Keyword research is a key part of any ecommerce strategy. If you want to bring the right visitors to your store, increase your visibility, and improve your conversion rates, it’s essential to know how to do ecommerce keyword research effectively. This guide covers everything you need to know about keyword research for ecommerce businesses in 2025. Ecommerce keyword research helps you understand what words and phrases people are searching for when they want to buy products like yours. By choosing the right keywords, you can make sure your online store shows up in search results when potential customers are looking for what you sell. This will bring more traffic to your website and increase your chances of making a sale. When you do keyword research for your ecommerce store, you focus on finding keywords that match your products and the way people search. For example, instead of just using a general term like “shoes,” you might want to use more specific phrases like “buy running shoes” or “best sneakers for men.” The more accurate your keywords, the more likely your store will show up in the right search results.
Tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, and SEMrush help you find popular keywords and see how tough the competition is for those words. By focusing on keywords that people use often, and keeping your list updated, you can ensure your store stays visible and gets more traffic, which leads to better sales and more success for your ecommerce business in 2025.
What is Ecommerce Keyword Research?
Ecommerce keyword research is the process of identifying the terms and phrases that potential shoppers use when searching for products or services in your store. These keywords include terms related to your products, services, and industry, such as “ergonomic office furniture” or “best gaming laptop.”
The goal is to find out which keywords have the potential to drive qualified traffic to your website, which can ultimately lead to more sales and improved visibility.
Ecommerce keyword research is the process of figuring out the words and phrases that shoppers use when looking for products or services like yours. It includes terms tied to your products, services, and market, such as “ergonomic office furniture” or “best gaming laptop.”
The goal is to find keywords that can bring people to your website and help you make more sales. These are the terms that best match what potential customers are searching for when they want to buy something from your store.
For example, someone searching for “ergonomic office chair for back pain” or “adjustable desk for home office” is more likely to be looking for a product that you sell, compared to a general search like “office chair” or “standing desk.” This shows the value of being specific and targeting the right keywords to connect with buyers ready to make a purchase.
Why is Keyword Research Important for Ecommerce?
Keyword research helps you focus on what your shoppers are actually searching for. When you target the right keywords, you can improve your store’s visibility in search engines like Google, making it easier for people to find your store. Here’s why it matters:
- Attract the Right Traffic: When you use keywords that match what your potential customers are searching for, you increase the chances of driving qualified traffic. This means you’re attracting shoppers who are more likely to convert. For instance, someone searching for “buy ergonomic office chair” or “best gaming laptops under $1000” is ready to buy, not just browse.
- Boost Product Visibility: By using the right keywords on your product pages and category pages, you increase your chances of appearing in relevant search results. This boosts your store’s visibility and helps you stand out from competitors.
- Improve Conversion Rates: When your content matches a shopper’s intent, they are more likely to make a purchase. For example, if a person is looking for “affordable office chairs for flat feet,” providing a product page that directly speaks to that need can help turn visitors into buyers.
- Save on Ad Spend: When you target high-quality keywords that attract ready-to-buy shoppers, you reduce the chances of wasting your ad spend on terms that don’t lead to sales. If you’re advertising for “best ergonomic chair for elderly,” you’re likely reaching someone interested in buying. But targeting a broad keyword like “office chair” might bring in less qualified leads.
Ecommerce Keyword Research: The Basics
Keyword research is a key part of any ecommerce strategy. If you want to attract the right traffic to your store, boost product visibility, and increase sales, understanding how to do ecommerce keyword research effectively is important. In this guide, we’ll explain the basics of keyword research, focusing on search intent, keyword specificity, and keyword metrics that will help you get the most out of your ecommerce efforts.
Search Intent
Search intent is simply the reason behind a user’s search. Why are people searching for something? Are they just gathering information, or are they ready to make a purchase? Recognizing search intent helps you create content and product pages that meet the needs of your shoppers.
There are three main types of search intent:
- Informational Intent: People with informational intent are searching for answers or solutions. For example, someone might search “how to choose office furniture for elderly parents.” They aren’t necessarily looking to buy yet, but they might need help figuring out what to purchase. By creating helpful blog posts or guides, you can attract these shoppers and lead them to your store when they’re ready to buy.
