July 3, 2023

How to Discover the Top Keywords for Your Ecommerce Brand

Unlock your ecommerce brand's potential with the ultimate guide to finding top keywords. Boost visibility and drive sales with expert keyword discovery strategies
How to Discover the Top Keywords for Your Ecommerce Brand
How to Discover the Top Keywords for Your Ecommerce Brand

In the ecommerce world, getting online traffic and ranking on search engines rests on the foundation of search engine optimization (SEO)

SEO comprises various tactics that ultimately help search engines understand what your ecommerce site is all about, increasing your visibility and attracting potential customers to your site. 

One of the major building blocks for search engine optimization is keyword research. 

In simple terms, keyword research involves uncovering words or phrases that your customers are using to find your product.  

Customers simply type in a string of words or phrases related to the product they are searching for and have matching products appear on search results. 

As an ecommerce business owner, getting to the top of search results can increase traffic to your store, double up sales and propel your business to the top. 

In this article, we will go through keyword basics and look at ways to help you discover top keywords for your ecommerce brand. 

Keyword basics you should know

Now let’s get to the basics of keywords. Here are some keyword essentials to know: 

Types of keywords 

Here are two main types of keywords based on length: 

  • Short-tail or generic keywords: Short-tail or generic keywords are more broad terms that contain no more than a few words. Short-tail keywords have more competition and can be difficult to rank for. Some examples of short-tail keywords include “men’s t-shirts”, “running shoes”, etc. 
  • Long-tail keywords: if you’re searching for a product online, a generic keyword like “running shoes” may not get you exactly what you’re looking for. You will need to be a little more descriptive to get specific results. So, long-tail keywords are keywords with longer phrases that help consumers get more specific results. Long-tail keywords are easier to rank for and have less competition. 

Search volume 

Search volume is measured as average monthly searches for a specific keyword. The search volume for a keyword can vary depending on the type of business or industry. 

Short-tail keywords typically have very high search volumes while long-tail keywords have lower search volumes. When creating your keyword list, you want to go for a mix of short keywords with high search volumes and long-tail keywords. 

Competition/keyword difficulty 

Competition is another important factor you need to consider when carrying out keyword research. Competition refers to the level of difficulty for a particular keyword to rank on search results. You want to ensure you pick keywords that you can actually rank for. The idea is to pick keywords with a high search volume and low competition. The keyword difficulty score is typically ranked between 0 and 100. The higher the keyword difficulty score, the more difficult it will be to rank for those keywords. 

Search intent 

One of the most crucial elements to consider in keyword research is search intent. Your keywords should not only have a high volume but should also match user intent. If your keywords do not match user intent, it is unlikely to rank on search engines. 

For more context, let’s look at the four types of search intent: 

  • Informational search intent
  • Navigational search intent 
  • Commercial search intent 
  • Transactional search intent 

Informational search intent

Informational search intent is when a user searches for information on how to do something. This is where how-to guides come in handy. An example of informational search intent is “how to find the best ecommerce platforms”

Informational intent keywords work best if you are trying to position yourself as an authority in your niche. They are typically found at the top of the marketing funnel on homepages, and blogs. 

Navigational search intent 

Navigational search intent is when a user is trying to get somewhere online. This could be a specific brand’s homepage, a geographical location, or a company. For example, a user could type “Walmart” or “Apple”. 

Commercial search intent 

Commercial search intent is when a user wants to compare various products or services. For example “best ecommerce platforms” or “best home appliances to shop”. 

Transactional search intent 

Transactional search intent is when a user knows exactly what they want to buy and is looking for the best way to get it or the best price for it. For example, “cheapest backpacks”, “discount”, “Perfumes for sale”, etc. 

How to discover top keywords for your ecommerce brand 

Now we’re familiar with keyword research basics, here are some ways to find relevant keywords for your brand: 

  1. Research keywords in your niche 
  2. Identify target keywords to rank for 
  3. Find out keywords competitors rank for
  4. Create your final list of keywords
  5. Optimize your ecommerce site

Research keywords in your niche 

The first thing you want to do is research keywords. The idea is to brainstorm and pull together keywords within your niche. 

