Keyword research is the foundation of every successful ecommerce SEO strategy. Get it wrong and you spend months optimising for terms that either nobody searches for or that never convert. Get it right and you build a systematic pipeline of organic traffic that drives revenue month after month.
The problem with most ecommerce keyword research guides is that they treat it like any other type of keyword research. Ecommerce is different. You are not trying to rank blog posts for informational queries — you are trying to rank product and collection pages for terms with commercial intent. The process, tools, and prioritisation all need to reflect that.
This guide covers the exact process we use for our SEO clients. It is the same methodology whether the store has 50 products or 5,000.
Why ecommerce keyword research is different
Ecommerce keyword research differs from general keyword research in several fundamental ways.
Intent matters more than volume
A keyword with 50 monthly searches and clear buying intent is more valuable than one with 5,000 searches and informational intent. Someone searching “buy organic dog treats UK” is ready to purchase. Someone searching “are organic dog treats better” is still researching. Both have value, but they serve different purposes and should target different page types.
You need keywords for multiple page types
Unlike a blog where every keyword targets a blog post, ecommerce stores need keywords for collection pages, product pages, blog content, and informational pages. Each page type serves a different stage of the buyer journey, and the keywords must match.
Seasonal and trend patterns matter
Ecommerce keywords often have strong seasonal patterns. “Summer dresses” peaks in April–June. “Christmas hampers” peaks in October–November. Your keyword strategy needs to account for these patterns so you optimise and create content ahead of demand, not after it.
Step 1: Build your seed keyword list
Start with the obvious terms — the words your customers would use to find your products.
Mine your own data first
Before opening any keyword tool, look at what you already know:
- Google Search Console: The Performance report shows every query your site already appears for. Filter by page to see which queries drive traffic to specific products and collections. This is your most valuable data source because it shows real customer behaviour.
- Site search data: What are customers searching for on your site? Your Shopify analytics or Google Analytics site search report reveals the language your customers actually use.
- Customer service queries: What questions do customers ask before buying? These often contain keyword-rich phrases that reflect genuine search behaviour.
- Product names and categories: Your existing product titles and collection names are natural seed keywords.
Think like a customer
Sit down and brainstorm every way a customer might search for your products. Think about:
- Product type (what it is)
- Material or ingredient (what it is made from)
- Use case (what it is for)
- Audience (who it is for)
- Problem it solves (why they need it)
- Brand terms (if relevant)
- Location qualifiers (UK, British, London, etc.)
Use Google autocomplete
Type your seed keywords into Google and note the autocomplete suggestions. These are real queries that real people search for frequently. Type each variation and record the suggestions. This method is free, fast, and reveals terms you would never think of on your own.
Step 2: Expand with tools and competitors
Once you have your seed list, use keyword research tools and competitor analysis to expand it significantly.
Use Ahrefs or SEMrush
Enter your seed keywords into a keyword research tool. For each seed keyword, the tool will generate hundreds of related terms with search volume, difficulty, and SERP feature data. Focus on:
- Related terms: Synonyms and alternative phrasings (e.g. “trainers” vs “sneakers” vs “running shoes”)
- Questions: Question-format queries that indicate informational intent (great for blog content)
- Long-tail variations: Specific, multi-word queries that indicate high purchase intent
- Modifiers: Terms with qualifiers like “best”, “cheap”, “UK”, “near me”, “buy online”
Analyse competitor keywords
Identify your top 3–5 organic competitors (the sites that rank for the keywords you want). Use Ahrefs or SEMrush to see which keywords they rank for that you do not. This is called a “content gap” or “keyword gap” analysis and typically reveals dozens of opportunities.
Pay particular attention to keywords where competitors rank in positions 1–10 and you are not present at all. These represent pure opportunity — proven demand that you are currently invisible for.
Check “People also ask” and related searches
For your top keywords, look at the “People also ask” boxes and “Related searches” section on Google. These provide additional keyword ideas and reveal the questions customers ask at different stages of the buying journey. They are also excellent topics for blog content that supports your product pages.
Step 3: Classify by search intent
Not all keywords are equal. Classifying by intent determines which page type each keyword should target.
The four intent categories
- Transactional: The searcher wants to buy now. Examples: “buy merino wool socks UK”, “organic dog treats free delivery”. Target: product pages.
- Commercial investigation: The searcher is comparing options. Examples: “best merino wool hiking socks”, “organic dog treats reviews”. Target: collection pages or comparison content.
- Informational: The searcher wants to learn something. Examples: “how to choose hiking socks”, “are organic treats better for dogs”. Target: blog posts.
