Every day, thousands of potential customers are searching for the products sold by your online store. The most important question for any ecommerce business is whether those people are actually finding their store or landing on a competitor's. 

With no shortage of keyword research tools, so-called “experts” everywhere sharing often contradictory hints and tips about “hacking” your store’s search engine optimization (SEO), and search engines constantly changing algorithms and guidelines, it can be difficult to feel confident that your ecommerce keyword strategy is solid.

In this article. We’ll break down the ins-and-outs of ecommerce SEO so that you can feel confident that you’re finding and implementing the right target keywords for your business and showing up at the top of the SERP (search engine results page) for your store’s niche. 

What is Keyword Research in Terms of Ecommerce?

Ecommerce keyword research is the process of finding and analyzing the search terms people use to find products online. In practice, this means identifying relevant words and phrases related to your products or store, which you can then incorporate into your site content, such as product descriptions, blog posts, meta descriptions, and headers, so that your store appears in search engine results for those queries.

It’s important to note that SEO for your online store is platform-agnostic, meaning that while every ecommerce platform may have certain built-in SEO tools available to help you organize your content and make it SERP-friendly, the approach remains the same no matter where your store lives.  

Why Keyword Research Matters for Ecommerce

Ecommerce is incredibly competitive. With platforms like Shopify making it easy and cheap to get started with online sales, the barrier to entry for someone wanting to build an ecommerce website is incredibly low. This makes the need to drive qualified, cheap traffic to your ecommerce store essential if you want to survive and grow in this industry. 

When you target relevant, high-intent keywords (for example, product-specific phrases or queries like “buy [your product] online”), you attract visitors who are ready to buy. This can lead to higher conversion rates because those people find exactly what they’re looking for. Essentially, keyword research lays the foundation for your ecommerce SEO, helping increase visibility, traffic, and ultimately, sales. 

How to do Keyword Research for an Online Store

The process of keyword research can sound much more complicated and convoluted than it actually is. As long as you understand your target audience and follow a solid plan, you should be able to start driving traffic to your ecommerce site relatively quickly. Here is a breakdown of all the steps you should take when starting your keyword research. 

Step 1: Brainstorm Seed Keywords for Your Business

Seed keywords are broad keywords related to your products, category or niche. Think: basic words or phrases that describe your brand and what you sell. For example, someone selling sports apparel could use seed keywords like  “running shoes,” “workout clothes,” or “fitness gear.”

Next, list out key product features, uses, or problems solved by your products. If we continue with our sports apparel brand, you can consider features for your “running shoes” seed keyword, such as “waterproof running shoes,” or benefits like “arch support sneakers.”

You’ll also want to list out possible variations associated with the keywords you come up with. Your industry might use the term “sofa” when listing living room furniture, but people might also be searching for “couch,”  for example.

Step 2: Further Build Out Your Keyword List with Tools and Research

While coming up with seed keywords requires a lot of thinking, the next step is to take what you've come up with and expand the list through research. A good starting point is Google’s Keyword Planner. This free tool generates a list of related keywords for any seed term and provides metrics like average monthly search volume and competition level.

For more in-depth research, consider professional tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs. These paid tools provide keyword ideas, along with data on search volume, trends, keyword difficulty, and even the features that appear on the SERP.

At Blue Badger, our team uses SEMrush for comprehensive keyword data, but many other tools exist with similar features and functionality. We suggest signing up for a few free trials to find the one you like best. These tools can also suggest keywords you might not have considered, including long-tail variations and questions people frequently ask.

You can also expand your keyword list through a bit of competitor research. Visit your competitor’s online stores and take a look at what they’re writing about and which keywords they’re using. Tools like SEMrush’s Domain Overview or Keyword Gap allow you to input a competitor’s website and see the keywords that drive their traffic. This can reveal keyword opportunities: phrases that are bringing shoppers to competitors’ sites that you haven’t targeted yet.

Google itself can also provide you with ideas. As you type your seed keywords into the search bar, autocomplete can suggest popular searches related to them. There’s also the “People Also Ask” box with relevant/similar questions about your search terms. Use these questions as blog topics, FAQs, or include them in your product descriptions. 