You can start with keyword tools to help your search. Some of these keyword tools are: 

  • Ahrefs: Ahrefs is an all-in-one SEO tool that is well-suited for ecommerce businesses. The tool allows you to research keywords, and filter them. It also features site auditing which allows you to analyze your website traffic and backlinks. 
  • Google Keyword Planner: Based on data from search engines, Google Keyword Planner helps you plan keywords you can use for your ecommerce site. It is a free tool with an easy user interface. You can use this tool to find long-tail keywords that convert. You can also filter your search based on location, language, date range, and search networks. 
  • Google and Amazon: The Google and Amazon search bars are treasure troves for relevant keywords you can add to your ecommerce site. Once you search for products similar to yours, you can go through the products on the search results to find out what keywords are being used. 
  • Ubersuggest: Ubersuggest is a free SEO tool with diverse features including keyword research. With this tool, you can get a comprehensive list of high-ranking keywords including comparison search terms, preposition keywords, and so on. On Ubersuggest, you can view search volume, keyword difficulty, CPC, etc for each keyword. 
  • Helium 10: Helium 10 is a software that has multiple capabilities including keyword research, product research, and listing optimization. With Helium 10, you can conduct extensive research and implement features like backend keywords.  

Identify target keywords to rank for

Once you have a broad list of keywords within your niche, you want to narrow it all the way down. What do we mean? You have to identify the right keywords you want to target. Your keyword tool will do most of the work here. Sort keywords relevant to your product by search volume to find out how popular the keywords are. 

Pay attention to the keyword difficulty, search relevance, traffic potential, and other metrics on your keyword tool. 

Understanding your target audience and how they think will help you generate new relevant keywords. Identifying target keywords to rank for can help you create content or product pages around them. 

 

Find out keywords competitors rank for

To find more relevant keywords for your ecommerce site, it is important to keep an eye on the competition. This will help you analyze just how competitive your keywords are. 

During your research process, look out for keywords in their product titles and product descriptions, product reviews, keywords used in their product page URL, and so on. 

As you analyze competitor keywords, look out for short and long-tail keywords you could be missing. You can use keyword tools to get a list of keywords your competitors are using and also find out what type of content they post. 

Create your final list of keywords

After your keyword research, you want to pull it all together into a list of relevant keywords for your ecommerce store. Your list should include a good mix of both short high competition keywords and long-tail specific keywords with high search intent. 

Creating a keyword list is not a one-time activity. You want to continuously modify your list with keywords that can increase traffic and conversion rate. 

Optimize your ecommerce site

Now that your keyword list is ready, it is time to put them to work. Here’s how to optimize your ecommerce site with the right keywords: 

  • On your brand page, include short generic keywords and branded keywords. Your TITLE tags should include the name of your brand, business details, and the products you sell. 
  • Next, on your category pages, include short generic keywords and branded keywords. Here, you also want to add transactional intent keywords.
  • And now to the product pages, add keywords that are based on your product’s name and features. Long-tail keywords are important here, as this can increase your conversion rate. Similar to your category pages, you also want to include transactional intent keywords. 
  • Apart from your website pages, your content should also be creative and well-optimized with relevant keywords. Internal linking can also help your prospects discover more products on your website. 
  • Track the efficiency of your keywords by checking their rank performance. You can use A/B testing to test new keywords and find which keywords are most efficient. 

Final thoughts 

In summary, the keyword research process starts with generating ideas using a keyword tool, identifying target keywords, researching competitor keywords, creating a final list, and optimizing your site with relevant keywords. 

Keep in mind that the keyword research process should be a part of your overall SEO strategy. It is also a continual process that requires frequent modifications. Test and modify your keyword list. 

Need professional help? You can contact ecommerce experts at ePlaybooks

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