0:03
The goal of keyword research is to get traffic. In the last lesson, you've learned that a keyword is anything you type into a search engine, and keyword research will help you choose the keywords people are searching for. In this lesson, you're going to learn how to do this, so pay close attention. Your goal is to discover keywords that people are actually searching for. Solidifying your keyword strategy is the first step before moving on to build your on-site and off-site SEO, which you'll learn about in the next modules.
0:35
Before we get into how to do e-commerce keyword research, you need to know the three different types of keywords-- navigational, transactional, and informational. Let me break this down for you. A navigational keyword is a keyword someone uses to navigate somewhere. For example, if you type the word "new york times" into Google, you're probably trying to navigate to The New York Times website.
1:01
Pretty simple. The second is transactional. Transactional keywords are used when someone is trying to complete an action. For example, someone who searches the keyword "buy running shoes online" is trying to make a purchase. And the third keyword type is informational. An example of this would be "what is the most popular style of running shoes." For your e-commerce business, you'll want to target transactional and informational keywords.
1:31
Before we get into how to do the keyword research, a quick reminder that e-commerce keyword research is focused on buying intent. As I teach you how to find keywords, I want you to keep in mind that your goal is to add value to the person who's searching for your content or, ideally, purchasing your products and services. Keyword research is actually a very simple process, and I have a three-step strategy and specific tools I use to find the right keywords for the business I'm marketing.
2:01
So let's get into it. Step one, make a list of topics relevant to your business. The truth is there isn't one way to do this. SEO is both an art and science, and this part falls more into the art side. You have to get curious and put yourself in the shoes of your customer. Here are a few questions to help you as you brainstorm keywords. Will the customer who searches find what they're looking for when they use these keywords?
2:30
Is the keyword relevant to the products you're selling? How do you want to be discovered? How do your customers talk about your product? Will they be happy with what they find? For example, if you're selling co-working office space, does your customer call it a co-working office space, or do they call it a shared office space? Brainstorm ways people will search for your product when they have the intention to purchase.
2:57
But remember, we don't just want to target transactional keywords, which people search for when they already have the intent to purchase. We also want to think about using informational keywords to fuel your content marketing. This can be done by writing blog posts or pages dedicated to educating your audience and moving them towards purchase intent. So while the end goal is for them to purchase your product, you have a greater chance of them finding you if you also rank highly for informational keywords.
3:28
For example, if you sell garden hoses, a transactional keyword could be "rubber garden hose." An informational keyword could be "how to choose the right garden hose." In the Resources section below, I created a simple download you can use to add all of your keywords. It's the same one I use. OK, now let's move on to step two for your keyword research. Step two is to find searches related to and write them down.
3:56
Earlier, I mentioned the concept of long-tail keywords. These are keywords that usually have three or four words. Long-tail keywords have less competition but also lower search volume. I'll talk more about competition in a moment. As you're thinking about keywords, type in a word or phrase and then scroll down to the bottom of Google to the Searches Related To section.
4:20
Add those to your list from step one. It's a simple yet very helpful step. Now let's move on to step three. Step three is to use your keyword research tool to expand your list. There are many tools that help make this process easier. One free tool I recommend is called Keywords Everywhere. This tool is a free extension for Chrome and Firefox. It will show you the number of times a given keyword is searched for on Google each month as well as other information.
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I highly recommend you start here. Another option is Google Keyword Planner. This is the gold standard in keyword research because the information comes straight from Google. However, you need a Google Ads account to use it. Another great tool is called Ahrefs. This is a tool that people use when SEO is their full-time job. The beginner plan is over $100 a month.
5:16
It's totally worth it if you're making consistent income every month. But if you're a beginner, it may not be in your budget. You can also try their seven-day trial for $7 if you're willing to put in a lot of the work in the next seven days. In the demo lesson in this module, I'll show you how to do keyword research with the free tool Keywords Everywhere. OK, so let's recap three steps to doing e-commerce keyword research.
5:42
Step one, make a list of relevant topics to your business. Step two, find the searches related to and write them down. And step three, use a keyword research tool to expand your list. Now spend some time coming up with a big list of keywords. Don't hold back on brainstorming here. Once you have your list, head to the next lesson, and I'll show you how to narrow down your list of keywords to grow your business.