Keyword Research: 13 Tips to Help You Conduct Keyword Research For eCommerce SEO

1. Keyword Research: 13 Tips to Help You Conduct Keyword Research For eCommerce SEO With more than 24-million ecommerce sites across the globe, it’s no surprise why ranking on the first page of Google is every online seller’s top priority. While paid ads can help you reach there, the long-term cost to maintain that position may not be sustainable for many. That is exactly where ecommerce SEO comes into play. Knowing who your target audience is the first step to developing a more personalized marketing campaign. Conducting keyword research is an integral part of your ecommerce SEO strategy. It provides direction for what specific type of content you should optimize for maximum results. But is conducting keyword research enough to optimize your website for search engines?No. Remember, ecommerce SEO is a comprehensive process, and keyword research is only one part of your complete strategy. Failing to create an inclusive ecommerce SEO strategy will lead to lower conversions even if you have the best keywords in hand. In this expert-written ecommerce keyword research guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about keyword research along with some million-dollar ecommerce SEO tips to dominate search engines in 2021 and beyond. What Is Keyword Research? Keyword research is a process that allows you to search popular terms and phrases people type in to search engines to find specific products and services. The research process involves steps to finding the right keywords/phrases that you can use to optimize your website and make it in line with the trending SEO practices. Why Keyword Research Is Important?

2. How many times have you checked Google’s second or third page for results? Maybe once or twice. That’s because all of us usually stick to the options we find on the first page of Google. Studies reveal that the first page of search engines receives over 90% of traffic. In other words, the closer you’re to the top of results, the more traffic you’ll receive. It’s easy to lose a massive chunk of potential customers if your business isn’t there. No strategy is as powerful as ecommerce keyword research to take your business to the slot it truly belongs. Every time a user performs a search, the search engine picks a few suggestions out of millions of options to display on the first page. Search engines have an algorithm that they use to identify the closest search matches. That is why it is critical for ecommerce store owners to choose their keywords carefully. How Does Google Process Keywords In 2021? Unlike in the past, when SEO was simple and confined to a few basic strategies, today’s websites have to implement advanced-level tactics to get their desired results. We have seen a massive transformation in Google’s algorithm in the past decade. Because of the semantic search approach, the owners no longer require to stuff their websites with keywords, as they have to keep user intent in mind. Factors That Go Into Choosing Good Keywords Before we dive into the details of conducting ecommerce keyword research, let’s have a quick look at some of the factors that go into choosing the right keywords. SearchVolume There are many paid and free keyword research tools that you can use to determine the search volume of a given keyword. A high exact match means many users are searching for the same keyword or a phrase. It also indicates high-ranking competition. RankingDifficultyScore

3. A higher ranking difficulty score indicates that there’s more competition for a given keyword and that you’re going to have a hard time competing with existing search results. There are online tools like Ahrefs that enable you to determine where you stand in terms of domain authority. It is better to stick to the lower end of the difficulty score if you’re a new store. Relevance Relevance is another critical factor that you should keep in mind while researching keywords for your website. If you find the best keywords, double-check that they’re relevant to the niche of your site. Types Of Keywords SEO specialists and digital marketers classify keywords into three categories – head, body, and long- tail keywords. Head: These are high-volume one-word keywords with massive competition. These keywords are usually generic and do not contribute much to the conversion process. Body: Keyword phrases with decent search volume and lower competition. These key phrases are relatively more specific than headwords. These words/phrases show user intent rather than highlighting the meaning of the words. Long-tail keywords: These are specific phrases comprising more than two or three words. Businesses can get better search engine visibility by combining multiple single long-tail keywords. As an online seller, your goal is to focus on long-tail and body keywords as they reflect buyer intent and are also easier to rank on SERPs. 13 Tips To Help You Conduct Keyword Research For Ecommerce SEO 1.ConductCompetitorResearch Before you start creating your ecommerce keyword strategy, you must first set benchmarks. For this, you have to determine your current ranking status on search engines. Ahrefs Rank Tracker feature is our personal favorite. The performance report you get is enough to help you assess whether your keyword research strategy is effective or weak. Remember, checking your keyword stats should be a regular practice as only then you improve. After determining the current ranking status of your ecommerce store, the next step is to see how your competitors rank on SERPs. Spying on your competitors will help you determine the amount of effort you’ll have to make to bring your business to the top. Carefully examine the keywords they’re targeting. Also, determine the required page authority you must gain to reach where they’re currently standing. 2.LeverageSiteSearchOption

