If you own a Shopify store, you know how important it is to get people to visit your website. One of the best ways to do this is by using the right keywords. Keywords are the words and phrases that people type into search engines like Google when they’re looking for something. If you use the right keywords on your Shopify store, you can get more people to find your products and buy from you. In this guide, we’ll show you how to do keyword research the right way, so you can get the most out of your Shopify store.
What is Keyword Research and Why Does it Matter?
Keyword research is the process of finding the best words and phrases to use on your website so that people can find you when they search online. It’s important because if you use the wrong keywords, people might not find your store at all. But if you use the right keywords, you can get more traffic, more sales, and more money for your business.
There are a lot of benefits to doing keyword research for your Shopify store. First, it can help you figure out what people are actually searching for online. This can give you ideas for new products to sell or ways to improve your existing products. Second, it can help you optimize your website so that it shows up higher in search results. This means more people will see your store and be more likely to buy from you. Finally, it can help you create better content for your website, like product descriptions and blog posts, that will engage your customers and keep them coming back for more.
Learn About Your Target Audience
Before you start doing keyword research, it’s important to know who your target audience is. Your target audience is the group of people who are most likely to buy from your store. To figure out who your target audience is, you can create buyer personas. A buyer persona is a detailed description of your ideal customer, including their age, gender, interests, and shopping habits.
You can also look at your existing customer base to get an idea of who your target audience is. Look at the people who have already bought from your store and see if there are any patterns. For example, if most of your customers are women between the ages of 25 and 34, that’s a good indication that that’s your target audience.
It’s also important to think about what your target audience is looking for when they search online. This is called user intent. Are they looking to buy something right away, or are they just researching different options? Are they looking for a specific product, or are they looking for information on a topic related to your products? Understanding user intent can help you choose the right keywords to target.
Come Up with Keyword Ideas
Once you know who your target audience is, it’s time to start brainstorming keyword ideas. Start by making a list of all the products you sell and the categories they fall into. For example, if you sell women’s clothing, your categories might be dresses, tops, bottoms, and accessories.
Next, come up with some seed keywords for each category. Seed keywords are broad, general keywords that describe your products. For example, if you sell dresses, your seed keywords might be “women’s dresses,” “cocktail dresses,” and “summer dresses.”
Finally, use keyword modifiers to come up with more specific keyword ideas. Keyword modifiers are words you can add to your seed keywords to make them more targeted. For example, you could add the word “cheap” to your seed keyword “women’s dresses” to get the keyword “cheap women’s dresses.” Other common modifiers include colors, sizes, materials, and brands.
Keyword Research Tools to Use
There are a lot of tools you can use to do keyword research for your Shopify store. Here are some of the best ones:
- Google Keyword Planner: This is a free tool from Google that lets you search for keyword ideas and see how often they’re searched for. To use it, you’ll need to set up a Google Ads account. Once you’ve done that, you can search for keyword ideas based on your products or categories. The tool will show you how many people search for each keyword every month, as well as how competitive the keyword is.
- Ahrefs: This is a paid tool that offers a lot of features for keyword research. With Ahrefs, you can search for keyword ideas, see how often they’re searched for, and see how competitive they are. You can also use Ahrefs to see what keywords your competitors are ranking for and to analyze their content strategy.
- SEMrush: This is another paid tool that’s similar to Ahrefs. With SEMrush, you can search for keyword ideas, see how often they’re searched for, and see how competitive they are. You can also use SEMrush to see what keywords your competitors are ranking for and to analyze their content strategy.
Other useful tools include Answer The Public, which shows you the questions people are asking about your keywords, and Ubersuggest, which gives you keyword ideas based on a seed keyword. Keyword Surfer is a free Chrome extension that shows you search volume and competition data for keywords right in the Google search results.
Looking at Your Competitors’ Keywords
Another great way to find keyword ideas is to look at what your competitors are doing. Start by making a list of your top competitors. These are the other Shopify stores that sell similar products to yours and that show up in search results for your seed keywords.
