these steps, you will see that for many of our tasks, we use free tools.

However, for this one, it is critical that you begin by brainstorming. That’s because those tools come with certain limitations that we’ll cover a little later in this section.

Don’t know what seed keywords are? We got you covered. Learn more about what keywords are here.

Brainstorming seed keywords

When brainstorming, it’s important to understand one simple yet core principle – there are no perfect keywords. Everything you come up with that’s somewhat related to your business might help you fill that content gap and gain valuable visitors.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s SEO best practices recommend starting with audience-driven terminology and plain language that reflects how real users communicate. This user-centered approach ensures your initial keyword list captures authentic search behavior.

If you are having a hard time identifying any, you can insert generic keywords into a keyword research tool to get ideas to work with.

Here’s how:

1. Make a new excel document
2. In the first column, write down as many one/two-word phrases that are used in your industry
3. Save that document as you have to continue adding to it in the next steps

Brainstorming example for our design business:

After that process, it’s time to find some sweet niche terms with the help of a couple of tools and websites. Here are some ideas where you can find words that you could have never thought of:

Amazon – Find head keywords by exploring products related to your niche

Take a look at the description — here you can see that we are able to uncover keywords right away. In this example, I found the seed keyword “creative thinking” in the second sentence.

To emulate my success, try:

1. Go to amazon.com
2. Type in your keyword
3. Scan through the products for potential keywords
4. Open some of the products
5. Read the description
6. Add the good keywords you find to the spreadsheet

For additional in-depth research, you can check out the review section and see some of the keywords customers use when they’re communicating.

Clickbank – Search for seed keywords by offers in your niche

Another great source for keywords is Clickbank because of the hot products people might be searching for.

To find the best keywords for you:

1. Visit clickbank.com
2. Explore the niches (you might find hidden gems in different sections)
3. Click on a product and read the description – In this example, I found the keyword “portfolio” which I had initially missed out
4. Add them to the spreadsheet
5. Explore the related products and keep adding keywords

Remember that this is the discovery stage and there are no bad keywords – you will have to confirm them in your research in any case.

Quora – browse community Q&A for niche seed ideas

Next up is Quora. This is an excellent place for finding keywords, as users often describe their problems using natural language that reveals valuable head terms.

To make the most out of Quora do this:

1. Head over to quora.com
2. Type in your industry in the search bar (“design” in this case)
3. Browse popular questions to spot recurring terminology
4. Look through the latest discussions – you can often stumble upon great keywords like “revisions” or “contracting”)
5. Collect different variations of how people describe their needs
6. Add them to your list

 

Immediately, I was able to find what I was looking for — the keywords “redesign” & “poster.”

Lists from industry-leading websites (e.g., list of exercises)

This example might be harder to mimic in your industry, and you’ll probably have to put in some creativity.

This is how you can get started:

1. Use one of these search queries in google:
   • “Your keyword” + list
   • List of + “your keyword”
   • Types of + “your keyword”
   • “Your keyword” + types
2. Open one of the websites in the search results
3. Read through and mark some good keywords that you find relevant.

For our design example, I searched for “types of graphic design,” and I was able to find “typography,” “layout,” and “composition” right away.

Browsing your competitors’ websites

If you’re just starting out, this step might be harder as you still might not have the full knowledge of who your competitors are. However, if you’ve been in business for some time, this should come naturally.

For this example, I stumbled upon the website Onextrapixel.com which turned out to be a great source of keywords.

Here are the steps to replicate my success:

1. Use one of these search queries in Google:
   • “Your topic” + blogs
   • Top + “your topic” + blogs
2. Open one of the results
3. Go through the list and open some of the blogs (tip: good keywords hide where you don’t expect them to be – in other words, don’t judge the book by the cover in this step)
4. Read through headlines (and even the posts if you have the time)
5. Collect all keywords that seem relevant — I found “footer” & “design thinking” in my case

Selecting the right competitors for your business is very important. A good rule when you are starting off is to stick to the major websites in your industry.

Seed Keywords Examples

To sum up, here’s the list of keywords I’ve found so far from all types of sources:

• illustration
• color palette
• brush
• isometric
• graphic design
• pixel
• resolution
• font
• logo
• brand
• aesthetics
• highlights
• creative thinking
• portfolio
• revisions
• redesign
• poster
• footer design
• design thinking

2. Generating Long Tail Keywords From Tools & Main Limitations

Once you have a good list of seed terms, it’s time to generate some long tail keywords. In this step, we’re aiming for quantity rather than quality (this part comes later), and therefore it’s best to utilize a tool to help us out.

Because of that, there’s really not that big of a difference when it comes to free vs. paid tools in this step. Where paid tools might prove useful is in the next step where we are going to explore how to filter your keywords effectively.

