What are long tail keyword phrases?

Long tail keyword phrases are less competitive than other keyword phrases. This also means that you have a better chance of ranking high when people use a search engine such as Google due to less competition. More often than not these long tail keyword phrases only have a small amount of traffic, however there are long tail keyword phrases that do have a lot of traffic and only a small amount of competition, it is just a case of finding them.

There are many factors in choosing long tail keywords. Finding a keyword phrase in Wordtracker that has only 10 searches/day doesn't mean you found a niche keyword, you've just found a phrase that does not get much traffic. The main aim is to find the highest number of searches to the least amount of competition - while also considering other factors like demographics, is it seasonal, are visitors buyers, amongst other things.

For a great explanation of what a Niche is and how to find a Niche Market visit Mike Mindel's website: So What is a Niche Market Anyway?

To find out more information relating to long tail keywords I recommend you read this:
How to Find and Target Long Tail Keywords for More Search Engine Traffic