If you want to learn how to find the best keywords for your Shopify store and rank higher on Google to boost sales then keep watching.
I’m going to be sharing my proven keyword research strategies after six years of pure SEO & Content Marketing experience including e-commerce stores.
These keyword strategies will help you build and increase organic traffic to your website and sell more products to thousands of customers who don’t even know your name yet.
If you’re looking for the best guide on keyword research for Shopify stores then make sure to keep on reading through this post.
What is keyword research for Shopify Stores?
Keyword research involves the systematic exploration of search terms individuals employ to discover products, services, or content akin to what your website offers.
Consider this: if you specialize in selling protein powder, it’s easy to assume that people search for “protein powder.” But the questions that arise are: How many people are searching for it? What are their intentionsโare they seeking to purchase or gather information? Moreover, how does this keyword stack up against others like “whey protein powder,” “best protein powder,” or “protein supplements”?
The function of Keyword Research in eCommerce
The core aim is to help users find your products and even compare products that the buyer is shopping for.
It’s the first and single most important element of every on-page strategy.
It informs the rest of it. You can’t do content optimization without the keywords in place.
It’s normally almost impossible to rank on page 1 of Google without actionable keyword data because you’ll try to optimize your website based on a gut feeling about what users want, and what they are searching for & more often than not you’re going to be wrong.
In SEO you need be making all decisions based on data.
How to do keyword research for Shopify
When it comes to Shopify or any other eCommerce platform, keyword research follows a similar pattern. It’s generally advisable to begin with existing bottom-of-the-funnel pages.
“Bottom of funnel” refers to those pages specifically designed to lead to sales, such as category and product pages. By “existing pages,” we mean the products and category pages you’ve already established.
Moreover, it’s wise to prioritize these pages based on their current potential, which can be conveniently assessed by sorting them according to Google Search Console (GSC) Impressions.
Existing Bottom of Funnel Pages in Shopify
Let’s streamline and enhance the process for optimizing existing bottom-of-funnel pages:
1. Compile a comprehensive list of collections, product pages, and the homepage, prioritized by their highest impressions in Google Search Console (GSC).
2. Assess each page to identify a primary keyword that is both feasible to rank for within your budget and aligns with the page’s content. This determination can be aided by evaluating whether competitors of a similar business scale are successfully ranking for the keyword. If the competition primarily consists of large brands, it may surpass your budgetary limits.
3. Repeat the keyword identification process for secondary keywords associated with each page. Secondary keywords encompass the diverse range of terms individuals might use to discover the product or product category.
4. Emphasize that it’s not merely about assigning one keyword per page but rather about encapsulating a broader topic within each page.
5. Secondary keywords should encompass various search queries related to the main keyword. For instance, if the primary keyword is “50mm lens,” secondary keywords could include “50mm prime lens,” “buy 50mm lens,” “50mm f 1.8,” and others.
6. Once optimization for existing pages is complete, transition focus to non-existing pages and explore opportunities in the middle or top of the funnel.
Keyword Gap Analysis for your Shopify Store
One of the most straightforward methods for identifying potential non-existing pages and middle or top of the funnel keywords is through a keyword gap analysis.
Many tools, such as SEMRush, offer a streamlined version of this analysis. With just a few clicks and the input of your website and select competitors, you can swiftly generate valuable insights. Within moments, the tool will compile a comprehensive list of keywords that your competitors rank for but your website does not.
Here’s how to conduct a keyword gap analysis using SEMRush:
1. Navigate to the Keyword Gap tool under the Competitive Research section.
2. Enter your website URL along with URLs of your competitors, then initiate the comparison.
3. Instantly, you’ll receive a detailed breakdown of the keywords your competitors are targeting. This includes their position in search results, search volume, keyword difficulty, and other pertinent metrics.
4. Pay close attention to the different tabs available. While the default setting may display keywords where all competitors rank (shared), exploring “Untapped,” “Missing,” and “Weak” tabs can uncover additional opportunities.
5. Don’t overlook the “Top Opportunities for” section, which highlights potential areas of focus.
By following these steps, you’ll gain access to a wealth of keyword ideas directly from your top competitors, providing valuable insights to enhance your own SEO strategy.
Product vs Collections vs Blog Post
Determining whether to target a keyword with a product page, collection page, or blog post can be a challenging task. The answer to this dilemma largely depends on the user’s intent, which can vary significantly across different search queries.
Consider the search results for “protein powder”:
In this instance, among the top 10 results, three are e-commerce stores offering protein powder for sale. Given this observation, it’s apparent that users searching for “protein powder” are likely seeking product information or shopping options. Therefore, it would be prudent to create informative content, such as a blog post, to address this query effectively. This underscores the importance of understanding user intent, often referred to as “intent.”
Now, let’s pivot to another keyword, “chocolate protein powder”:
In contrast to the previous example, the top results for this query predominantly feature e-commerce giants like Amazon, with a few additional stores offering chocolate protein powder. However, the remaining results include a mix of product reviews and chocolate protein recipes. This diversity suggests a more nuanced intent behind the search query, likely encompassing both shopping and recipe exploration. In such cases, targeting the keyword at the bottom of the funnel, possibly with a product or category page, would be more appropriate.
