Every e-commerce business owner understands the importance of ranking high in search engines. Appearing on the first page of search engines like Google and Bing translates to more web visitors and e-commerce sales. However, it takes a good SEO strategy and proper keyword research to rank top on search engines.
Finding keywords is not based on instincts or using phrases that you “think” will rank. It takes research using the right keyword word tools to develop targeted keywords. Analyzing your competitor’s keywords is also important when ranking for similar keywords or looking for new ones.
Step by step guide on E-Commerce keyword research
The following steps can help you jumpstart your e-commerce keyword research.
Think about search intent
Determining the search intent is the first step before starting your keyword research. Search intent involves figuring out what potential buyers are likely to search on the internet. For instance, if you have an e-commerce website that sells jewelry, potential buyers are likely to search for items like “affordable gold earrings,” “leather friendship bracelet,” and so on.
These are phrases that user will randomly type on the search engine. Search intent will give you a general idea of common phrases. It will not give you the exact keywords that are likely to rank.
It will offer you a blueprint, so this is a good place to start when researching keywords.
Learn how to find competitors keywords
Finding your competitor’s keywords is very necessary when trying to rank. Start by searching e-commerce websites in the same niche and finding the keywords that bring traffic.
You can do this by using a competitor keyword research tool to give you a full report on your competitors. The tool will give you a breakdown of all the organic keywords, shopping ads, texts ads, and keywords from paid traffic. This information is useful because it will give you insights into what you do to rank for the same keywords.
Tips on doing competitor keyword research
The tips below will guide you in doing effective competitor keyword research.
Step 1: Use your competitor keywords
It is possible to use your competitor’s keywords to rank. You will need to find which keywords are ranking high on your competitor’s website using an e-commerce keyword research tool by Shopspook.
The tool will give you all the keywords your competitor is ranking for, their search volume, demographic, and even the number of visitors the keywords bring. If your competitor has used any bank links to rank, you will also see using the tool.
Once you find your competitor’s keywords, download them for further analysis. Using your competitor’s keywords is a sure way to rank because your competitor has already proven that the keywords can do well.
Your role is to know to use them on your website. When web users search and find your competitor, they will also find your website, which can be great for conversion.
Step 2: Find new untargeted keywords.
Analyzing your competition is not just about finding what they do. It is also about finding out what they do not do.
Apart from checking the keywords, they are ranking for, check the keywords they are not targeting.
If you discovered competitive keywords using your ecommerce tool, it is time to optimize them in your website. This is an easier way to rank because you do not have to worry about competing with other websites.
Untargeted keywords are the best because they rank high and fast. After all, there is no competition.
Step 3: Choose Long-tail keywords
Long-tail keywords offer a good opportunity for ranking. They are more specific, so many websites do not rank for them.
They are the best when ranking a new website because they are easy. Long-tail keywords might not attract a lot of traffic, but they are good if you want to rank new websites.
In e-commerce websites, long-tail keywords convert highly because the user intent is usually spot on. For instance, a good long-tail keyword might be “white gold chain with pendant.”
This is a long-tail keyword because the user intent is very specific, and users searching for this keyword might be ready to buy. You can find long-tail keywords using your e-commerce keyword research tool.
Step 4: Investigate why your competitor ranks above you
Several factors influence the search engine ranking. Using the right keywords is just one of the factors that affect ranking.
If you discover that your competitor is ranking above you despite using the same keywords and strategy, it is time to find out why.
Sometimes your competitor might be ranking higher than you because their website is fast and has a professional-looking website. Their high ranking might also be influenced by the number and quality of their bank links.
All these factors combined by using the right keywords can influence ranking.
Do your competitor keywords matter?
Yes, checking your competitor keywords matters, especially if you are new. You need to discover what they are doing to gain profitability and borrow some of their ideas.
Here are some benefits of doing competitor keyword research:
1. Assess your growth
Assessing is always a good idea when in a competitive business-like e-commerce. You need to know how your business is performing, and the only way to do that is by analyzing the competition.
Checking their search engine ranking and keywords will help you determine whether your business is growing at the right place.
When using a competitor keyword research tool, you will get detailed information about your competitor, including their bank link profile.
This information is necessary when benchmarking because it reminds you of what you need to improve.
2. Understand and improve your market
The e-commerce market is wide and unpredictable. Fortunately, it is possible to understand the market by looking at the competitor data.
Reading their data will help you understand your niche and even discover ways to improve it. For instance, using the competitor keyword research tool, you can see the traffic and keywords trends throughout the way.
This will help you prepare for an influx of orders and determine the right time to do marketing campaigns.
3. Identify gaps in the market
Even the most competitive markets in the world still have gaps that need to be filled. You can easily determine gaps in your niche through keyword analysis.
The analysis will help you know what your competitors are doing well and what they are yet to do.
When you identify gaps in the market, you can take advantage of the untargeted keywords and products to stay ahead of the competition. The data you get from competitor keyword research is conclusive enough to help you identify gaps in the market.
4. For planning and strategizing
An e-commerce business is like any other kind of business. You need to do regular planning and strategizing to help your business grow.
Analyzing your competitor keywords helps you plan the future on areas of your ecommerce website that need improvement.
For instance, if you notice that our competitor is using backlinks, you can start taking the same course of action. You can also plan on future web design and also content strategies. The competitor will always give you some inspiration on what needs to be done.
Other ways to find E-Commerce Keywords
As mentioned, there are several ways to find your niche keywords. You can try them all or pick one that works best for you.
1. Use search engines to find e-commerce keywords
Apart from using an ecommerce keyword research tool, you can use search engines to find keywords.
There are a variety of search engines like Google, Bing, and even Amazon. These search engines can give you keyword ideas that will guide you in your search. The keywords are not very accurate, so you need to take them to your keyword research tool for details.
When using search engines, take advantage of the auto-suggest tool. The auto-suggest tools give you an idea of what people are searching online. When using Goggle or Bing, it is easy to know some frequently searched items.
2. Use keyword variations
Keyword variations are great for increasing your keyword count or ranking for untargeted keywords.
These variations are related words or words that are similar to the keywords. They provide you with alternative ways to rank, and if they are unexploited, you can even rank high by using these variations.
Some keyword research tools will give you a list of variations when looking for variations, but sometimes you have to anticipate them.
3. Use queries and questions
Using queries and questions works great for e-commerce. Every day, web users are looking for solutions online, and they do it by typing questions on the search engine.
You will discover that users type different questions like “where do I buy a gold necklace online?” Using search queries and questions can direct potential buyers to your website if you rank for that question. Ranking for questions is easier than keywords because these queries are specific.
4. Use branded keyword
Branded keywords are keywords that have brand names. These are words associated with a particular website, product, or service.
Using branded keywords helps you rank higher for specific searches, and it also increases your click rate because people who type these queries are interested in what the brands have to offer.
The advantage of using branded keywords is that it increases the competition. It makes it harder for other businesses to rank for those keywords, and this means you will rank long as long as your site quality is good.
Conclusion
Ecommerce Keyword research is a simple and important process for success in Ecommerce. You can use the data you get from this research to stay ahead of your competition by giving your potential customers unique reasons to buy from you.
There are several ways to conduct Ecommerce Keyword research. However, the best is to use a competitor keyword ranking research tool. This tool gives you a detailed analysis of your competitor keywords and the various ranking for these keywords.
Using this research, you can attract more online customers to your website by making sure that it ranks high on search engines for various keywords related to your niche or offer.