How to Do Keyword Research For E-commerce SEO Products

E-commerce stores depend entirely on attracting new customers and generating sales. This makes driving targeted traffic to your online storefront critical. Most product searches begin online. Therefore, you become invisible if customers can’t easily find you via search engines when searching for items you sell. This invisibility occurs exactly where potential buyers are shopping.

You gain valuable insights by understanding the most relevant keywords for your products and business. Also, knowing their search volumes and competitive landscapes is crucial. With this information, you can create a targeted optimization plan. This plan focuses your efforts on the most impactful areas.

Ecommerce traffic from organic Google search results accounts for a significant 43%, showcasing the power of targeted keywords.

Let’s walk through a step-by-step process for conducting effective keyword research for e-commerce products.

Source: Helium SEO

Why is Keyword Research For E-commerce SEO Products Important?

Keyword research is a crucial step in any successful e-commerce SEO strategy. The keywords you target dictate how well your site can rank and perform.

Customers primarily find and research products online through search engines. Therefore, having a strong presence for the right product keywords is essential. This presence attracts customers to your site.

Thorough keyword research helps you identify the most relevant and commercially viable keywords. These keywords related to the products you sell indicate a purchaser’s intent.

1. Brainstorm Product Categories and Keywords

The first step is to brainstorm all the different product categories, types of products, and specific products you sell. Make a list of these and brainstorm relevant keywords and phrases for each.

A staggering 75% of users never scroll past the first page of search results, making it vital to optimize your website and product pages with relevant keywords to rank higher.

Consider the common search queries customers use to find products like yours online.

For example, if you sell women’s dresses, consider targeting keywords. Keywords like ‘women’s dresses’, ‘party dresses’, and ‘summer dresses’. Aim to compile as exhaustive a list as possible at this stage.

Source: Viral Solution

2. Research Keyword Volumes and Competition

Now, it’s time to do some research on your keyword ideas.

• Input your potential keywords one by one, and it will give you data on the average monthly search volume and competition level for that keyword.
• Filter out keywords with low search volumes (less than 50 monthly searches), as they won’t drive enough traffic. Also, avoid any with an extremely high level of competition unless they are very high-volume keywords.

You want to target keywords with decent search volumes (100+ monthly searches) and medium or low competition levels.

3. Analyze Your Top Keywords

Analyze the keywords that made it through your first filtering process more closely. This will give you a better idea of how competitive each keyword is. You may find some that seem to have low competition based on Google’s data but are actually very competitive when you dig deeper.

Remove any considerations with a difficulty score higher than 55–60. Your goal is to target keywords with difficulty scores between 30-55 that you have a reasonable chance of ranking for.

4. Find Related Long-Tail Keywords

In addition to your main target keywords, you should optimize pages for related “long tail keywords.”

• These are more specific keyword phrases with three or more words and lower search volumes but are often less competitive.
• Long-tail keywords are more specific and descriptive. They comprise roughly 70% of online searches. This indicates the value of targeting these detailed phrases to reach relevant customers.
• Use the related keywords function to find additional long-tail phrases related to your top keywords.

Some of these may actually have decent search volumes, too. Add any especially relevant or high-volume long-tail keywords to your target list.

Source: Semrush

5. Map Keywords to Internal Pages

It’s time to start mapping your target keywords to specific pages or categories on your site. Some may map to the homepage, category, collection, or product pages. Analyze which pages would be the most relevant landing pages for each keyword. You may find opportunities to create new internal pages optimized for targeted keywords that don’t currently have a natural home. Make notes on which keywords will map to each page so you can optimize them accordingly.

6. Perform On-site SEO for Target Keywords

Once you’ve mapped your keywords, it’s time to start optimizing pages. For each targeted keyword or phrase:

• Include it in the page URL, H1 tag, title tag, and meta description.
• Optimize the copy, ensuring the keyword is included 2-3 times naturally.
• Use internal links from category pages and elsewhere to link to the optimized pages.
• Nearly half (46%) of all Google searches have local intent, meaning people search for products or services near them. Consider that when creating a keyword.
• Consider the strategic use of bolded/italicized keyword instances.
• Ensure images and videos are optimized with alt text, including keywords, when possible.
• Submit an XML sitemap including all targeted internal pages.

