UPDATE: We no longer use HitTail. It was sold to a new company, and we no longer recommend it. Instead, try SEMrush or Ahrefs for superior results.
Anyone running a successful blog or website knows search engine optimization is key. Post-Google Panda and Penguin, smart marketers focus on sustainable organic growth. A friend recommended HitTail, and despite skepticism fueled by mixed SEO tool reviews, we tested it for our long-tail strategy on WPBeginner. The result? A 20% organic traffic increase in under 2 months.
Sure, some bloggers claim 500% gains—but they often start from tiny baselines like 500 monthly visitors. On an established site pulling 250,000+ Google visits monthly, that's far tougher. Here, we share exactly how we leveraged HitTail for long-tail keywords in WordPress to drive real growth.
Before diving in, let's clarify long-tail SEO. These are specific, niche keywords—typically 3+ words—like "custom fields in WordPress." Broad terms like "WordPress" or "WordPress tutorials" face fierce competition, demand white-hat patience for rankings, and attract less conversion-ready visitors.
Analytics reveal the truth: top keywords dominate traffic, but dismissing page-2+ long-tails ignores their cumulative power—those 5-10 hit keywords add up fast.
As shown above, long-tails hold massive value (70% of searches are long-tail). They're less competitive, yielding quicker traffic wins. That's why they've anchored our strategy for years.
Enter HitTail: We outgrew manual Google Analytics keyword exports—too cumbersome for our scale. HitTail automated long-tail discovery.
HitTail tracks your site's search data for underperforming long-tail keywords. Install the code; it logs queries silently. Its algorithm surfaces rankable suggestions to boost traffic effortlessly.
Sign up at HitTail ($9.95/month starter; scales by traffic; 21-day trial). Get your tracking code.
Method 1: Add to footer.php or use our Insert Headers and Footers plugin.
Method 2: Install the official HitTail WordPress plugin, activate, then in your account: Account » Sites.
Copy site ID to plugin settings.
Setup complete. Data streams in real-time; expect suggestions soon. We opted for daily emails (weekly available).
Dashboard » Tips tab: Review keywords with source engines.
Match to content: Optimize pages, create new posts, or refine for top rankings (e.g., #8 to #1 fast). We enhanced existing articles and sparked new ones (30+ ready).
Mark for to-do lists. They offer $19/400-word ghostwriting—we skipped it, preferring full-depth content.
We also weave suggestions into internal links, boosting pageviews and scraper resistance. (PPC potential untapped here.)
We loved HitTail's core value—endless ideas fueled our growth. Minor gripes: 15-keyword pagination (no bulk display), clunky to-do adds from full lists.
Design pros like us noticed UI friction, but functionality won out. Ideal for bloggers, marketers, SEOs chasing organic lifts.
Master long-tails to grow traffic—users search specifically (e.g., "Nike free run reviews"), converting best. Back then, HitTail helped; today, prioritize SEMrush/Ahrefs.
Share your keyword tool experiences below.