- Transactional Intent: These users are ready to make a purchase. For instance, someone searching “buy an ergonomic office chair for back pain” is likely looking to buy a product right away. When people search like this, it’s important to make sure your product pages are optimized to match their needs and encourage them to check out.
- Navigational Intent: These searches happen when people are looking for a specific store or brand. For example, “Amazon office furniture” or “Ikea ergonomic chairs.” If you sell similar items, make sure your store and product pages show up when people search for your competitors or similar brands.
Understanding search intent helps you create content that matches what people are really looking for, whether that’s product pages for those ready to buy or helpful blog posts for those still researching.
Keyword Specificity
When doing ecommerce keyword research, it’s important to understand the specificity of the keywords you’re targeting. Keywords can either be broad (short-tail keywords) or more specific (long-tail keywords), and each has its own strengths.
Short-Tail Keywords are broad and usually consist of one or two words, like “office chair” or “laptop.” These keywords are searched by a lot of people, meaning they have high search volume. However, they are also very competitive, as many ecommerce stores are targeting them. While they can bring more traffic to your store, they don’t always lead to sales because they are too general. For example, someone searching for “office chair” might just be browsing, not necessarily looking to buy immediately.
Long-Tail Keywords are much more specific and usually contain three or more words, like “best ergonomic office chair for back pain” or “affordable office furniture for elderly with arthritis.” These keywords usually have lower search volume, but they tend to be less competitive and indicate higher purchase intent. For instance, a shopper searching for “best ergonomic office chair for flat feet” is probably already deciding on a purchase, making them more likely to convert into a buyer.
Balancing both short-tail and long-tail keywords is crucial. Short-tail keywords can help you reach a broad audience, while long-tail keywords help you connect with shoppers who are ready to make a purchase.
Keyword Metrics
When you research keywords, it’s important to evaluate them based on key metrics. These metrics help you figure out which keywords will bring in the most traffic and lead to the best sales.
Search Volume : It tells you how often a keyword is searched each month. Higher search volume means more people are searching for that term, and potentially more traffic for your store. However, high search volume often means there’s more competition. For example, “office chair” might have a high search volume, but it’s a very broad term, making it harder for your store to rank. More specific long-tail keywords might have lower search volume, but they tend to attract better quality traffic, and people who are more likely to buy.
Keyword Difficulty: It measures how hard it will be to rank for a keyword. If many ecommerce stores are targeting the same keywords, it will be difficult to show up on the first page of Google. Long-tail keywords are usually easier to rank for because there’s less competition.
Competition: It tells you how many other businesses are targeting a particular keyword. If a lot of ecommerce stores are trying to rank for the same keywords, it will be harder to show up in search results. You can use tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs to check the competition for a keyword and see if it’s worth going after. By targeting less competitive keywords, you can improve your chances of getting your store noticed.
Keyword Categories
When doing ecommerce keyword research, it’s important to organize keywords into categories based on the user’s intent. There are three main categories to focus on:
Transactional Keywords: These are keywords that show a person is ready to buy. For example, “buy ergonomic office chair” or “order gaming laptop online.” These keywords should be used on your product pages to attract people who are looking to make a purchase right away. Focusing on transactional keywords will help you increase your sales.
Informational Keywords: These keywords are used by people who are looking for information or solutions, like “how to choose office furniture” or “best ergonomic chair for back pain.” These types of keywords are perfect for blog posts or how-to guides. Although these shoppers might not buy immediately, they are still valuable as they help build trust and guide them to your store when they are ready to make a purchase.
Navigational Keywords: These keywords are used when people are searching for a specific brand or website. For example, “Amazon office furniture” or “Ikea ergonomic chairs.” Make sure your store shows up in these types of search queries, especially if you offer similar products. Optimizing your category pages and product pages with navigational keywords ensures that people looking for specific brands can find your store.
How to Do Keyword Research for Ecommerce Businesses
When you have an online store, you want to make sure people can find your products when they search for them. Keyword research helps you figure out what words or phrases people use when searching for things you sell. This guide will show you how to do keyword research for your ecommerce business in simple steps.
