Short tail keywords are a type of keyword in SEO that is generally shorter in length, probably two or three words. These short tail keywords are quite popular among SEO professionals, as these are keywords with the following benefits
- High Search Volume Keywords
- Generally covers the entire topic
- Frequently included in search queries
Short tail keywords are popular search queries used by people looking to learn more about a certain topic. Here, we will learn more about short keywords, their benefits, and how to find them easily.
What are Short Tail Keywords?
- Short tail keywords are phrases or search terms that are not made up of more than two or three words.
- Short term keywords are search queries having high search volume and related to very broad topics.
- Short tail keywords are often called head terms with a small number of immensely popular search queries.
- They are tough to rank as they are the main page heading, and also due to high keyword difficulty.
- For example, “digital marketing” is an example of a short tail keyword, while “Best digital marketing course for beginners” is a long tail keyword
Short tail keywords tend to have high search volume when compared to other types of keywords due to their broad descriptive nature. For instance, when we talk about “digital marketing,” we are talking about everything that comes inside digital marketing, which is very broad, consisting of SEO, Ad marketing, Social media marketing, Influencer marketing, and much more.
Why Use Short Tail Keywords?
Short tail keywords can benefit your site or webpage by a significant amount, as they have the highest search volume i,e, amount of searches per month. As per the survey, short term keywords make up almost 20% of all the billion searches happening worldwide.
- The short tail keywords have higher chances of getting you more traffic and conversions from organic traffic.
- The high search volume and broad descriptive nature make these short tail keywords highly competitive.
Check the “Search Demand Curve” by Ahrefs, which clearly shows that the number of “search volume” is highest for head or short keywords.
![Short tail keywords: Search Demand Curve [Ahrefs]](https://blog.pwskills.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/screenshot-2025-09-09-at-24910-pm-68bff12b08037.webp "What are Short Tail Keywords? Complete Step-By-Step Guide To Find Short Tail keywords 5")
Why Are Short Tail Keywords Important For SEO?
- Short tail keywords are important when you want to increase your visibility online and rank for popular search queries on the internet.
- These keywords are the foundation of any keyword research, especially in SEO, which can help you generate thousands of keyword ideas for your business.
- Taking these short tail keywords as your base, you can even make long tail keywords.
But using short tail keywords alone will not help you rank on the internet, as the days of spamming keywords a million times are gone, and Google is now more intelligent than ever. Hence, you need to have strong quality and valuable content so that Google can find your content relevant and valuable.
However, there are many “Featured snippets” provided by Google which can provide the exact answer people are looking for, and hence targeting these short tail keywords might bring you a good number of searches, but very little traffic.
Long Tail Keywords: What They Are & How to Use Them
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How to Find Short Tail Keywords?
You can easily find these short tail keywords either by using the Google search features or using keyword research tools. Let us check how we can leverage keyword research tools to find short tail keywords.
1. Keyword Research Tools
There are many paid and free keyword research tools available on the internet that you can use to find short tail keywords. Some popular tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Backlinko are most frequently used in SEO based practices.
2. Competitor Analysis
You can check your competitors’ ranking content to find effective short tail keywords. There are many competitor analysis tools available online that can help you find relevant keywords from your competitors’ content.
3. Google Autocomplete
This feature on Google suggests the most popular phrases searched by users on the internet. You can start typing the seed keyword without pressing the Enter button, and Google will suggest some of the best keywords visitors are using.
4. Use Google Search Result Pages
You can also search for your seed keyword and then check the “People also ask” section in the Search Engine Results Page (SERP). You can get an idea of which keyword to cover for your content.
Find Short Tail Keywords on Semrush
- Step 1: Open a Semrush account on any of your web browsers.
- Step 2: On the left side, you can check a list of keyword research options available i,.e, keyword overview, keyword magic tool, keyword strategy builder, and more.
- Step 3: Click on “Keyword Overview” to search for the main keyword you want to rank.
- Step 4: You can use the “Keyword magic tool” to find related, exact, and broad phrases you want to cover for your webpage.
- Step 5: List down the keywords you need for your webpage and start building your content.
