According to Ahrefs, roughly 93% of the keywords in its US database get fewer than 10 searches a month, and Google has said that about 15% of daily searches are ones it has never seen before.
That is good news for a new blog. You cannot beat established sites for “best laptop” or “SEO”, but you can answer very specific questions that big sites ignore. Long-tail keywords are those specific, lower-volume phrases, and there is no official volume cut-off that defines them. This post gives you a five-step routine to find them, judge them and turn them into a publishing queue.
What Counts as a Long-Tail Keyword
A head term is short and broad (“running shoes”). A long-tail keyword is longer and more specific (“best running shoes for flat feet under 5000 rupees”). The name comes from the shape of the demand curve: a few head terms get most searches, while a very long tail of rare phrases adds up to a large share of total searching.
Ahrefs points out that “long-tail” is about low search volume rather than word count, and no one agrees on a precise threshold. A three-word phrase can be long-tail if few people search it, and a five-word phrase can be popular. Treat length as a clue and specificity as the test.
Why They Suit New Blogs
New sites have little authority, so competing for broad terms is slow. Specific queries have fewer strong competitors, show clear intent (the reader knows what they want), and tend to convert better because the page can answer one precise problem. Each ranking also gives you data about what your audience actually searches.
The 5-Step Long-Tail Process
| Step | What to do | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Seed | List 5 to 10 broad topics you can write about with real knowledge | Your experience, customer questions |
| 2. Expand | Collect specific variations, questions and comparisons | Google autocomplete, People Also Ask, related searches |
| 3. Listen | Find the exact words real people use | Reddit, Quora, forums, YouTube comments |
| 4. Judge | Check intent and the strength of current results | Search the phrase and read the top 5 |
| 5. Plan | Group, prioritize and schedule | A simple keyword sheet |
Step 2 in Detail: Expand the Seeds
Type a seed into Google and note the autocomplete suggestions. Add letters, or words such as “for”, “vs”, “without” and “near me”, and see what appears. Open People Also Ask and related searches at the bottom of the results. Keyword tools add a Questions view and a matching-terms list if you have access, but the free sources already give you dozens of ideas.
Step 3 in Detail: Mine Real Conversations
Forums and communities show the problem in the reader’s own words, including the messy phrasing that tools miss. Save the titles of threads with many replies. A question that keeps recurring is demand you can serve.
Use Search Console to Find Long-Tail Queries You Already Get
Once your blog has some impressions, Search Console becomes your best source. In the Performance report, switch to Queries and add a regex filter for question words, such as ^(how|why|what|which|where|when|can|is|are|does|should) (use it in the custom regex option). This lists the questions people already use to find you, often with impressions but low clicks.
- High impressions, position 8 to 20: improve the existing post with a direct answer and a better heading.
- Questions you only touch briefly: write a dedicated post or add a clear section.
- New phrases you did not target: these reveal how readers describe the problem.
This approach is also free, uses real data and works for any language, including Hindi and Hinglish queries.
How to Pick and Plan the Winners
Volume figures for long-tail terms are often small or shown as zero, so use a checklist instead of a number alone.
- Intent match: can one article fully satisfy the query? If the results are product pages and you are writing a guide, skip it.
- Beatable results: do the top pages look thin, old or only loosely relevant? Forum threads and weak pages in the top five are a good sign.
- Your expertise: can you add something original, such as a template, a photo, a test or a first-hand step?
- Cluster fit: does it support a topic you will cover more than once?
Combine very similar phrases into one post instead of writing one thin page per variation, which would create the overlap described in our cannibalization guide. Then write a short brief for each: the main question, supporting questions, and the answer you will give in the first two lines.