Brainstorm Seed Keywords for Your Niche
Start by coming up with some basic keywords that describe what your store sells. For example, if your store sells ergonomic office furniture, think of words like “ergonomic chair,” “adjustable desks,” or “office chairs for elderly parents.” These are your seed keywords.
Seed keywords are the starting point for finding more specific words that people might type into search engines like Google. The idea is to find words that match the products in your store or the problems your products solve for shoppers.
Expand Your Keyword List
Once you have your seed keywords, it’s time to find more words people might search for. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner or SEMrush. These tools show related keywords and tell you how many people search for those words each month.
For example, if “ergonomic chair” is one of your seed keywords, these tools might show related keywords like “best ergonomic office chair” or “ergonomic chair for back pain.” These suggestions help you expand your list and find the keywords that can bring more people to your store.
Prioritize Keywords Based on Data
Not all keywords are equally important. You need to choose the best ones to focus on. Look at things like how many people search for a word each month (search volume), how many other stores are using that word (competition), and whether the people searching are likely to buy something (intent).
For example, “office chair” might have a lot of people searching for it, but it’s also very competitive. Instead, you might choose a more specific keyword, like “ergonomic office chair for elderly people,” which might have fewer searches but is more likely to bring in shoppers who want to buy.
Map Keywords to Different Content Types
After finding your keywords, it’s important to place them in the right places on your website. Here’s how you can do that:
- Informational Keywords: Use these in blog posts or guides. These are for people looking for information. For example, “how to choose an office chair for back pain” is an informational keyword. You can write a blog post answering this question, which will bring people to your store who might buy something later.
- Transactional Keywords: Use these in product pages. These are keywords used by people who want to buy. For example, “buy ergonomic office chair” is a transactional keyword. When people search for this, they are ready to make a purchase, so it’s important to put this keyword on your product pages.
- Navigational Keywords: These are used by people who are looking for a specific website or brand. For example, someone searching for “Amazon office furniture” is looking for a specific brand. If you sell similar products, you can optimize your category pages for these keywords.
Create a Content Calendar
To make sure you’re always using the right keywords, it’s a good idea to create a content calendar. A content calendar helps you plan when to publish blog posts, how-to guides, or product reviews based on the keywords you want to target.
For example, in January, you might want to write a blog post targeting the keyword “best ergonomic office chair for flat feet.” In February, you can plan to create a product review for a specific office chair. This way, you’re always targeting the right keywords to attract the right traffic.
Use Tools to Spot Emerging Trends
Sometimes, keywords change over time. A word that is popular today might not be searched for as much tomorrow. To stay on top of keyword trends, you can use tools like Google Trends or SEMrush. These tools help you spot new keywords that are gaining popularity. For example, if more people are searching for “eco-friendly office furniture,” you can update your content and product pages to target these new keywords.
Keep Updating Your Keyword List
Keyword trends change all the time. What people are searching for today might not be what they search for tomorrow. That’s why you should always review and update your keyword list. Use tools like Google Analytics or Google Search Console to see which keywords are bringing the most traffic to your store and which ones might need to be replaced. By doing this, you make sure you’re always targeting the best keywords for your ecommerce business.
How to Optimize Your Website with Ecommerce Keywords
Once you’ve done your keyword research, it’s time to use those keywords to make your website more visible and easier to find. Here’s how to make your product pages and category pages work better with ecommerce keywords:
Optimize Product Pages
Make sure each product page is set up with the right keywords. Include keywords in the title, product description, alt text for images, and meta descriptions. This helps search engines like Google understand what your page is about and helps it rank higher in search results.
For example, if you’re selling an ergonomic chair, make sure to include keywords like “ergonomic chair for back pain” in the title and description. This will help the right shoppers find your product.
Use Keywords on Category Pages
Category pages are where you group similar products together. For example, you might have a category page for “office chairs” or “ergonomic desks.” You should use keywords that describe the overall products in that category. For example, a category page for gaming laptops might target keywords like “best gaming laptops” or “laptops for gamers.”
By optimizing your category pages with these keywords, you can help people find your products when they search for those terms.
Leverage Blog Posts and Guides
Blog posts and guides are a great way to attract more traffic and connect with shoppers who are still in the research phase. Use informational keywords like “how to choose the best office chair for flat feet” to create detailed content that answers common questions. By doing this, you can bring more visitors to your store who might come back and make a purchase later.