The final consideration is whether to prioritize a product or category page. In the case of “chocolate protein powder,” given the likelihood that users are seeking options rather than a specific product, a category page that offers a selection of chocolate protein powders would better align with user intent and enhance their browsing experience.
Keyword research for collection pages
For the majority of Shopify stores, the most pivotal pages are undoubtedly the collections and product category pages.
An essential aspect to note is the capacity to cast a wider net. While it’s feasible to optimize a product page for specific keywords like “hardtail mountain bike,” it’s far more effective to utilize a collection page offering a variety of products within the same category.
Typically, most keywords related to products or product categories are best suited for collections. Therefore, a more efficient strategy involves predominantly targeting them with collection pages, with exceptions that we’ll outline for product pages and the homepage.
Additionally, it’s crucial to address commonly overlooked keywords that are ideally targeted with collection pages:
– Brand names
– Specific features such as waterproof, for bedroom, 12k/18k/24k, etc.
– Colors, for example, red shoes, black shoes, grey shoes
– Materials, such as leather sofas, suede sofas
By incorporating these considerations into your SEO strategy, you can optimize your collection pages to attract a broader audience and enhance your store’s visibility in search results.
Keyword research for product pages
Product pages typically serve to target either:
1. Product names
2. Highly specific keywords
For instance, in the case of selling protein powder:
– “Protein powder” would be optimized for a collection page.
– “Chocolate protein powder” would also be targeted on a collection page.
– “Collagen protein powder” would similarly be featured on a collection page.
– However, “Chocolate collagen protein powder” is an exceptionally specific keyword. In such cases, it’s more appropriate to utilize a product page, considering the unlikelihood of having multiple products tailored to this precise keyword.
Keyword Research for SEO vs Bidding Process for Google Ads Keywords
In Google Ads, higher costs per click generally equate to increased revenue and stronger conversion rates.
In SEO volume generally equates to more organic traffic and more organic revenue.
Just like Cost per Clicks (CPC) and Google Ads not every single Shopify store can afford to target higher search volume keywords.
Some brands are bigger and they have more money to play around with.
Every brand is just not on the same playing field.
If you’re a new brand it’s simply not a reality to be competing on really big keywords even if they are Google Ads or SEO as you don’t have the time and resources.
Higher Search Volume Keywords which are measured by an average number of searches per month.
High can be 10,000 to 20,000 a month depending on what niche you are in.
These are far more competitive than lower search volume keywords.
This should be obvious as if you’re a big brand like Nike or Amazon whatever it may be it would make sense that you want to rank number one for a keyword that gets 20,000 searches a month compared to 200 searches a month.
There is far more money to be made on a bigger keyword because of the greater eyeballs, more people shopping etc.
But for newer smaller brands this is not always possible.
It might take years and thousands of dollars to reach the number one spot for a keyword that gets 20,000 searches a month.
You have to be smarter than those bigger brands and have a strategy in place that would make sense for you.
Solution for Shopify Stores: Low Competition Keywords with a Reasonable Search Volume
I’ll get down to what reasonable means and how to gauge it in a second but it’s going to vary based on niches.
First off let’s start keyword research with the tools that you’re going to need.
My favourite tools are SemRush and Ahrefs.
Both are on the expensive side and are full-scope tools that do far more than just keyword research.
You can do a competitor analysis, backlink analysis and multiple ways of doing keyword research.
Both of these tools normally charge between $125 and $200 per month.
There are other affordable options like Ubbersuggest available as well but of course these have limited functionality versus SEMRush and Ahrefs.
If you’re a new eCom brand and are on a tight budget I would suggest that you just use Google Ads Keyword Planner.
There are so many different ways of doing keyword research and if you ask any seasoned SEO everyone has their methods, different orders things like that.
My favourite approach is to reverse engineer your direct competitors, using data from your own Google Search Console panel or seed-based keyword research.
Reverse Engineering Your Competitor’s Strategies
This is where I usually prefer to start especially in competitive niches or niches where I’ve never worked in.
As I’m not familiar with some niches it’s just best to see what everyone else is doing and reverse engineer from there.
Plug your competitor’s site into Ahrefs or SemRush & find out which keywords they are targeting for specific pages and how they are doing it.
Just copy their strategy but do it a little bit better. It is that simple trust me!
This is simply how I learned SEO. I just found sites and niches I was working in and exported all keywords in spreadsheets, mapped them out to pages and went out from there & I just wrote better content than they did and I outranked them.
When you’re thinking of competitors as an eCommerce brand you’re probably thinking of other eCommerce brands. In essence, your organic competitors are more than just other eCommerce brands. You’re probably also going to see websites like Forbes and Healthline depending on what niches you are working in.
These are also your competitors and you have to outrank them as well to make money.
Existing Data from your Google Search Console
Assuming that you have already set up Google Search Console (GSC) with your Shopify store simply login to GSC and see which keywords you are ranking for.
