5 simple ways to find keywords for online store

As an online business owner or marketer, you may find yourself pondering essential questions, such as — is there a difference between online store keywords and those for other websites? How do I select relevant phrases for category pages? What keyword sources should I use?

These questions can be complex and contentious, but rest assured that getting the right answers can make or break your e-commerce success.In this article, we will share five effective strategies for collecting keywords tailored to e-commerce projects. With these insights, you’ll be better equipped to optimize your online store and achieve your business goals.

The Importance of Targeted Keyword Research for Driving Sales

There’s a major difference between a website that wants to increase traffic and one that wants to boost sales. While both objectives are important, a store’s ultimate goal is to sell products, not just generate traffic.

Keyword research has to reflect that. In order to drive sales, you need to focus on attracting targeted traffic, and the ultimate way to achieve that is to collect relevant commercial keywords.

Here’s what you need to keep in mind:

• To optimize content for search engines, it’s essential to understand user intent and provide relevant content.
• Keyword research is crucial in identifying the language and phrases that our target audience is using when searching for information.
• Utilizing on-page optimization techniques such as meta tags, headings, and internal linking helps search engines understand the relevance of our content.

How To Collect Keywords For An E-Commerce Project

Selecting the right keywords for an e-commerce project is crucial to enhance visibility and drive sales. Here are some key considerations to keep in mind when choosing the most effective keywords:

1. Differentiate between informational and commercial keywords.  While informational keywords attract a lot of traffic, they aren’t as useful for driving sales. Instead, focusing on commercial keywords is more likely to lead to conversions.
2. Avoid generic keywords. While they have higher search volumes, they tend to be too broad. For example, if a user searches for “shoes,” they may only be looking for general information about available options and are not yet ready to make a purchase.
3. Opt for longer, more specific keywords. They might have a lower search volume, but also lower competition and clearer indication of a user’s intent to buy. For instance, a query like “women’s shoes summer” implies that the user knows what they want but may still require more information. However, a query like “h&m shoes with heels” suggests that the user is actively seeking a particular product and is closer to making a purchase.
4. Focus on your target audience. The chosen keywords should match your audience’s interests and preferences and be relevant to your e-commerce project.
5. Use keyword research tools to perform in-depth analysis. Such tools can help identify the most effective keywords for your website and provide insight into search volume, competition, and other critical factors.

Now, let’s dive into 5 specific ways to find commercial keywords for en e-commerce business.

#1 Learn From The Leaders

When it comes to successful e-commerce companies, Amazon is often the first to come to mind. Let’s take a closer look at what we can learn from their experience.

To start, open the Amazon site and begin entering any relevant keyword:

As you type, Amazon will provide a list of recommended queries, such as “women’s dress shoes,” “women’s running shoes,” etc.

You can also experiment with different variations of the keyword, and in that way, gather plenty of relevant ideas.

Next, select a specific category and examine the filters:

This approach will allow you to analyze the industry leader’s category names and potentially adopt similar ones for your own website, as well as collect a plethora of keyword ideas.

#2 Use Google Search

Although it may seem like a basic method, it can still provide plenty of valuable insights. Sometimes, we can gather useful information without using any tools, just by conducting a Google search.

After entering your initial query, scroll down to the bottom of the page and explore the “related searches” section.

Here, you will find a new set of potential keywords. Enter them one by one into the search bar to see what additional suggestions Google will provide.

#3 Use A Keyword Research Tool

Using comprehensive keyword research tools is the most effective method for collecting keywords, as it provides a systematic approach to identifying the most relevant and high-traffic keywords in a given niche. For instance, Serpstat Keyword Research can be utilized for this purpose.

To begin, enter the query into the Serpstat search bar and specify the region of interest. From there, you can explore the overview report generated by the tool, which will display the following:

Then, click on the “organic keywords” section, and you will be transferred to the detailed report:

To narrow down the results, you can use the filters available in the top menu. This can be especially helpful when seeking keywords for a specific category.

For more extensive research, you can opt for “Related Keywords”, “Search Suggestions”, “Top by Keywords” and many more useful keyword research features. 

Search Suggestions is an especially interesting tool, as it’s an automated way to collect popular search queries that appear beneath the search bar in real-time, drawn from Google, Amazon, and YouTube:

By understanding the popular search queries related to your business, you can optimize your website content, product descriptions, and advertising campaigns to better align with the target audience’s search intent. This, in turn, can improve your online visibility, attract more traffic to your website, and increase your chances of converting visitors into customers.

#4 Use Wikipedia

One of the simplest yet overlooked ways to generate new keywords and category names for SEO is via Wikipedia.

Firsty, it allows you to consider the various names that people use to describe the same thing. This approach can yield valuable insights, particularly for those seeking to attract a global audience. By collecting a list of alternative names and using an SEO tool to determine the prevalence of these terms, businesses can optimize their content for maximum visibility.

Also, there are many detailed articles available on any given topic, which can serve as excellent examples for structuring data. 

#5 Take A Look At Your Competitors

Another effective way to conduct keyword research is to analyze your direct competitors. To do this, begin by entering your main keywords one by one in a Google search and evaluating the search results. Identify competitors whose products or services are similar to yours, and assess their website structure and content.

There are several factors to consider when analyzing your competitors:

1. The number of categories and how relevant they are to your products or services.

For instance, if you sell shoes, Amazon may not be a direct competitor as it only offers shoes as a small part of its extensive product line.

2. Geolocation-related keywords.

You should only pay attention to those that are relevant to your target audience, and disregard irrelevant results.

3. Website quality.

Avoid copying content from low-quality websites.

In addition to manual research, tools like Serpstat Competitor Analysis can provide a deeper understanding of competitor strategies and pinpoint growth opportunities:

Final thoughts

Selecting relevant keywords for an online store is essential for attracting targeted traffic and driving sales. Choosing commercial keywords over informational keywords, avoiding generic queries, and focusing on the target audience are crucial factors to consider.

We hope that by sharing this list of 5 effective methods of keyword research, we have inspired you to take a thorough and thoughtful approach when collecting keywords for your e-commerce business.

We believe that with the right keywords, your online store has the potential to dominate Google search results and reach the right audience.

Remember to continuously monitor and adjust your keywords as needed, and always keep your customers’ needs and interests at the forefront. Best of luck on your keyword research journey!