4. Whether you’re receiving traffic on your site from organic sources or paid ads, customers may still feel the need to ask plenty of questions before they buy anything from your website. The site search feature is an effective way to gain insights into your customer’s interests and buying preferences. With this option, you can determine the long tail searches buyers are using to find a specific product or a service. The good news is there are several third-party options that you can use if this feature is not available in your store. 3.UnderstandYourTargetCustomers Knowing your customers is the first step to creating an effective keyword research strategy. Doing so will enable you to determine your buyer’s search intent, and you can target keywords accordingly. Now you must be wondering how you can know more about your target audience. Should you call and ask? Should you send them an email and ask questions to identify their needs? No, you don’t have to try too hard. Start by creating buyer personas and rule out your customer’s buying journey. How to Create Buyer Personas?  Conduct surveys/interviews  Monitor historic data and live chat conversations  Collect data from customer support emails   Check customer’s comments on your social media channels Review testimonials on your website 4.CheckRelevanceAndExpandYourKeywordIdeas Hopefully, you have collected enough data from customer’s buyer personas. Now classify them and think about how they’re interconnected with each other. The idea is to use mind mapping to organize different keywords. Once you have classified keywords into groups, the next step is to research further for new ideas. There are different tools available online that you can use for this purpose. We’re going to talk about a few of them in the subsequent sections. So stay tuned. 5.ConsiderUserIntent Did you know every search query represents an intent? Customers need answers based on what they’re looking for. Before you jot down a keyword strategy, it is critical to figure out your buyer’s intent. Are they looking to satisfy a curiosity or learn something? Do they need suggestions about going somewhere or doing something? Are they looking to invest in a product or service? Make sure you keep user intent in mind before you start researching keywords for your website. Do not limit your focus to branded keywords or commercial intent only. For example, a customer looking to buy an iPhone might have several questions in mind that they want to get answered before they put their money at stake. 6.OptimizeYourEntireSite

5. Ecommerce stores looking to increase their search engine visibility should optimize their entire site for the right set of keywords instead of the home page and product pages only. Whether it’s category pages or blog posts, make sure everything on your website is optimized. 7.ConsiderSeasonalPurchases Search volumes can vary over time. Some products that are high in demand during Christmas, for example, have lower search volumes in other months. So instead of keeping your entire focus on search volume, try to check trends. 8.RefineYourSearches This step is critical as it enables you to get rid of all the unnecessary keywords having low search volume and high competition. Make sure you also remove keywords that are not related to your products or services. Focus on options that are related to what you sell, have high search volumes, and low competition. 9.CreateAConversion-FocusedKeywordStrategy The biggest mistake ecommerce site owners make is they only emphasize keywords with high search volumes and lower competition. Here, it is critical to understand that you should optimize your site for conversions rather than traffic. Depending upon the desire of the user, we have classified keywords into four categories. Buy Now Keywords: These are highly converting keywords. Examples include ‘Buy Now’, Free Delivery’, ‘Deals’, ‘Coupon Codes’, ‘Discounts’, etc. Information Keywords: These keywords are not as converting as ‘Buy Now’ keywords, but they still help in the conversion process. Navigational Keywords: You can use these keywords when you already have a stable market standing. Customers use these keywords to find the website of a specific brand or ecommerce business. Product Keywords: Keywords, such as ‘Affordable’, ‘Cheap’, ‘Review’, or brand or product names are all types of product keyword category. These are low converting keywords, as the buyer intent here is not high. 10.UseOnlineTools There are different tools and sources available online that you can use to expand your keyword ideas. For instance, you can find trending keywords in your niche using Google Keyword Planner. Also, you can use Google Autocomplete to find different keywords. Some online sources, such as Wikipedia, Pinterest, Amazon, Quora, and SEOQuake, can also help you analyze your competition and find keywords fit for your SEO strategy. 11.PullIdeasFromYourShoppingFeed

6. You can get plenty of information about your buyer’s intent through your Google Shopping Feed. Check your feed to find out the best products, and then use Google Keyword Planner to search for the most trending keywords based on your offers. 12.ThinkOutsideTheBox Creating a keyword research strategy is a creative job. Do not limit yourself to paid and unpaid tools only. Take help from resources we have discussed above, such as Wikipedia, Quora, and Pinterest. 13.ConsiderKeyword-ProductRelevance Although we have discussed this factor previously, we feel the need to repeat it in a dedicated heading. This is a big one. Let’s suppose you find a keyword with high search volume. Now you must be thinking it’s a winning keyword. But wait. Did you check the keyword you have selected is the right fit for the product you’re selling on your website? We repeat. Do not go after keywords with high search volumes only. Choose a keyword that’s highly relevant to your business. EcommerceSEOTips As mentioned above, an ecommerce SEO strategy is a combination of different factors. After having a feasible keyword research strategy, you must get these steps right to witness all-in-all great results:  Keep your website architecture simple and navigable  On-page SEO  Add modifiers to your title tags  Use Click magnet words

7.  Use short and keyword-rich URLs   Internally link to high-priority pages Run a technical SEO audit  Improve website speed   Create a foolproof content marketing strategy Get Backlinks from Reliable resources