Some of these keywords might be irrelevant especially if your average position is between 70-90. You need to ignore the keywords that are not aligned with your conversion goals.
This is a good way to see how Google is treating your website in the Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs).
Just double down on the keywords that you are already receiving plenty of clicks and impressions for & focus on those.
Big idea: Let’s say you’re a supplement company search for your type of supplement in a tool like again Ahrefs or SemRush. Depending on your niche this should give you thousands if not hundreds and thousands of potential keywords.
Pro Tip: Tools like SEMRush and Ahrefs have keyword difficulty filters. I would recommend putting filters on keywords for less than 30 difficulties if you have a fairly new website & you haven’t done any SEO as of yet.
As you grow you increase the difficulty of the keywords that you aim to target but yes in the beginning keeping the Keyword Difficulty (KD) low is better.
Low KD keywords will allow you to start making money now rather than years from now.
Keyword Research for Shopify Stores with ChatGPT
ChatGPT is newer to my keyword research process and I’m even hesitant to suggest this one because I’ve seen people base all their keyword research for Shopify stores based on ChatGPT and it usually feeds them incorrect search volume data.
You cannot just ask ChatGPT to create a keyword research strategy for Shopify stores and you’ll be missing out on a lot of things.
So what is a better way of using ChatGPT for doing keyword research for an eCommerce brand?
Ask Chatgpt to give you a list of things that customers may search for when they’re looking to buy your certain type of product.
It will produce a set of topics that will inspire new ideas for keywords defining pages to create.
So if you’re doing Collagen Supplements, for example, then give ChatGPT a prompt similar to Give Me 10 20 30 many questions or things people may ask when they go through the buying process to buy collagen supplements.
You can use those questions to essentially take them over to Ahrefs or SEMRush or any other SEO tool and find keywords and actionable keyword data for your Shopify store that way.
I prefer to set up my keyword research for Shopify stores in Google Spreadsheets. You can use Excel, Airtables or a database that you’re comfortable with. There is no right or wrong way!
The good thing is that Ahrefs and SEMRush do have integrations with Google Spreadsheets and Excel.
Common keyword research mistakes
Keyword Cannibalisation
Keyword cannibalization occurs when multiple pages within a website compete for the same keyword, which can hinder SEO performance.
This issue arises when products and collections both aim to rank for identical keywords.
Similarly, it can occur when blog posts are crafted with the intent to target keywords already covered by collections.
Furthermore, some individuals mistakenly assume that sprinkling a particular keyword, such as “gym clothing,” across all pages will bolster their ranking for it.
However, each of these practices constitutes an error in SEO strategy.
To mitigate keyword cannibalization, it’s imperative to designate a specific page for each targeted keyword. This ensures clarity in search engine ranking and prevents internal competition among pages.
(Note: While it’s beneficial to incorporate multiple keywords on a single page, each keyword should have its designated primary page.)
One Page vs Multiple
Another common pitfall is the tendency to consolidate multiple topics into a single page when it would be more advantageous to have distinct pages for each.
Consider the scenario of selling laptops:
Naturally, you’ll have a collection dedicated to laptops. However, there are numerous other potential categories to consider:
– Grouping laptops by screen size:
– 13″ laptops
– 15″ laptops
– 17″ laptops
– Categorizing laptops by price range:
– Laptops under $500
– Laptops under $1,000
– Laptops under $1,500
– Organizing laptops by processor type:
– i3 laptops
– i5 laptops
– i7 laptops
And this list could extend further. However, it’s essential to exercise caution as having too many collections can also be counterproductive.
For instance, there’s little necessity to create collections such as:
– Popular laptops
– Best selling laptops
– Laptops on sale
These groupings often target the same keywords and may lead to redundancy in your SEO efforts.
(Note: While these collections can serve promotional purposes, it’s advisable to set them as “noindex” to prevent diluting your SEO focus.)
Intent
The final misstep involves overlooking the intent behind keywords.
Understanding keyword intent entails grasping two key elements:
1. What is the user seeking when they input this keyword into the search engine?
2. What interpretation does Google have regarding the user’s intent behind this keyword?
Addressing the second question is crucial for achieving a higher ranking, while the first question informs the creation of optimal page content.
Let’s take the example of “laptops under $500.”
Without conducting any formal research, what are the likely objectives of users searching for this term?
– They may be seeking online stores offering laptops within this price range.
– Alternatively, they might be searching for reviews or informative content highlighting the best laptops available for under $500.
Through basic intuition, it’s plausible to surmise that these are the primary motivations.
To verify this assumption, we can perform a Google search:
Upon examination of the search results, we observe that the top-ranking pages predominantly consist of articles providing reviews of the best laptops under $500. Consequently, the intent behind this keyword appears to be directed towards locating review articles rather than browsing through a collection page.
Bonus Tip:ย Google Keyword Planner doesn’t provide any stated Keyword Difficulty as of right now but the cost per click is a good indication of the keyword difficulty. The higher the Cost per Click the higher the SEO Difficulty will be for ranking in the organic search segment.