- Navigational: The searcher wants a specific brand or site. Examples: “Smartwool socks”, “Lily’s Kitchen treats”. Target: brand or product pages.
How to determine intent
The fastest way to determine intent is to search the keyword on Google and look at the results. If Google shows product pages and shopping results, it is transactional. If it shows comparison articles and review sites, it is commercial investigation. If it shows blog posts and how-to guides, it is informational. Google has already done the intent classification for you — use it. This approach is fundamental to our ongoing SEO methodology.
Step 4: Prioritise by opportunity
With a large keyword list classified by intent, you need to prioritise. You cannot optimise for everything at once.
Score each keyword
Create a scoring system based on three factors:
- Relevance (1–5): How closely does this keyword match your products?
- Volume (1–5): How many people search for this term monthly?
- Achievability (1–5): Can you realistically rank for this term given your current authority?
Multiply the three scores for a composite priority score. A keyword with high relevance (5), moderate volume (3), and high achievability (4) scores 60. A keyword with moderate relevance (3), high volume (5), and low achievability (1) scores only 15 despite having higher volume.
Quick wins first
Look for keywords where you already rank in positions 11–30. These pages need the least work to move onto page one. Often, improving the title tag, adding content, or building a few internal links is enough to push a page from position 15 to position 8.
Step 5: Map keywords to pages
Every keyword needs a home — a specific page on your site that targets it. This is your keyword map.
One primary keyword per page
Assign one primary keyword to each page. Multiple pages targeting the same keyword creates cannibalisation, where your pages compete against each other and neither ranks well.
Keyword mapping by page type
| Page type | Keyword type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Collection pages | Category-level terms | “womens running shoes” |
| Product pages | Specific product terms | “Nike Air Max 90 black” |
| Blog posts | Informational queries | “how to choose running shoes” |
| Homepage | Brand + broad terms | “[brand name] running shoes UK” |
Create new pages for unmapped keywords
If you have high-priority keywords with no matching page, create one. This might mean creating a new collection, writing a new blog post, or adding a new category page. The keyword research should drive your content strategy, not the other way around. For guidance on structuring this for Shopify, see our technical SEO guide.
Step 6: Identify content gaps
Your keyword map will reveal gaps — topics and terms you should be targeting but currently are not.
Informational content gaps
Most ecommerce stores underinvest in informational content. Buying guides, how-to articles, comparison posts, and FAQ pages all target informational keywords that bring potential customers into your ecosystem before they are ready to buy. This content builds topical authority that strengthens your product and collection page rankings.
Collection page gaps
If keyword research reveals category-level terms you do not have collection pages for, create them. For example, if you sell clothing and find search volume for “sustainable fashion UK” but have no collection targeting that term, create one.
Product page gaps
Some product pages may have keyword opportunities they are not targeting. Cross-reference your keyword research with existing product page title tags and descriptions to find missed opportunities.
Step 7: Refine and monitor over time
Keyword research is not a one-off activity. Markets change, products change, and search behaviour evolves.
Monthly monitoring
Check Google Search Console monthly for new queries appearing in your data. These often reveal keyword opportunities you had not considered. If you see a new query driving impressions to a page that is not optimised for it, that is an opportunity to capture more traffic by optimising the page for that term.
Quarterly reviews
Every quarter, review your keyword performance. Which keywords have improved? Which have declined? Are there new competitors? Have search volumes shifted? Adjust your priorities based on what the data tells you, as we explain in our product page SEO guide.
Seasonal planning
Plan keyword-driven content and optimisation 2–3 months ahead of seasonal peaks. If you want to rank for “Christmas hampers” in November, your content and optimisation needs to be in place by September at the latest. Google needs time to crawl, index, and evaluate your pages before they will rank for competitive seasonal terms.
The best ecommerce keyword strategies are built on intent, not volume. A hundred visitors who buy are worth more than ten thousand who bounce. Every keyword decision should start with the question: will this search term lead to revenue?
Andrew Simpson, Founder
Bringing it together
Ecommerce keyword research is a structured process: build a seed list from your own data, expand it with tools and competitor analysis, classify by intent, prioritise by opportunity, map keywords to pages, identify content gaps, and refine over time. The methodology is straightforward — the discipline is in doing it consistently and acting on what you find.
The stores that win at organic search are not the ones with the most products or the biggest budgets. They are the ones that systematically identify what their customers search for and ensure they have the best possible page targeting each term.
If you need help with keyword research for your ecommerce store, get in touch. We build keyword strategies that connect directly to revenue, not just rankings.
