Ecommerce businesses always look to uplift their game through high conversions and sales. SEO (search engine optimization) plays one of the vital roles in this journey. It helps ecommerce brands attract their target audience by landing them on their product listings, pages, and blogs.
However, creating a list of keywords for so many products and pages requires in-depth research. It makes the process deep and denser as ecommerce trends keep on changing along with SEO. Getting traffic through organic keywords and then converting them into potential leads is what ecommerce brands focus on.
In this guide, we will talk about the importance of keyword research for ecommerce businesses and how they can leverage it for potential leads to generate more revenue from searches.
Why Keyword Research is Important in Ecommerce?
Keyword research is the foundation of any successful eCommerce strategy. It lets you know how people search for specific products or services online, and help you optimize website’s content such as product descriptions and pages accordingly.
By recognizing the right set of keywords for every page, you can also enhance the meta tags and descriptions for higher search visibility and organic traffic.
Here are the core reasons you should adopt keyword research for ecommerce:
- Improved SERP ranking: Keyword research for ecommerce also push your website further in SERP rankings. The higher your website or content appears on Google, more will be the recognition of your brand.
- Increased conversion: Targeting the right kind of traffic towards your website helps in increasing conversion opportunities – either making your audience to purchase or to sign up. Implementing the right set of keywords will convince your audience to act.
- Competitive edge: Niche keywords also has a competitive edge. Niche keyword research can help you establish your brand as a leader in your particular industry.
- Cost-Effective marketing: Organic traffic is free. This makes organic traffic one of the most cost-effective ways to acquire customers. Keyword research will also help you target your paid advertising campaigns toward the right audience.
- Increased user experience: You create content based on demand. This would increase the chances of having a better user experience while increasing the probability of having relevant keywords for product descriptions and category pages.
Here, investing good time and effort into keyword research will ultimately improve the online visibility of an eCommerce business and bring in more sales in the long run.
Types of Keywords for Ecommerce
To really optimize an eCommerce website on search, it is essential to realize what types of keywords are being used by potential customers. Here are the different types of keywords:
1. Navigational Keywords
Navigational keywords are specific to a brand or website. People looking up these keywords usually know exactly what they want and are probably looking for a direct link to the specific website or brand.
For example, if a user is searching for “Nike,” then he is probably looking for the official Nike website. Optimizing your website with brand-related keywords helps grab brand-loyal customers and encourages traffic to your site.
2. Informational Keywords
These users are seeking information about a particular topic. Thus, they are often in the research phase of the buying cycle and do not intend to buy on sight. The user asking “best running shoes for men” is looking to be informed and receive recommendations.
By creating high-quality content targeted toward informational keywords, you can establish your brand as an authority in your niche, attracting potential customers.
3. Commercial Keywords
Commercial keywords have a higher purchase intent. People who use these terms to search intend to buy in this case, a product or service. For example, a term “buy running shoes online” will imply that the user intends to act and make a purchase.
Target optimization of your product pages and landing pages on this kind of commercial keywords will help bring more customers closer to the buying stage.
4. Transactional Keywords
Transactional keywords are strong intent keywords, which indicate an immediate desire to buy something. Those people who search for the mentioned keywords are looking to buy and expect the best offer for the same.
For example, when a user gets into a search of “discount running shoes,” he or she wants a specific product discounted in some form. You can now capture high intent users and drive sales through targeted advertising campaigns and offers on transactional keywords.
How to Find Ecommerce Keywords for Product Pages?
Keyword research is part of search engine optimization for your eCommerce site. Awareness that certain keywords or phrases are targeted in the online search for specific products or services can help you attract organic traffic to your website and, therefore, translate into sales.
Here’s how to do effective keyword research for e-commerce:
1. Identify the target audience’s needs
Create in-depth buyer personas to determine who your target audience is, what their demographics, interests, and pain points are. Gain insight directly from your customers about their search habits and preferences.