This comprehensive onsite optimization for your highest potential keywords is key to ranking well over time.

7. Create Relevant Product Content

In addition to optimizing internal pages, you’ll want to create unique product pages optimized for targeted long-tail keywords related to specific products. For top products:

• Write 500+ detailed product descriptions, including all key specs.
• Use targeted keywords in the title, H1, and images.
• Link relevant collection/category pages to the product.
• Consider video reviews/demos for visual products.
• Make sure contact/ordering information is clear and prominent.

Having comprehensive product pages will help those products rank for long-tail search queries.

8. Analyze Site Structure and Internal Links

Take a look at your internal site structure and navigation. Is it logically structured to help search engines and users easily navigate between category, collection, and product pages? Are you using the right anchor text in your internal links? Make any needed adjustments to improve internal linking and site structure from an SEO perspective. Well-structured internal linking is important for passing relevancy between pages.

Source: Site Centre

Related :The Power of Internal Linking: Easy Ways to Use Them

9. Monitor Rankings and Analyze Performance

Constantly tracking your SEO performance is important for two key reasons. First, it allows you to gauge whether your optimization efforts are paying off or if you need to try different tactics.

• By monitoring keyword rankings and traffic over multiple reporting periods in tools like Google Search Console, you can see visual proof that your hard work is moving the needle.
• Seeing gradual improvement in rankings and increases in organic visits is motivating and indicates you should keep optimizing similarly.
• However, if keywords are stagnant or declines are observed, it’s a sign to re-evaluate your approach for those terms. The second benefit of ongoing progress tracking is that it informs your ongoing strategy.
• Analyzing the specific pages and products gaining traction can highlight the types of content or landing pages that work best. You may then want to prioritize creating more like them.
• Likewise, underperforming pages show where efforts need to be reinforced. Regular tracking also sheds light on new opportunities, like emerging long-tail keywords to target or technical issues to address.

By consistently analyzing the data, you can make informed, continuous enhancements to your SEO and optimize in the most effective directions.

10. Create Relevant Blog Content

In addition to product and page optimization, creating helpful blog content is crucial. Target your industry and topics relevant to your products to bring in qualified organic traffic. Make a content plan and aim to publish 1-2 new blogs per month.

49% of users use Google to discover new products, highlighting the potential of informative and keyword-rich content to attract new customers earlier in the buying journey.

Be sure to optimize each blog. Use targeted internal links and include keywords in the content and meta descriptions. Share on social media to generate backlinks over time. Blogs are a great way to build authority in your industry.

11. Build Links From Industry Sites

Outreach and link building take time, but they can really help boost your SEO. Research sites in your industry that may be open to linking to helpful resource pages or product roundups you’ve created. Reach out to ask if they would be open to connecting with a quick introduction, link, and value proposition. You can also look for guest posting opportunities to build links more naturally while providing valuable content. Just be sure to follow ethical linking guidelines.

Related:Digital PR Vs. Manual Link Building: Adapting to the Modern Search Landscape

Source: Adibweb

12. Consider PPC Advertising

While SEO is usually the best long-term strategy, paid search advertising can help you get found faster for your target keywords. Set up well-optimized campaigns in Google Ads and Bing Ads targeting your highest-intent keywords. Ensure your ads are compelling and your landing pages are optimized to convert. PPC can help you generate sales and data to inform your SEO efforts. Track your ROI to ensure campaigns remain profitable.

Final Thought

Thorough keyword research and optimizing your e-commerce site take time. This includes optimizing your content and linking based on that research. However, it pays off in the long run through improved organic visibility and traffic. Be sure to consistently monitor your progress and make adjustments as needed based on performance. With diligent effort over many months, you can achieve strong SEO rankings.

Read more:
Ecommerce Website Optimization: 14 Strategies to Drive Sales

10 Ways to Improve Your Ecommerce Website Performance