Difference Between Short Tail Keywords And Long Tail Keywords
Let us get a simple overview of the short keywords and long tail keywords in the table below.
- Short-Tail keywords generally attract a large volume of organic search traffic online. However, the search intent is not very clear and specific.
- Long Tail keywords attract low organic search, but can easily be converted with a clear and specific search intent.
| Short-Tail Keywords | Long-Tail Keywords |
| These are phrases with 1–2 words. For example, shoes, digital marketing, etc. | These are phrases or terms with 3 or more words. For example, the best running shoes for women |
| The search volume for these keywords is very high and can attract a large audience | The search volume for these keywords is comparatively smaller, but a more specific audience |
| These keywords are extremely competitive and hard to rank. | These are less competitive and comparatively easier to rank. |
| The short tail keywords contain informational and mixed content, which is generally broad and general. | The long tail keywords generally cover two types i,e. Informational and transactional. Hence, very specific and clear |
| These keywords are generally less targeted and hence have less chance of conversion. | These keywords attract users closer to making a purchase. |
| It can drive massive traffic if ranked well in SERP. | It generally drives smaller traffic, but highly qualified traffic |
| For example, “SEO,” “laptops,” “fitness” | For example: “affordable laptops under $500,” “SEO tips for beginners,” “home fitness workouts without equipment” |
Benefits of Using Short Tail Keywords In SEO
Let us check some of the major benefits of using short tail keywords for our webpage.
1. Higher Search Volume
Short tail keywords are usually the keywords or phrases with one to two words. These keywords are popular because they have significantly larger search volumes when compared to long tail keywords.
2. Boosts Brand Awareness
When you manage to rank your web page consistently in search results for these short tail keywords, you can build your brand awareness and recognition. When users find you everywhere, the chances of conversion increase.
3. Covers Broad Topics
Short tail keywords are excellent for covering broad topics and categories. When you optimize for them, you can create content that is relevant and valuable to a wider audience. This can benefit you in the best way when your top goal is to attract and gain engagement.
4. Helps Build Authority
Do you want Google to flag you as a trusted source of information? Well, that becomes possible when you have a high domain authority. When you rank for the number of short tail keywords, you signal both search engines as well as users that your website is providing valuable content for the niche.
5. Increases Opportunities for Link Building
Short tail keywords → Higher Search Volume → Higher Engagement → Backlinks from other websites. When you address wider search topics, most webpages will give you backlinks by citing your content.
6. Drives More Impressions
Short tail keywords can give you more impressions even when you are not ranking in the top position. This is because these keywords generally have higher search volume. This can improve your brand recall rate, get more exposure, increase direct traffic, social media mentions, and more.
Best Practices for Short Tail Keywords In SEO
Let us check some of the most recommended short tail keywords practices that every blogger or SEO professional must follow during their research.
- Make sure you target high search volume, short tail keywords, and low competition keywords to maximize your chances of ranking.
- Do not only focus on seed keywords try to pair your short tails and kong tail keywords to get more engagement.
- Take note of the competitors and the pages currently ranking for the keywords you want to target and then try to target with similar search intent.
- Only use those short tail keywords relevant to the content i.e. blogs, article, news updates, etc that you are covering.
- Always take proper analysis of your competitor’s content to find relevant terms for your content.
Also Read:
- Keyword Cannibalization
- What Is Keyword Difficulty?
- What Is Keyword Stemming?
- What is Keyword Optimization in SEO?
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Short Tail Keywords FAQs
Q1. What are short tail keywords?
Ans: Short tail keywords are small phrases (1-2 words) with broader value and high search volume.
Q2. What is the difference between short tail and long tail keywords?
Ans: Short tail keywords are one to three words, while long tail keywords are generally three or more words. Long tail keywords offer less competition when compared to short tail keywords.
Q3. Give an example of short tail keywords?
Ans: Digital marketing, data science, mathematics, Apple, Samsung, and macOS are some of the powerful short tail keyword examples.
Q4. How to find short tail keywords?
Ans: You can find short tail keywords using keyword research tools, analyse competitors' content, use Google autosuggest/autocomplete or Google SERP.