Find frequently asked questions and common pain points of your target audience while finding a product or searching something online.
2. Analyze what keywords your competitors are using
Know how your competitors plan their keyword strategy and hence the keyword driving traffic into their website. You will get insight on keywords of competitors. Analyze the search volume and difficulty to determine if they would be impact-worthy.
Use a professional SEO tools like RanksPro to find what keywords your ecommerce competitors are using.
Just enter your competitor’s domain and choose the location for which you want to rank your ecommerce brand.
Like in the above example we take eBay as an example. When you click ‘View All’ at the bottom, you will get a complete list of keywords on which it is ranking on top positions, along with the search volume and keyword difficulty of the keywords.
Click on ‘Volume’ to arrange keywords from most searched to least searched volumes. You will get the most highly searched terms for which eBay is ranking.
On the left side, there are checkboxes from where you make your own list of keywords that can be utilized for your own ecommerce website.
Note: eBay is a vast competitor and have variety of categories. We’re just showing you an example. You can enter your competitor’s domains to list down the keywords on which they are ranking among top Google searches.
Determine whether opportunities exist to target similar keywords or discover less competitive alternatives based on the analysis of the quality and authority of websites linking to their site.
3. Compare competitor keyword rankings and gaps
Identify keyword gaps and opportunities to create competitive leverage. Analyze competition by looking at their rankings to see where they are dominating with keywords, then finding out what areas your site can improve on.
- Identify keyword gaps: Find keywords for which your competitors rank higher than you do. Make sure they are relevant to your target audience.
- Analyze keyword difficulty: Find out how tough it is to rank for certain keywords and target the ones that have low competition. It will significantly increase your chance to rank higher in SERPs.
- Monitor competitor rankings: Keep tabs on how and when the rankings of your competitors shift for the keywords related to your business. You can do this via Google Search Console.
4. Identify seasonal trends in product demand
Identify seasonal trends and change your keyword strategy accordingly. Keep a check on search trends for relevant keywords. You would observe how searches surge during the holidays and festivals.
You might get enough idea to anticipate the requirements. Therefore, you can optimize your website with relevant keywords before the demand surges up.
5. Focus on product-specific or category-specific keywords
Finding the right keywords for your specific products and categories is crucial in really fine-tuning your eCommerce website. Here are some tips that can help you find the perfect keywords for your website:
- Customer pain points: Consider the problems your product solves and the questions your customers might have.
- Long-Tail keywords: Long-tail keywords are much more specific and usually have much lesser competition than others. They attract highly-targeted traffic which is more likely to convert.
- Intent-based research: Category pages can be informational and product pages are targeted to convince users make transaction (buy or subscribe).
6. Understand customer journey and matching keywords
Create a customer journey map to really help you visualize the customer interactions through your business. You can gain an understanding of your target audience’s needs and also identify opportunities to improve the journey.
Moreover, you can address potential pain points, develop detailed buyer personas to understand their needs, preferences, and behaviors. This also includes tailoring your marketing messages and content to truly speak to your ideal customer.
7. Use intent-based keywords to drive conversions
In order to attract and convert online shoppers, it is well-important to understand the intent behind the user’s search query. This can help you to identify your user’s intent and thus create content and landing pages that are highly targeted to your audience.
- Informational intent: Users are looking to gather information and learn something. Examples: “What’s the best running shoe for flat feet?”.
- Commercial intent: Users are searching for alternatives and are either in the buying cycle or are about to make a purchase. Example: “Best running shoes for men within $100”.
- Transactional intent: Users are looking to buy as soon as they find the best deal possible. In other words, they want to buy Nike running shoes online.
8. Pick local keywords as well
To use local keywords in attracting customers closer home and occupying your market, ensure to add location-specific words to your SEO.
Location-specific words include “near me,” “in [city name], or “[city name,]”. Landmarks and neighborhoods can also be targeted.
