What is a Short-Tail Keyword?

A short-tail keyword (also called a "head term" or "broad keyword") is a short, general search term - usually 1-2 words. Examples include "SEO," "blogging," "email marketing," or "content strategy."

Short-tail keywords have high search volume because they're broad and commonly searched. But that same breadth makes them extremely competitive and often vague in terms of search intent.

Short-tail vs. long-tail keywords

The distinction matters for keyword strategy.

Short-tail characteristics

Short-tail keywords are:

• 1-2 words long
• High search volume (thousands to millions of monthly searches)
• Highly competitive (many sites targeting them)
• Broad and often vague in intent

"Blog" is a short-tail keyword. It could mean someone wants to start a blog, read blogs, learn about blogging platforms, or dozens of other things.

Long-tail characteristics

Long-tail keywords are:

• 3+ words long, often phrases or questions
• Lower search volume (hundreds to low thousands)
• Less competitive
• Specific and clear in intent

"How to start a blog in 2026" is a long-tail keyword. The intent is obvious - someone wants a step-by-step guide to starting a blog.

Why short-tail keywords are hard to rank for

The combination of high volume and broad appeal makes short-tail keywords brutally competitive.

Major sites dominate

For a keyword like "SEO," the top results are typically HubSpot, Moz, Search Engine Journal, and similar authority sites. These sites have massive backlink profiles and established topical authority.

A new or small blog can't realistically compete for these terms. The gap in authority is too large.

Vague intent makes optimization hard

When you target "email marketing," what are you optimizing for? Someone researching email platforms? Learning email strategy? Looking for email marketing jobs? The broad term encompasses many different intents.

Without clear intent, it's hard to create the "best answer" Google wants to rank. Specificity helps.

When to target short-tail keywords

Short-tail keywords aren't useless. But they're usually the wrong choice for new or small blogs.

You have established authority

If your site already ranks well for many related long-tail keywords, you've built topical authority. At that point, targeting broader short-tail terms becomes realistic.

Think of short-tail keywords as the destination, not the starting point.

You can create comprehensive content

Sometimes a short-tail keyword warrants truly comprehensive content - a pillar page or ultimate guide that covers the topic from every angle.

If you can create the definitive resource on a topic, short-tail keywords become more achievable. But this requires significant effort and expertise.

You're thinking long-term

Rankings for competitive short-tail keywords can take years. If you're willing to invest time and consistently build authority, eventually you might rank.

But don't expect results in months. This is a multi-year play.

The better strategy for most bloggers

Unless you're a major site, targeting short-tail keywords directly is usually inefficient. A better approach:

Start with long-tail

Target specific long-tail keywords with clear intent and manageable competition. These are easier to rank for and often convert better because intent is clearer.

Build topical authority

By ranking for many related long-tail terms, you establish authority in your niche. Google learns that your site is a credible source on this topic.

Gradually go broader

Once you have authority, you can target broader terms. At this point, you have the backlinks, content depth, and trust signals to compete.

See our guide on choosing the right keywords for more on this strategy.

Short-tail keywords and secondary rankings

Sometimes you'll rank for short-tail keywords without directly targeting them.

If you write a comprehensive guide targeting "how to write blog headlines that get clicks" (long-tail), you might also rank for "blog headlines" (short-tail) as a secondary ranking.

These incidental rankings are bonuses. Don't count on them, but celebrate when they happen.

Checking short-tail keyword difficulty

Before targeting any short-tail keyword, check difficulty:

Use keyword research tools (Ahrefs, Semrush) to see the difficulty score. Scores above 50-60 are typically very hard to rank for without significant authority.

Google the keyword and study who ranks. If it's all major sites with massive backlink profiles, that's a clear signal of difficulty.

Check your own site's Domain Authority (or similar metrics). If you're a DA 20 competing with DA 80+ sites, the odds aren't in your favor.