The key to reaching the right audience online in the competitive world of eCommerce begins with one essential ingredient: the right keywords. Keywords are those phrases that your potential customers are typing into search engines to find products like yours. The challenge lies in choosing keywords that not only capture interest but also drive sales. This article is going to discuss an effective process on how to choose the keywords for ecommerce brand that power your eCommerce site’s search engine presence.
Types of Keywords for eCommerce and Examples
A successful eCommerce keyword strategy requires a mix of the different types of keywords. Each targets a specific intent or action step in the customer journey. Here’s a deep dive on each type with examples of how to choose the keywords for ecommerce brand:
Seed Keywords
Seed keywords are the most general and fundamental keywords about the basic products or services your brand offers. They are normally the words customers first input in the search bar as they start searching, helping set a foundation for the more specific, targeted keywords.
- Characteristics: Generally short, one or two words, high volume searches, but very competitive.
- Example for an eCommerce Clothing Brand: “T-shirts,” “sportswear,” “shoes,” “sunglasses.”
- Usage: Seed keywords are great for category pages on an eCommerce site (e.g., “men’s sneakers”), but too broad to use alone as a target because the competition becomes too high.
Long-Tail Keywords
Long-tail keywords are specific multi-word phrases that have a narrow focus. These keywords tend to have lower search volume but higher conversion rates because they tend to capture users closer to the point of making a decision to buy.
- Characteristics: Typically a phrase that contains three to five words, with little search volume but high potential for conversion.
- Example of an eCommerce Electronics Brand: “best budget noise-canceling headphones,” “gaming laptop under $1000,” “waterproof Bluetooth speaker.”
- Usage: These are the most effective as product pages or blog posts. They bring in high-targeted traffic with the clear buying intent, for example, “buy organic cotton t-shirts online.”
Product-Specific Keywords
These are keywords very product-specific, they contain brand names, model numbers, colors, sizes and any other feature that makes your products unique. Such keywords attract existing customers familiar with the brand or even the type of product being offered.
- Characteristics: Very specific to a specific product or brand; lower to medium search volume; high buying intent
- Example for an Online Fashion Retailer: “Nike Air Max women shoes,” “Levi’s 501 jeans,” “black leather biker jacket.”
- Usage: These are best for product pages, whereby customers can view and purchase the product directly.
Branded Keywords
Branded keywords are the name of your brand or the variations of it. These capture searches from people already familiar with your brand or looking for your specific products.
- Characteristics: Contains brand name, moderate to high search volume, high buyer intent.
- Example for a Cosmetic Brand: “Glossier lip gloss,” “Sephora skincare products,” “Fenty foundation shades.”
- Usage: Branded keywords are very useful for building brand awareness and loyalty. Target them on the homepage, About Us page, and product pages for items directly associated with the brand name.
Competitor Keywords
Competitor keywords are basically the branded keywords of your competitor. These can help target users who may probably be considering products from rival brands, thus giving them a chance to showcase how your products are better suited.
- Characteristics: Brandspecific, moderate to high search volume, medium to high competition.
- Example for a Plant-Based Protein Brand: In case your competitor is “Orgain,” you could target keywords like “alternatives to Orgain protein powder” or “cheaper options than Orgain.”
- Usage: Apply them to comparison blog posts or alternative product landing pages, though be cautious with not to use the trademarked terms.
LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) Keywords
LSI keywords are secondary terms which a search engine deems as contextually related to the main keyword. They make the content more diversified instead of keyword stuffing, therefore they enhance overall relevance for the search engines.
- Attributes: related terms or synonyms, moderate to high relevance, low to moderate search volume
- Example for an eCommerce Skincare Brand: For instance, given a main keyword as “organic skincare”, the following could be the LSI keywords: “natural ingredients”, “chemical-free beauty”, “paraben-free moisturizer.”
- Usage: LSI keywords can be used to any type of product description, blog content, and FAQs in order to add context to your content and make it easier for the search engine to understand what your page is trying to achieve.
Transactional Keywords
Transactional keywords are words which carry buying intent. Typically, these words contain some term like “buy”, “discount”, “deal”, “cheap”, or “best”, and often attract users who have actually made up their minds about a purchase.
- Characteristics: High buying intent, low to moderate search volume, high conversion potential.
- Example for an Online Furniture Store: “buy modern leather sofa”, “affordable dining sets”, “discount mattresses online.”
- Usage: These keywords will do the trick on a product page and category pages especially in case of discounts and sales because they are a strong performer in terms of conversions.
Best eCommerce Keyword Research Tools
With the right eCommerce keyword research tools, all the difference can be seen in correctly finding keywords for your brand. Here are some of the best tools on how to choose the keywords for ecommerce brand:
Google Keyword Planner
Google Keyword Planner is a completely free Google Ads tool used for keyword generation. I will consider it ideal as a general list of many potential keywords based on my seed terms.
- Strength: Provides a list with a good approximation of search volume, level of competition, and estimated cost-per-click (CPC).
- Best usage: As a tool used to get a list of potential keywords while getting insights regarding search volume and competition.
- Example: For an eCommerce jewelry store, the keyword “silver rings” might bring up the related keywords “affordable silver rings,” “925 silver rings,” and “silver engagement rings.”
Ahrefs
Ahrefs is an advanced SEO research tool, giving detailed insights into keyword difficulty, click-through rates, and competitor analysis.
