Keyword Research for Ecommerce: Step-by-Step Guide + Tools

You built an ecommerce store, added products, and launched. But the traffic never came. Your products sit buried on page 10 of Google while competitors rake in sales from page one. The problem is not your products or your store. You are targeting the wrong keywords or no keywords at all.

Effective keyword research shows you exactly what your potential customers type into Google when they want to buy what you sell. It reveals the phrases that bring buyers to your product pages, not browsers who leave empty-handed. This process takes the guesswork out of content creation and helps you compete on terms you can actually rank for.

This guide walks you through five practical steps to find, analyze, and prioritize keywords for your ecommerce store. You will learn which free tools deliver the best data, how to spot high-value buying keywords, and how to turn your research into an action plan. By the end, you will know exactly which keywords to target and how to use them to drive more sales.

Why keyword research matters for ecommerce

Keyword research for ecommerce determines which search terms you optimize your product pages and content for. Every month, your potential customers perform millions of searches looking for products like yours. Without targeting the right keywords, you miss those shoppers entirely and watch them buy from competitors who show up first.

This research reveals three critical insights about your market. First, it shows you the exact phrases buyers use when they are ready to purchase, not just browse. Second, it exposes gaps where demand exists but competition remains low, giving you easy wins. Third, it helps you understand the questions and concerns customers have at each stage of their buying journey.

Direct impact on traffic and revenue

The right keywords put your products in front of shoppers with high purchase intent. Someone searching for "waterproof hiking boots men size 11" wants to buy now, while someone searching "best hiking boots" still researches options. You capture ready buyers by targeting specific product keywords that match what you sell, and you build authority through informational content that addresses broader searches.

Target keywords with clear buying intent to drive immediate sales while building long-term visibility through broader content.

Your competitors already fight for the most obvious keywords in your niche. Smart keyword research uncovers overlooked opportunities where search volume meets low competition. These terms bring qualified traffic without requiring months of SEO work or massive budgets. You might find that "eco-friendly dog treats for sensitive stomachs" gets 800 monthly searches with half the competition of "dog treats," making it far easier to rank and convert.

Keyword data also shapes your product development and inventory decisions. When you see 5,000 monthly searches for "vegan protein powder chocolate" but only 200 for "vegan protein powder vanilla," you know which flavor to stock more of and promote harder.

Step 1. Know your products and buyers

You cannot find the right keywords without first understanding what you sell and who buys it. This step forms the foundation for all your keyword research for ecommerce because every search term connects to a specific product need or buyer concern. Skip this groundwork and you will waste hours chasing irrelevant keywords that bring traffic but no sales.

Document your product categories and features

Start by listing every product category you sell and the specific attributes that make each one unique. If you run a coffee shop, break down your inventory into categories like whole bean, ground, pods, and equipment. Then identify the features customers care about most: roast level, origin, organic certification, flavor notes, grind size, or brewing method.

Capture the language your customers use when they describe these features. Someone might search for "dark roast coffee beans" while another looks for "bold breakfast blend whole bean." Both seek similar products but use different terms. You find these variations by reading customer reviews, support tickets, and social media comments to see which words appear most often.

Create a simple document that maps each product to its key features and customer language. This becomes your reference when you expand your keyword list later.

Map your customer personas

Define two to three buyer personas that represent your core customers. Each persona needs a clear description of their demographics, pain points, and shopping behavior. A fitness supplement store might target a competitive bodybuilder who researches ingredients obsessively, a busy professional who wants convenience, and a budget-conscious student who compares prices across sites.

Map your products to specific buyer personas to uncover the search terms each customer type uses throughout their purchase journey.

Each persona searches differently at different stages of buying. Your bodybuilder starts with "best whey protein isolate for lean muscle" during research, then searches "optimum nutrition whey isolate 5lb lowest price" when ready to buy. Understanding these patterns helps you target both informational and transactional keywords that match where shoppers are in their journey.

Write down the questions each persona asks, the problems they want solved, and the specific product attributes they prioritize. This information directly translates into keyword themes you will research in the next steps.

Step 2. Build a seed keyword list

Seed keywords form the starting point for all your keyword research for ecommerce. These broad, foundational terms describe your products and categories at the most basic level. Think of them as the root words you will later expand into hundreds of specific phrases. Your seed list should capture every major product type you sell without worrying yet about search volume or competition.

Start with core product terms

Begin by writing down the most obvious names for what you sell. If you run an outdoor gear store, your seed keywords include "tent," "backpack," "sleeping bag," "hiking boots," and "camping stove." Keep these terms simple and generic. You want single words or short two-word phrases that represent each product category.

Add brand names you carry and product model numbers customers might search for directly. Someone looking for "Patagonia fleece jacket" or "Yeti Rambler 20oz" knows exactly what they want. These branded searches convert at higher rates because shoppers already decided on the product and just need to find where to buy it.