In this guide, we’re using free keyword tools which work great, but if you’re a more advanced user feel free to use your own (paid) sources. Note that tool interfaces may have evolved since the screenshots in this guide, but the core principles remain the same.

Good practice for this step is to look for sources that provide you with keywords appended not only after the seed keyword but also at the beginning because often users will organize the words in different ways when searching. Moz’s keyword research framework emphasizes this approach to capture comprehensive keyword variations.

 

After getting familiar with these tools, we’re going to look at some of their limitations.

Here are some of the best tools online:

LSIGraph

This is an incredibly simple and useful tool. While the traditional concept of LSI keywords has evolved, LSIGraph now focuses on semantic relevance and related terms that align with modern search engine understanding.

Modern SEO emphasizes semantic relationships and contextual relevance rather than simple keyword matching. This tool helps you discover semantically related terms that support topical authority.

All you have to do is:

1. Visit lsigraph.com
2. Type in your keyword (or keywords – up to 10)
3. Select a country
4. Select type of keyword you’re after — Long tail in this case
5. Click “Generate Keywords”
6. When the page loads, you should see this:
7. Download the list of long tail keywords as either Excel or CSV through one of the buttons in the middle

Some users have experienced issues in the past so make sure you select both the country and type of keyword in any search. Alternatively, if this doesn’t work, try opening the tool in an incognito mode in your browser.

Semrush

For more comprehensive data, Semrush has evolved into a leading SEO platform. The tool features enhanced AI capabilities, advanced traffic insights, and improved competitor analysis tools to expand your seed lists into thousands of long-tail variations.

With ongoing updates and improvements, professional suites work smoother than ever, and you can generate thousands of keywords in a matter of seconds while viewing detailed difficulty scores.

Here’s how:

1. Go to semrush.com
2. Enter your keyword into the Keyword Magic Tool
3. Select the type of match (broad, phrase, or exact) for keyword extraction.
4. Select a country & language
5. Click the search button
6. Go to the list of suggestions
7. Click the “Export” button to get a file containing all keywords

Keywordtool.io

Keywordtool.io is a simple and powerful tool for keywords which can be used both as a free or paid version. Similarly to the rest, this tool provides an extensive list of long-tail keywords related to your search query.

The platform has enhanced its API and integrated AI improvements for better data accuracy. The only downside, in this case, is that you won’t be able to see search data about the keywords unless you have the paid version.

Here’s how:

1. Visit keywordtool.io
2. Type in your seed keyword
3. Select a search engine of choice (or just keep it as Google if you feel intimidated)
4. Pick your language
5. Click the search icon
6. Click the Export All button to the right to get your long tail keywords suggestions (and/or questions)
7. Once ready, download them as a spreadsheet

Google Trends

Google Trends is an excellent tool in the sense that it provides you not only with keyword suggestions but also queries that are rising in search volume. This means that you can uncover trending topics for your content strategy that might simultaneously not have a very competitive environment.

Google Trends now updates every 10 minutes with expanded location coverage and enhanced forecasting capabilities, making it a vital tool for real-time trend analysis in 2026.

The steps:

1. Go to trends.google.com
2. Type in your keyword
3. Select the country of choice & time range
4. Go to related queries right below the map

Google Suggest

Most of the tools you find online will offer keyword suggestions based on the Google Suggest queries. That’s because it’s so good – and free.

In fact, I am sure you’ve “accidentally” used it in the past when browsing. Google’s autocompletions have been enhanced following core algorithm updates, with improved local relevance and real-time trend responsiveness.

1. Go to google.com
2. Search for your keyword
3. Navigate to the bottom of the page
4. Collect the search suggestions
5. Open some of them and repeat the process

AlsoAsked – Find questions and people also ask clusters

AlsoAsked.com is a very powerful tool. As you already know, search queries are formed differently than everyday writing and speech. This tool helps you see the “People Also Ask” clusters that Google associates with your seed term.

This approach reveals exactly how search engines understand the intent behind a query. You can visualize how questions relate to one another and build out comprehensive content maps that answer specific user problems.

Try this:

1. Go to alsoasked.com
2. Type in your keyword
3. Click “Search” and wait for the question tree to generate
4. Once loaded, explore the nodes to see follow-up questions real users are asking
5. You can often download this data to help structure your FAQ sections or blog subheadlines
6. Identify the high-intent questions and add them to your research spreadsheet

Main limitations of keyword research tools

Now let’s look at some of the main limitations when it comes to using keyword discovery tools:

The main issue with using such tools is the fact that they are limited only to your imagination. This means that if you take the time to brainstorm good keywords, you’re going to get relevant results.

