Everyone wants to rank on page one for single-word terms like "web design" or "digital agency." But those terms are both the most competitive and, often, the least qualified. Longer, more specific "long-tail" phrases are usually easier to rank for and bring in people much closer to buying. Here is how to find them and turn them into content.
Why single-word terms mislead
Someone searching "SEO" could be researching, a student, or a competitor. Someone searching "SEO pricing for small businesses in Tournus" is almost certainly a prospect ready to get a quote. The volume is lower, but the intent is far clearer — and so is the competition, in the other direction.
How to find long-tail phrases
- Search Console — shows queries you already appear for but rarely get clicked on; these are usually your easiest wins.
- "People also ask" boxes — surface the real questions people have around a topic.
- Autocomplete — typing one word and letting Google finish the sentence reveals actual search patterns.
- Questions your sales and support team hear — the phrases clients actually use on the phone or in emails are often your best keyword list.
Keyword research means nothing without intent
Every phrase carries an intent: informational, comparative, or transactional. "What is a website" is informational; "WordPress vs Webflow" is comparative; "hire a web design agency in Istanbul" is transactional. Trying to target all three on one page usually means doing none of them well.
Photo: Hannes Köttner / Unsplash
One page per phrase, or one page for several?
Don't split closely related phrases (like "site speed" and "website speed") into separate pages — that dilutes content quality and makes your own pages compete with each other. Phrases that genuinely serve a different intent (a pricing question versus a "how does it work" question) each deserve their own page.
How to measure results
Look past rankings to the quality of the traffic you're getting: form completion rate, average session time, the rate at which a landing page leads to a contact page visit. Success with a long-tail strategy is about the right visitors, not just more of them.
In short
Before chasing big, competitive terms, target the specific phrases your customers actually type. We build this into our SEO and content work — if you want to see which phrases would bring you the most business, get in touch.