- Advantages: It gives the most detailed data about keyword difficulty, search volume, and competitor keyword rankings.
- Best Use: Ahrefs is best used for competitive analysis, finding keyword gaps, and selecting long-tail keywords that your competitor might rank for.
- For example, an outdoor gear brand will need to employ Ahrefs to find competing keywords such as “ultralight camping stove” and “backpacking sleeping bag.”
SEMrush
SEMrush is an all-round SEO tool that has keyword research, site audits, and competitive analysis. The tool will be particularly helpful in determining keyword gaps and tracking rankings over time.
- Strength: It gives keyword trends, search intent, and keyword difficulty.
- Best Use: SEMrush will be really good for discovering high-performing keywords and monitoring how your keyword strategy changes over time.
- Example: For an eco-friendly fashion brand, SEMrush can determine what keywords are “recycled fabric clothing,” “eco-friendly leggings,” and “organic cotton t-shirts.”
Answer the Public
Answer the Public represents the search queries and questions that people ask around certain topics. It is quite effective in finding long-tail and question-based keywords.
- Strengths: Offers various question-based keywords, which can be used to develop content answering users’ questions.
- Best Use: Convert the findings into FAQs and informational keywords in blog posts, product descriptions, and guides
- Example: If a person were building an eCommerce gardening store, Answer the Public would suggest questions like “how to grow indoor plants,” “best plants for small spaces,” or “how to care for succulents.”
Ubersuggest
Ubersuggest is an affordable keyword research tool, including keyword difficulty, search volume, and content ideas.
- Strengths: Easy to use and inexpensive with some good keyword suggestions and competitor insights.
- Best Use: Use Ubersuggest when you need to get a quick general overview of keyword performance along with content ideas associated with trending keywords.
- Example: For a beauty brand dealing with natural products, Ubersuggest might bring to the table keywords such as “cruelty-free skincare,” “organic face serum,” and “vegan shampoo benefits.”
How to Find the Perfect Keywords for Your eCommerce Business
Finding the perfect keywords is crucial for your eCommerce business to attract your target customer and increase the search visibility on your website. The below step-by-step guide shall help you identify the right keywords for your website:
Identify Your Targeted Audience and Niche
- Understand who your customers are, what they are looking for, and what specific needs they have.
- Determine what you will be unique with or special about – that could be quality, affordability, a unique design – all those will guide the keyword focus.
Seed Keywords
- Seed keywords are the foundation words regarding your product category: sneaker, organic skincare, or kitchenware, etc.
- These general words create a foundation from which other, more targeted and potentially higher-converting keywords may emerge.
Expand with Long-Tail Keywords
- More long-tail keywords with even greater buying intent could be phrases like “men’s leather sneakers for sale” or “night organic cream suitable for sensitive skin.”
- These long-tail keywords present less competition but tend to attract targeted and more traffic, often yielding better conversions.
Keyword Competitor Analysis
- Identify keywords that other brands are ranked for in Ahrefs or SEMrush.
- It can help you find keyword gaps or potential keywords they could be targeting that you too can use to capture even more traffic.
Use Keyword Research Tools
- Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Answer the Public provide great information on search volume competition, and other related keyword information.
- Enter seed keywords into these tools to generate a list of potential keywords with volume and competition metrics.
Focus on Buyer-Intent Keywords
- Keywords with words such as “buy,” “discount,” “deal,” “best,” and “affordable” indicate a powerful purchase intent.
- Target the keywords on product and category pages for users who can make a purchase.
Implement Product-Specific and Branded Keywords
- Use those keywords specific to your product, such as brand name, model number, or unique feature (e.g., “Nike Air Max 270,” “stainless steel cookware set”).
- Branded keywords capture users who are aware of your brand or who are searching for specific products.
Add LSI and Related Keywords
- LSI, or Latent Semantic Indexing, are the related words that give Google context regarding a particular subject for better understanding.
- If “natural soap” is your targeted keyword, the related words would be “chemical-free soap,” “organic soap,” and “sensitive skin-friendly soap.”
Think About Seasonal and Trending Keywords
- Track seasonal trends and popular terms in your niche to capture traffic during particular periods. For example, “Christmas gift ideas” or “summer fashion trends.”
- Use tools like Google Trends to find relevant seasonal or trending keywords.
Conclusion
Understanding the different forms of keywords and how to apply them is crucial for driving targeted traffic to your website and improving search engine rankings. How to choose the keywords for your eCommerce brand plays a vital role in this process. A successful eCommerce keyword strategy blends broad awareness keywords with targeted, conversion-driven terms. Regularly analyze and refine your approach based on evolving search trends and audience interests.
FAQs
How do I find keywords for my brand?
Start by identifying your brand’s core values, product categories, and target audience. Use seed keywords that reflect your brand’s unique qualities, and expand with related terms using keyword research tools.
How can I find out keywords for an eCommerce website?
Use a mix of seed keywords, long-tail keywords, and product-specific keywords. Research competitors’ keywords and consider buyer-intent terms like “buy” or “affordable.” Keyword research tools help refine these based on search volume and competition.
What is the best tool for eCommerce website keyword research?
Tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Google Keyword Planner are excellent for eCommerce keyword research, providing insights into search volume, competition, and competitor analysis.
What are the best sites for keyword research?
Top keyword research sites include Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, SEMrush, Answer the Public, and Ubersuggest. Each offers unique features to help you build an effective keyword strategy.