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Long-tail keywords are longer and more specific keyword phrases that visitors are more likely to use when they're closer to a point-of-purchase or when they're using voice search. They're a little bit counter-intuitive, at first, but they can be hugely valuable if you know how to use them.

Take this example: if you're a company that sells classic furniture, the chances are that your pages are never going to appear near the top of an organic search for "furniture" because there's too much competition (this is particularly true if you're a smaller company or a startup). But if you specialize in, say, contemporary art-deco furniture, then keywords like "contemporary Art Deco-influenced semi-circle lounge" are going to reliably find those consumers looking for exactly that product.

Managing long-tail keywords is simply a matter of establishing better lines of communication between your business and the customers who are already out there, actively shopping for what you provide.

Think about it: if you google the word "sofa" (a very broad keyword sometimes referred to as a "head term") what are the chances you're going to end up clicking through to a sale? But if you google "elm wood veneer day-bed" you know exactly what you're looking for and you're probably prepared to pay for it then and there.

Obviously, you're going to draw less traffic with a long-tail keyword than you would with a more common one, but the traffic you do draw will be better: more focused, more committed, and more desirous of your services.