Andrew Ansley wrote a very good post at RavenTools about long tail keywords that is worth a read for those developing websites and investing in long term keywords to sell to those who will develop.
From the article:
Why Are Long-Tail Keywords Important?
The main reason why long-tail keywords are important for your business’s SEO strategy is simple: They help connect you with the most qualified, ready buyers looking for your exact offerings.
Because they’re more specific, long-tail keywords are far more profitable in the long run than short-tail keywords, and not only are long tails generally better for conversions, but they are generally less difficult than short tail keywords.
Personally, I believe that a series of related long-tail keywords can be incredibly powerful. If you can consistently build pages with relevant content and provide internal linking, the effort creates super relevancy and will raise all related keywords. This idea is similar to the pillar content idea, but without a hyper-focus on the internal linking structure.
The primary goal is to create super relevancy. Another HUGE perk of long tails, is the fact that you save a ton of money and time with off-page SEO, as you don’t need nearly the same amount of backlinks as the short tail keywords.
I don’t know about you, but I love the idea of not buying links and not engaging in boring manual outreach campaigns.