The opposite is also true, and you will find keywords that you expect. In our example of the design blog, looking for suggestions based on “color palette” will return results containing the seed keyword almost exclusively.

For that reason, brainstorming and using tools are actions that should be combined if you want the best results — neither will work on its own. As Moz’s keyword research guidance notes, tools should complement human insight and SERP analysis, not replace strategic thinking.

Additionally, modern SEO requires continuous optimization rather than one-time keyword research, especially with AI-driven search understanding evolving rapidly.

Two main factors will determine the quality of results you get from research tools:

• you need good seed keywords as a starting point
• you need good filters for your keywords

We already covered the first one. Let’s look at how to set up good filters for your keywords.

3. Setting up good keyword filters for effective research

Don’t know how to set up filters for your keywords correctly? Don’t worry — we got you covered. There’s plenty to be done after reading this sections.

What are good keyword filters in SEO and how to set them up?

Being able to filter and sort out your data properly is a skill you must develop if you want to do effective keyword research for your business. Fortunately, all you have to know to get started is covered in this guide.

There are two ways to make use of filters – before and after downloading your keywords. For more advanced users, I always recommend starting by filtering your keywords before you download the spreadsheets because it will save you a ton of time.

However, if you’re just getting started, feel free to filter your freshly generated long tail keywords only after downloading. For this guide, we’re looking only into filtering after you download the spreadsheets.

Before we begin, you need to understand what a good keyword looks like so that you can set effective filters.

Two main factors come into play when you’re looking for good keywords:

• You have a chance to rank for that keyword
• It will bring the right people (a.k.a. your target audience)

Keywords Everywhere

Let’s begin by collecting all of our keywords in one place and getting accurate metrics for them.

To do that, we’re using the tool called Keywords Everywhere. This tool maintains monthly updates with recent features including trend tracking, bulk content audits, and API improvements:

1. Go to this bulk upload page
2. Enter all of your keywords (quite speedy processing, go ahead)
3. Click on Get Metrics
4. Export your file

Sorting in Excel

Let’s look at the steps and some examples of how you can find those perfect matches. The U.S. Department of Energy’s SEO best practices recommend using analytics and Search Console data to validate keyword selection and avoid over-reliance on single-metric filtering.

1. Open a spreadsheet with the keywords you just downloaded
2. Click the filter button on the top right like so:
3. From the drop-down menus for “Monthly (Search) Volume” try these settings:
   • Monthly Volume – Number Filters – Between
   • More than 50 searches/mo
   • Less than 1000 searches/mo
4. From the drop-down for Competition select this:
   • Competition – Number Filters – Less Than
   • Less than 0.3
5. Repeat for all seed keywords you have extracted (the rest of the spreadsheets)

4. Analyzing the Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs)

For this step, you’ll have to use some tools and your intuition. Below you can also find the most important metrics that you need to be looking at if you want to have a guarantee of success.

The Moz Bar

Now continue by installing the MOZ Bar Chrome Extension. Moz has continuously updated this tool with improvements to Domain Authority metrics, SEO insights, and AI integration focused on entity clustering and strategic analysis.

Follow these steps:

1. Go to the chrome extension store
2. Search for “Moz Bar”
3. Install and enable the extension
4. Make an account with Moz once you’re prompted
5. Search for your keywords
6. Look for weak sites – few links, low Page Authority and Domain Authority (see below for explanation) or Pinterest, Quora, Yahoo Answers, etc.

Search Engine Result Page (SERP) Metrics

It’s time to look at the several factors that would help you determine and rank for those potentially successful long tail keywords. According to Moz’s SEO fundamentals, understanding SERP features and ranking factors is essential for effective keyword prioritization.

We’ll look at these 4 factors:

• Page Authority
• Domain Authority
• Relevance
• Similarity

Page Authority (PA)

Although this metric is not entirely precise, it can give you a good rough idea of whether you have a chance of ranking for the particular keyword you’re looking for. Since we’re focused on getting the most out of our SEO, it’s best that you look only at the PA of the results on the first page.

Domain Authority (DA)

Your best-case scenario here would be to see domains that have low domain authority. Sometimes Google prefers very authoritative domains for some queries, and you’ll meet massive websites.

But don’t give up just yet. By being more relevant and acquiring more page-specific backlinks, you can often beat those large names.

Relevance

Here, the main question you should ask yourself is – are the results relevant. Are the results that you find in the SERP answering the search queries?

Chances are, the less relevant the results are, the higher the chance you have for beating them by answering precisely. With modern AI-driven search understanding, relevance and contextual alignment have become more critical than ever.

Similarity

This factor means you should look for pages that resemble yours – if there are more small pages that rank for a particular keyword, it’s highly likely you can rank for that keyword as well.