Add customer language and variations

Look at your actual customer data to find the words people use when they contact support or leave reviews. Customers rarely use the exact terms you picked. They might call your "moisture-wicking athletic shirts" by phrases like "gym shirts," "workout tops," "exercise tees," or "fitness clothing." Write down every variation you find.

Check how competitors describe similar products by visiting their top-ranking product pages. Note the words in their titles, descriptions, and category names. If three competitors call something a "travel backpack" while you call it a "commuter bag," you need both terms in your seed list.

Your seed keyword list should include every synonym, alternate spelling, and common misnomer customers use to find your products.

Include plural and singular versions of each term. "Running shoe" and "running shoes" might seem identical, but they often show different search results. Someone searching the singular form might want information about a specific shoe, while the plural suggests comparison shopping.

Include location and intent modifiers

Add your target location terms if you serve specific geographic areas or ship primarily to certain regions. Append words like "buy," "shop," "for sale," "cheap," "best," and "review" to a few seed keywords. These modifiers reveal different search intents you will explore later.

Your final seed list should contain 20 to 50 core terms that cover your entire product catalog. This gives you enough starting material to generate thousands of keyword variations in the next step without getting overwhelmed by managing too many branches.

Step 3. Expand ideas with tools and data

Your seed keyword list gives you the foundation. Now you multiply those 20 to 50 terms into hundreds of specific keyword opportunities using free research tools and search engine data. This step transforms broad product names into the exact phrases your customers type when they want to buy. You will discover long-tail variations with less competition and higher purchase intent that your seed list never captured.

Use Google's free tools

Google Keyword Planner provides search volume estimates and related keyword suggestions directly from Google's advertising platform. You access it by creating a free Google Ads account without running any campaigns. Enter your seed keywords one at a time, then export the full list of suggestions with their monthly search volumes. Focus on terms that show commercial or transactional intent rather than informational queries.

Google Search Console reveals keywords that already bring traffic to your site, even if you never intentionally optimized for them. Navigate to the Performance report and filter by pages to see which search terms trigger impressions for your product pages. These queries tell you how Google already understands your content and highlight opportunities where you rank on page two or three but could push to page one with minor optimization.

Mine search suggestions and related searches

Type your seed keywords into Google and watch the autocomplete suggestions that appear as you type. These predictions show you the most common ways people complete that search query. If you type "camping tent," Google suggests "camping tent 4 person," "camping tent walmart," "camping tent for family," and dozens more variations. Write down every suggestion that matches products you sell.

Scroll to the bottom of search results to find the "People also search for" and "Related searches" sections. These lists expose adjacent keywords and questions your target customers ask. Someone searching "backpacking tent" also looks for "ultralight tent," "2 person tent backpacking," and "best tent for backpacking." Each related term represents a potential keyword you should consider targeting.

Mine autocomplete, related searches, and People Also Ask boxes to uncover the natural language patterns your customers use when searching for products.

The "People also ask" boxes show common questions related to your seed keywords. These questions work perfectly for blog content and buying guides that support your product pages. You answer these queries in your content while naturally linking to relevant products, creating a path from information to purchase.

Check competitor keywords manually

Visit the top-ranking product pages for your seed keywords and examine the language competitors use in their titles, headings, and product descriptions. Open their source code and look at the title tags and meta descriptions. Successful competitors already invested time in keyword research for ecommerce, so their optimization choices reveal valuable terms you might have missed.

Browse their site navigation menus and category structures to see how they organize products. The category names often contain keywords with proven search volume. If multiple competitors use "men's running shoes" instead of "men's athletic footwear," that signals the former term performs better in search.

Build a spreadsheet with three columns: your original seed keyword, the expanded variations you found, and the source where you discovered each term. This organization helps you track which methods produce the most valuable keywords and prevents you from losing good ideas as your list grows.

Step 4. Analyze and prioritize your keywords

You now have hundreds of keyword ideas from your expansion work. The next challenge is separating winners from losers. Not every keyword deserves your time. Some bring massive traffic but never convert. Others face competition so fierce that ranking would take years. This step teaches you how to evaluate each keyword using data that predicts which terms will actually grow your ecommerce business.

Check search volume and competition

Search volume tells you how many people search for a keyword each month. You find this metric in Google Keyword Planner or any keyword research tool you used during expansion. Focus on keywords with at least 100 monthly searches for product terms and 500+ for informational content. Lower volume keywords can still work if they show strong buying intent, but you need some baseline traffic to make optimization worth your effort.

Look at the search results page for each keyword to assess competition. Type the keyword into Google and examine the first page results. Count how many major retailers appear, how many product pages versus blog posts show up, and whether Google displays shopping results. If Amazon, Walmart, and three other giants dominate, you face steep competition. Keywords where smaller stores or blog content ranks give you better chances of breaking through.