Once you have your list of competitors, use tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush to see what keywords they’re ranking for. Look for keywords that are relevant to your products and that have a good amount of search volume. You can also use these tools to analyze your competitors’ content strategy. Look at the types of content they’re creating, like blog posts and product descriptions, and see how they’re using keywords in their content.
Choosing the Right Keywords for Your Store
Once you have a list of keyword ideas, it’s time to choose the best ones for your Shopify store. Start by looking at the relevance of each keyword. The keywords you choose should be closely related to your products and should match the user intent of your target audience.
Next, look at the search volume for each keyword. You want to choose keywords that have a good amount of search volume, which means that a lot of people are searching for them. However, you also want to make sure the competition for those keywords isn’t too high. If a keyword has a lot of competition, it will be harder to rank for that keyword in search results.
It’s also a good idea to use a mix of short-tail and long-tail keywords. Short-tail keywords are shorter, more general keywords, like “women’s dresses.” Long-tail keywords are longer, more specific keywords, like “blue cocktail dresses under $100.” Long-tail keywords usually have lower search volume but less competition, which means they can be easier to rank for.
Use Keywords on Your Shopify Store
Once you’ve chosen your keywords, it’s time to start using them on your Shopify store. Here are some places where you can use keywords:
- Product titles and descriptions: Use your keywords in the titles and descriptions of your products. This will help your products show up in search results when people search for those keywords.
- Category and collection pages: Use keywords in the titles and descriptions of your category and collection pages. This will help those pages show up in search results when people search for related keywords.
- Blog posts and content marketing: Use keywords in your blog posts and other content marketing materials. This will help your content show up in search results and attract more traffic to your store.
- Meta titles and descriptions: Use keywords in the meta titles and descriptions of your website pages. These are the titles and descriptions that show up in search results, so using keywords here can help your pages rank higher.
Track Your Keywords and Make Changes
Once you’ve started using keywords on your Shopify store, it’s important to track how well they’re performing. One way to do this is to set up Google Analytics on your store. This will allow you to see how much traffic you’re getting from each keyword and which keywords are leading to the most sales.
You should also keep an eye on your search engine rankings for your target keywords. Use tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush to track your rankings over time. If you notice that you’re not ranking as well as you’d like for certain keywords, you may need to optimize your content or try different keywords.
It’s also important to keep your keyword strategy up to date. As your business grows and changes, your target audience and their search habits may change too. Make sure to revisit your keyword strategy regularly and make changes as needed.
Tips for Success
Here are a few final tips to help you succeed with keyword research for your Shopify store:
- Don’t stuff your content with keywords. Use them naturally and only where they make sense.
- Focus on creating a good user experience for your customers. Use keywords to help them find what they’re looking for, but don’t sacrifice the quality of your content or your website.
- Stay up to date with search engine algorithm changes. Google and other search engines are always updating their algorithms, so make sure you’re staying on top of the latest best practices.
- Regularly review and update your keyword strategy. As your business and your target audience change, your keywords should change too.
Summing Up The Shopify SEO Keyword Strategy
Keyword research is an important part of running a successful Shopify store. By using the right keywords, you can attract more traffic, get more sales, and grow your business. The key is to understand your target audience, use the right tools to find the best keywords, and use those keywords naturally throughout your website.
Remember, keyword research is an ongoing process. As your business grows and changes, your keywords should too. By regularly reviewing and updating your keyword strategy, you can stay ahead of the competition and keep your Shopify store thriving. Further, if you need expert opinion on keyword planning for your Shopify store, you can also avail of our e-commerce SEO services. We will guide you in building a profitable Shopify store using our decade of knowledge in Shopify SEO
We hope this guide has been helpful in showing you how to do keyword research for your Shopify store. If you have any questions or need more help, feel free to reach out to us. We’re always happy to help our fellow Shopify store owners succeed.