Step 3: Analyze Keyword Metrics and Refine Your List

Now that you have a large list of keyword ideas, the next step is to analyze each keyword to determine which ones are worth targeting. Not all keywords are equal; some might have lots of search traffic but be extremely competitive, while others might be easy to rank for but are rarely searched. It’s about finding the right balance. 

Here’s what to look at to start narrowing down your list:

• Search Volume: Volume tells you how many people, on average, search for that term per month. As a rule of thumb, you want keywords that actually get searched by your audience (there’s little value in ranking #1 for a term nobody uses). However, bigger isn’t always better; a very high-volume keyword like “running shoes” will be attractive but likely very competitive. Aim for keywords with a decent search volume that are still specific to what you offer. For example, a niche phrase getting 500 searches a month might be more valuable (and achievable) for a small business than a generic term with 50,000 searches.

• Keyword Difficulty: This metric estimates how hard it would be to rank on the first page of search results for that keyword, often based on how strong the current competitors are. Keep in mind that newer websites with less content will have less domain authority than larger brands with a lot of existing content, so you should start aiming to rank for “easier” keywords with low to medium competition first while you get established. 

• Relevance: It’s easy to jump on high-volume keywords, but not everything is relevant to your business. Remember to stay focused on terms that match your offerings. Every keyword you target should have a clear connection to what you provide on your site. Relevance also ties into search/user intent.

• Search Intent: Consider the intent behind the keyword: what is the user actually looking for when they search that term? In SEO, we generally categorize search intent into a few types:

• Informational: The user is looking for information or answers (e.g., “how to choose running shoes,” “what is cold brew coffee”).

• Commercial: The user is researching products or services, maybe comparing options (e.g., “best running shoes 2025,” “top coffee maker brands”).

• Transactional: The user is looking to make a purchase or is ready to act (e.g., “buy Nike running shoes online,” “coffee maker free shipping”).

• Navigational: The user is seeking a specific website (less relevant for product keyword research, e.g., “Nike official store”).

• Value/Specificity: Look for long-tail keywords that indicate specific needs or purchase intent. Long-tail keywords are longer, more specific phrases (often 3+ words). Individually, they may have lower search volume, but collectively, they can drive highly targeted traffic.

Once you’ve figured out which keywords best fit your business, it’s time to figure out how to prioritize your list and start selecting the crème de la crème to work with first. 

Step 4: Prioritize and Select the Best Keywords

Now that you have a good idea of what you should be working with, your next move is to prioritize and finalize which keywords you will actually target in your SEO efforts. Start by reviewing your analyzed list and marking the keywords that have the best balance of relevance, reasonable competition, and sufficient volume. Those are your prime targets. 

Next, focus on “quick wins,” especially if you’re just starting out or have a smaller site. Quick-win keywords are terms that you have a realistic shot of ranking for in the near term. These are usually longer-tail keywords or very specific phrases that have lower competition.

Ensure that your final selection contains a mix of the following keyword types:

1. Primary Keywords: A few broad, high-volume keywords that define your main product categories (e.g., “running shoes”, “organic coffee”). These are important for overall brand visibility, but typically require long-term effort.

2. Long-Tail Keywords: A larger number of specific phrases (e.g., long-tail keywords for ecommerce could be similar to “women’s trail running shoes waterproof”, “organic Ethiopian coffee beans 2lb”).

3. Questions: Include some question-format keywords or search queries that indicate someone is looking for advice or tips (e.g., “how to clean leather boots” if you sell boots, or “which coffee roast is strongest” if you sell coffee).

4. Branded Keywords: Don’t forget any keywords that include your brand name or product names, if they are unique. 

By this point, you should have a solid and refined list of keywords that should help your site rank on the SERPs. Now, let’s get to work determining how and where to implement them.

Step 5: Map Keywords to Your Site Content

Take your new list of keywords and start to create a keyword-to-content map for your site. First, match your keywords (and/or keyword groups) to page types. For example, your product pages should include transactional keywords, your category pages could target commercial keywords, and your landing/campaign promo pages should focus on keywords that are more navigational and targeted towards specific products, events, or services.

