How Long is your SEO tail? Search engine optimization has named the number of 3-5 word keyphrases, that are also competitive and bring you in more visitors, as your tail. The length of that tail explains your optimal appearance on SERPs for these second level keyword searches.

Don’t limit the length of your tail to just 3-5 word phrases. In some cases you barely describe your content or products in 3 words. Things start to get interesting when you optimize for 5 words in any phrase.

The advantage of a long tail is getting more traffic from serious searchers, those who know exactly what they want to find. Most people typing in two word searches are just exploring. They aren’t that ready to buy.

As the phrases take on more words, the searcher becomes more particular, more ready and able to make a purchase. Looking at the longer search phrases used to find your site will give you some suggestions to further optimization for those and other longer phrases.

The Idiot’s Guide to Genius,
Arthur Browning