Evaluate keyword difficulty and intent

Keyword difficulty scores estimate how hard ranking will be based on the authority of sites currently ranking. Most tools rate this on a 0 to 100 scale. Target keywords below 30 for new stores and below 50 for established sites. These scores consider the backlinks and domain authority of top-ranking pages, giving you a realistic view of whether you can compete.

Search intent matters more than any metric. A keyword might show perfect volume and low competition, but if intent does not match your business model, it delivers worthless traffic. Someone searching "hiking boots review" wants to read comparisons, not buy immediately. The query "buy hiking boots online size 10" shows clear purchase intent. You identify intent by looking at what currently ranks for each keyword. If the first page shows mostly product pages, Google considers it transactional. If blog posts and guides dominate, the intent is informational.

Prioritize keywords where search intent aligns with your page type, whether that's a product page, category page, or buying guide.

Create a simple intent classification for every keyword on your list. Label each one as informational, commercial investigation, or transactional. This helps you later when you map keywords to specific pages on your site.

Score and rank your opportunities

Build a scoring system that weighs the metrics you care about most. Assign points based on search volume, keyword difficulty, commercial intent, and relevance to your products. A basic framework gives 3 points for high volume (1000+ searches), 2 points for medium volume (100-999), and 1 point for low volume. Subtract points for high difficulty and add bonus points for transactional intent.

Keyword	Monthly Volume	Difficulty	Intent	Relevance	Total Score
waterproof hiking boots men	2,400	45	Transactional	High	8
best hiking boots	8,100	72	Commercial	Medium	5
hiking boots care tips	320	28	Informational	Low	6

Sort your entire keyword list by total score to identify the top 20 to 30 terms you should target first. These represent the sweet spot where search volume, competition, and intent align with what you sell. Start your content creation and optimization work on these high-priority keywords before moving to lower-scoring opportunities.

Step 5. Turn keywords into an SEO plan

Your prioritized keyword list means nothing until you assign each term to a specific page on your site and schedule when you will optimize or create that content. This step transforms keyword research for ecommerce into concrete actions that improve your rankings. You need a clear map showing which keywords go on product pages, which support category pages, and which require new blog content.

Map keywords to page types

Match each keyword to the correct page type based on its search intent and your site structure. Transactional keywords like "buy leather laptop bag 15 inch" belong on specific product pages. Commercial investigation terms like "best laptop bags for business travel" fit category pages or buying guide content. Informational queries like "how to clean leather bags" work for blog posts that link back to your products.

Create a keyword mapping spreadsheet that connects every high-priority keyword to an existing URL or marks it for new content creation. This prevents you from targeting the same keyword on multiple pages, which dilutes your ranking power. Your mapping document should look like this:

Keyword	Intent	Page Type	URL/Action	Priority
waterproof hiking boots men	Transactional	Product category	/collections/waterproof-boots	High
best hiking boots for beginners	Commercial	Blog guide	Create new post	High
hiking boot sizing guide	Informational	Blog post	Create new post	Medium

Build your content calendar

Schedule your optimization work across the next 90 days based on keyword priority scores and available resources. You cannot optimize everything at once, so focus on high-impact changes first. Assign each week to specific pages or content pieces, grouping related keywords that target similar topics or product categories.

Start with your existing high-performing pages that already rank on page two or three for target keywords. These need minor updates to push them higher and start generating more traffic quickly. Then move to creating new content for high-priority keywords where you have no existing pages.

Map your highest-priority keywords to a 90-day calendar, starting with quick wins on existing pages before tackling new content creation.

Optimize pages with keyword placement

Place your target keyword and related variations in specific locations that signal relevance to search engines. Your primary keyword should appear in the page title, H1 heading, first 100 words, at least one subheading, product descriptions or body content, image alt text, and URL slug. Avoid stuffing keywords repeatedly, which looks unnatural and hurts rankings.

Write your title tags with the target keyword near the beginning, followed by supporting details and your brand name. A product page title might read "Waterproof Hiking Boots for Men | Durable & Lightweight | YourBrand." Your meta description should include the keyword once while clearly explaining what the page offers and why someone should click.

Update your internal linking structure to connect related pages using your target keywords as anchor text. When you publish a blog post about "choosing hiking boots," link to your product category page using the exact phrase "waterproof hiking boots for men" if that page targets that keyword. This passes ranking power and helps Google understand your site structure.

Next steps

You completed your keyword research for ecommerce and mapped keywords to specific pages on your site. The real work starts now: creating and optimizing content that targets each keyword on your priority list. Set aside dedicated time each week to work through your content calendar, updating existing pages first before building new content for gaps in your coverage.

Manual keyword research and content creation consume hours every week, pulling you away from running your core business operations. Tools like RankYak automate this entire process, from discovering high-value keywords to writing SEO-optimized articles and publishing them directly to your store. The platform handles the research, planning, and content creation while you focus on serving customers and growing revenue. Start your free trial to see how automation transforms your SEO workflow without the manual grind.