Implement a Solid Internal Linking Strategy
Internal linking means linking to other pages on your website from your blog posts, product pages, or category pages. This helps people easily find related products, which improves their experience on your site. It also helps search engines find and index your pages more easily. For example, if you write a blog post about “ergonomic office furniture,” link to relevant product pages where readers can buy the products you’re talking about.
Your Ecommerce Keyword Research Process Determines Your Progress
The effectiveness of your ecommerce keyword research process plays a significant role in your store’s success. An ongoing keyword research strategy can continually improve your rankings and drive traffic to your store, ultimately increasing sales and conversions. To help your online store grow, it’s important to know which words shoppers are using when they search for products like yours. This is called keyword research. By choosing the right keywords, you can make sure people find your store when they are looking to buy. Start by thinking of words that describe your products. For example, if you sell ergonomic office chairs, your seed keywords might be “ergonomic chair” or “office chair for back pain.” These basic words help you find more ideas. You can use tools like Google Keyword Planner or SEMrush to find related words and see how many people are searching for them.
After you find some keywords, choose the ones that will bring the most traffic. Focus on keywords that people use when they are ready to buy, like “buy ergonomic chair.” These are called transactional keywords and are the most important for your product pages. Once you know which keywords to target, it’s time to put them in the right places. For informational keywords like “how to choose an office chair,” use them in blog posts or guides. For transactional keywords, use them in your product pages. This will help people find exactly what they are looking for and increase your chances of making a sale. Remember to check your keyword list every so often. People’s search habits change, so updating your keywords helps your store stay on top and attract the right traffic.
Supercharge Your Ecommerce Success
In 2025, ecommerce keyword research has never been more important! By learning how to do effective keyword research, optimizing your website, and creating content that speaks to your target shoppers, you can greatly increase your visibility on search engines like Google. This will help you attract more buyers who are actively searching for products like yours, leading to increased sales and business growth. Imagine your store appearing at the top of search results when potential buyers search for keywords related to your products. It’s all possible with the right keyword strategies!
Ready to take your ecommerce business to the next level? Start using these proven keyword research tactics today and watch your traffic soar. For even more expert insights into SEO and keyword strategies, subscribe to our blog or get in touch with us for personalized advice. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to improve your current strategy, we’re here to help guide you every step of the way. Your ecommerce success is just one keyword away. Let’s make it happen!
Ecommerce Keyword Research FAQs
How Do You Do Keyword Research for Ecommerce?
Start by thinking of words related to your products. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner to find more keywords people search for. Pick keywords with good search volume but not too much competition. Use these keywords in your product pages, blog posts, and category pages.
What Are Keywords in Ecommerce?
Keywords are the words people type into search engines when looking for products. Using the right keywords on your website helps your store show up when people search for items like yours.
What Is SEO in Ecommerce?
SEO helps your store rank higher in search results. This means more traffic to your website. It involves using the right keywords, making your site easy to use, and improving your content.
Why is Keyword Research Important for Ecommerce?
Keyword research helps you know what shoppers are searching for. It helps your store show up in search results, bringing more traffic and sales.
How Often Should You Update Your Keyword List?
You should update your keywords every few months to keep up with changing trends and make sure you’re attracting the right shoppers.
What’s the Difference Between Short-Tail and Long-Tail Keywords?
Short-tail keywords are broad and often have more searches, but are competitive. Long-tail keywords are more specific and have fewer searches, but they can bring more people who are ready to buy.
How Do I Know Which Keywords Will Work for My Store?
Look at search volume, competition, and whether people are ready to buy. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner to help you find keywords that have high search volume and low competition.
Can Keyword Research Help Me Sell More Products?
Yes! By choosing the right keywords, your store will show up for searches people are making. This brings more traffic and helps turn that into more sales.
How Do Keywords Affect My Product Pages?
Using the right keywords on your product pages helps them rank higher in search results. This makes it easier for shoppers to find your products when they’re ready to buy.
Should I Use Keywords in My Blog Posts?
Yes! Using informational keywords in your blog posts helps attract traffic from people who are still researching products. This can lead to more sales when they’re ready to make a purchase.