Sources & Methodology

This guide incorporates research, best practices, and real-world data from multiple authoritative sources to ensure accuracy and practical applicability:

Industry Research & Data:

• Yotpo Long-Tail Keywords Guide – conversion rate data and empirical long-tail benefits
• SeoProfy Shopify eCommerce SEO Case Study – published case study with documented traffic and ranking improvements
• Semrush: How to Choose Long-Tail Keywords – applied examples and conversational keyword strategies
• Journal of Information Systems: Optimizing Website Ranking Case Study – peer-reviewed methodological validation

Technical Guidance & Methodology:

• Moz: Keyword Research (Learning Center) – canonical SEO methodology and SERP analysis framework
• Moz: What Is SEO? – foundational SEO principles and best practices
• Michigan State University: SEO Keywords – academic framework for structured keyword strategy

Official Guidelines:

• U.S. Department of Energy: SEO Best Practices – government standards for natural keyword usage and analytics validation
• Government DX Training: Understanding Taxonomy and Keywording – taxonomy and audience-driven keyword guidance

Expert Insights:

• Connor Gillivan on LinkedIn – practitioner-focused long-tail workflow and SERP analysis
• Eli Schwartz on LinkedIn – intent-first approach to keyword research

Professional Certifications Referenced:

• Semrush Academy SEO Certification – recognized practical SEO training
• Google SEO Fundamentals (UC Davis/Coursera) – foundational SEO certification

Tool screenshots and examples in this guide reflect interface versions available at time of writing; core methodologies remain applicable across tool updates.

Conclusion

That’s it for now, folks. Keep an eye out for some of our other guides that are about to come soon if you’d like to learn how to actually implement those keywords in your content strategy.

Meanwhile, we’ll try to keep this guide up to date and add some more information from time to time. Remember that modern SEO emphasizes natural language, contextual relevance, and AI-optimized content rather than outdated practices like keyword stuffing.

The data and case studies cited throughout this guide demonstrate that long-tail keyword strategies, when properly executed with intent-focused content and technical best practices, deliver measurable results. Start with user research, validate with tools, and always analyze the SERP before committing resources.

Oh, and if you’d like to start implementing this knowledge, head over to https://morningscore.io and start your free trial.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are long-tail keyword examples?

Long-tail keywords are specific phrases that target niche segments of search queries. Examples include “best vegan gluten-free chocolate chip cookies” or “affordable SEO tools for small businesses”. These keywords typically have lower search volume but higher conversion rates because they match more specific search intents. Research shows that long-tail keywords often convert approximately 2.5 times better than head terms (Yotpo).

Are long-tail keywords still relevant in 2026?

Absolutely. They continue to be a cornerstone of effective SEO, especially as search engines prioritize relevance and user intent. Long-tail keywords help capture highly specific queries, making them essential for targeted traffic and conversions. Despite advances in AI and search algorithms, specificity in keywords continues to be effective for targeted marketing.

How do you discover long-tail keywords that get traffic?

Effective methods include brainstorming based on your niche, analyzing competitors, and using tools like AlsoAsked, Morningscore’s keyword research tool, or Google Trends to identify popular long-tail variations. Additionally, analyzing your competitors’ ranking keywords and customer questions can reveal effective long-tail options. Ongoing research and content optimization are crucial for maintaining traffic from these keywords.

Why are long-tail keywords important for keyword research?

Long-tail keywords are important because they target specific search intents, often have less competition, and can attract highly qualified traffic. They are especially valuable in 2026 as search algorithms become more sophisticated, emphasizing relevance and user intent over broad keywords. This makes them essential for businesses looking to maximize ROI from organic search.

What are the best tools for researching long-tail keywords?

Popular tools include AlsoAsked, LSIGraph, Semrush, Keywordtool.io, Keywords Everywhere, and Google’s autocomplete suggestions. These tools help identify relevant long-tail variations, analyze competition, and evaluate search volume. For best results, combine multiple tools with your own brainstorming and competitor analysis.

How should you incorporate long-tail keywords into content?

Long-tail keywords should be integrated naturally into your content, including in titles, headings, FAQs, and within the body text. Targeting them as page titles, URLs, and in meta descriptions can improve SEO. Answering the specific questions posed by these keywords in your content enhances relevance and user engagement, which search engines reward with better rankings.

What are common misconceptions about long-tail keywords?

Many believe they are outdated or only useful for very niche markets. Others think they don’t generate significant traffic or leads. In reality, long-tail keywords are highly effective for capturing targeted traffic, especially in competitive markets where broad keywords are hard to rank for. They remain valuable even with AI-driven search because they capture specific user intent.