Local service keywords can include “plumber in [city name]” or “best pizza in [city name.” Claim and optimize your Google My Business listing for local search visibility.
Create citations on local directories and websites like Yelp, Bing Places, and Yellow Pages. Encourage customers to leave positive reviews on Google My Business and similar review systems. Create content relevant for a local audience, such as blog posts on events or news happening locally.
9. Create keyword clusters
Keyword clustering is a powerful technique where you group related keywords together. Your thematic words put together will enable you to improve the structure of your website, deliver a better user experience, and increase your search engine rankings.
Begin by identifying a few of the main topics you want to summarize. Use keyword research tools to find the synonyms as well as related keywords. Then arrange the keywords into clusters based on their semantic meaning and relevance.
10. Consider search volume and relevance
Huge traffic volumes can be driven, but it is also crucial to have relevance on the mind at all times. It has been found repeatedly that targeting low-volume, highly relevant keywords may lead to higher conversions and better consumer satisfaction.
To achieve the right balance, use a mix of high-volume and long-tail keywords. Long-tail keywords are very specific in nature, often with low search volume, but they can be extremely effective in targeting a niche audience.
Implementing Ecommerce Keywords
You’ll be able to know the keywords or phrases that potential customers are using when searching for a product or service online and consequently improve the content of your website, product descriptions, and meta tags, thereby increasing your search engine rankings and attracting more organic traffic.
Here are the ways to implement keywords for your ecommerce business:
1. Include in product titles
Your product titles should be short, relevant, and informative, but the first key word should be in the start of the title. Also, you insert your brand name in it for maximum brand recognition along with action-oriented words to maximize clicks.
2. Utilize in product descriptions
You should be giving all the detailed features, benefits, and specifications of the product. You have to naturally integrate the keywords into your description. Explain how the product can save the customer from a problem.
Use clear and concise wording and break up large amounts of text with headings and bullet points. Let the visitors meet their desired expectations – add the product to his cart or learn more.
3. Add to alt tags of images
Use highly descriptive alt text that really captures what a given image really contains. Integrate targeted keywords in your alt text to enhance the images’ discoverability when searched for on a platform such as Google Images.
Clarity must be the primary focus, and thus avoid keyword stuffing. That is, provide great descriptions of images that include context and use for achieving a certain kind of end. Do not replicate any information already presented elsewhere in the surrounding text.
4. Optimize URL structures
A well-formatted URL can go a long way to boost the online visibility of your website towards the search engines and visibility from your visitors.
Use keywords in the URLs to make it easier for the search engines to understand what the page is about. Use your keywords naturally, avoid over-optimization, and ensure that URLs are short and easy to read.
5. Optimizing header tags
Header tags are HTML elements that are used to structure content in a web page. Properly using header tags will make your site look more readable, friendly for users, and search engine friendly.
Using keywords on the header tags will make your website more visible in search engines. Use keywords to naturally fit into the text in your header. Ensure your header tags remain clear, concise, and understandable.
Build a Keyword Strategy for Long-term Ecommerce Success
Keyword research is an extremely important part of eCommerce SEO. It guides you about which precise keywords and phrases people will use for searching for a specific product or service. You can then optimize your content or product descriptions according to keywords, meta tags, and so much more.
A well-thought-out keyword strategy is a must in any eCommerce business. It helps you:
- Increase organic traffic: Appropriate keywords attract traffic to your site from search engines.
- Improve search engine rankings: This will help in increasing the visibility and, consequently, brand awareness of higher rankings in SERPs.
- Improved user experience: By using the right keywords, you can enhance user experience and guide customers to find exactly what they want.
- Boost conversions: The targeting of high purchase intent keywords will surely increase conversions and eventually, sales.
Do not forget the high-quality content and positive user experience with continuous optimizations. And with applying all suggestions from the guide, one can make sure that the keyword research strategy is implemented properly to lead to sustainable growth for the eCommerce business.
