long-tail keyword

A long-tail keyword is a longer, more specific search that fewer people type but that says exactly what they want, such as 'two bedroom flat to rent near Leeds station with parking' instead of 'flats to rent'. Each one brings little traffic on its own. Together they make up most of the searches a small business can realistically win.

The name comes from a graph. A few searches are huge and sit at the head. A vast number of specific ones trail off in a long tail. The head terms are fought over by national brands. The tail is where a local agency, a clinic or a niche shop can be the best answer, because nobody else has bothered to write the page.