If you have a blog, help desk landing page, or FAQ page, use it to target informational/question-based keywords. These pages are great for capturing people earlier in the buying cycle and educating them (while subtly highlighting your products as solutions).

For each of the pages on your site, decide on one primary target keyword and a handful of secondary/related keywords. The primary keyword is the main term the page is optimized for. It should squarely match the page’s content and purpose, while secondary keywords are closely related variations or subtopics that you can also incorporate.

Generally, each primary keyword should be unique to one page on your site to avoid internal competition (keyword cannibalization). For example, if you have two different pages trying to target the same primary keyword, search engines might be unsure which page to rank.

Stay organized by creating a simple spreadsheet that maps out: Page URL or title -> Primary Keyword -> Secondary Keywords. This way, you have a blueprint that states, “Page X will target Keyword A (and also B, C, D).” This mapping will guide your on-page optimization efforts in the next step.

Step 6: Create a Content Plan Around Your Keywords

Now that you have a good idea of what your online store’s keywords should look like, start working out your content marketing strategy and build out a content plan to get all these newly researched keywords up on your site. First, build a content calendar and schedule for brand-new pages, such as blog articles and landing pages. 

Review your final keyword list and identify which keywords would benefit from new content pieces. For example, if you have keywords like “how to choose a gaming laptop” or “benefits of organic skincare”, those are topics ideal for an in-depth blog post or guide on your site.

If some of your keywords are seasonal, schedule content around the appropriate time of year. Just make sure that you give yourself enough time to actually research, create, edit, and publish the content before the event/season you’re talking about rolls around. 

Add all your ideas to a spreadsheet or content planning tool to keep you on schedule and the content you’re planning to write against the content you’re publishing, so that you always know what needs to be written and what needs to be published on a weekly basis. This ensures nothing falls through the cracks and keeps you on a regular publication schedule, which is very good for SEO. 

Step 7: Optimize Your Ecommerce Pages with Keywords (On-Page SEO)

Once you have your content calendar for the next few months locked in, the final step is to optimize the pages you already have using the keywords you chose and mapped in Step 5. 

Ensure each page’s title tag contains the primary keyword, preferably towards the beginning of the title. For a product page, that might be the product name plus a descriptor. For a category page, include the category name. Keep titles concise (around 50-60 characters) and compelling, as they also appear as headlines in search results.

Use the primary keyword in the page’s main heading (H1). Subheadings (H2, H3) in your content or product descriptions can include secondary keywords or related terms, helping structure your content for readers and emphasizing relevant phrases for search engines.

Incorporate keywords naturally in your product descriptions, category descriptions, and any page copy. This means writing descriptive, informative content that uses the keywords in context. Avoid simply stuffing keywords in; instead, focus on answering the searcher’s needs.

As you write and publish new content, make sure to use internal links with descriptive anchors to help users navigate your site and help search engines discover pages. For example, in a blog post about running tips, you might link the text “men’s waterproof running shoes” to your category page for those shoes. This not only guides readers but also associates that anchor text (keywords) with the linked page, further reinforcing your keyword strategy.

Don’t neglect your page’s meta descriptions, either. While these don’t necessarily boost rankings, they can help improve your click-through rates, since searchers can quickly see whether your page is relevant to them. 

Lastly, ensure that all of your images have alt text and file names that use keywords where appropriate. Alt text should describe the image to help visually impaired users, so it’s a natural place to mention product names or features.

Conclusion

Keyword research for ecommerce businesses is an ongoing strategic investment. As online shopping continues to grow and evolve, so do customer behaviours, search engine algorithms, and industry trends. By starting with a solid foundation and regularly revisiting and refining your keyword strategy, you’ll ensure that your ecommerce store remains visible and relevant to customers searching for your products.

At Blue Badger, we can help you refine your content strategy and optimize your online store to ensure that your products and services live at the top of the SERP. Get in touch with us today to get started.