---
title: "How to do keyword research for ecommerce"
author: "Performetic Ekibi"
url: "https://www.performetic.com/en/blog/ecommerce-keyword-research-guide"
published: "2026-04-21T08:00:00.000Z"
updated: "2026-10-05T02:41:52.223Z"
---

# How to do keyword research for ecommerce

> Ecommerce keyword research means finding the phrases shoppers use when looking for your products and mapping each one to the right page type. Pull seed terms from your product catalogue, expand them with Search Console, Keyword Planner and Google Trends, sort them by search intent, and assign every intent to exactly one page.

## How do you do keyword research for ecommerce?

Ecommerce keyword research is the work of collecting the phrases shoppers type when looking for products and assigning each one to the best page type on your site. It has five steps: pull seed terms, expand the list with data, identify search intent, prioritise by commercial value, and map every intent to a single page.

Unlike a content site, an online store has hundreds or thousands of pages, and each one needs a clear job. A category page answers a broad search like "men's leather wallets", a product page answers a specific one like "black leather card wallet", and a blog post answers an informational question like "how to clean a leather wallet". Getting that split right is the real goal. If you want the wider SEO picture first, our [ecommerce SEO guide](/en/blog/how-to-do-ecommerce-seo) is a good starting point.

## Where do seed keywords come from?

Seed keywords are the most basic phrases that describe what you sell. Pull them from your own data before you open any tool:

- **Your product tree:** every main and sub-category name is a seed (for example, "duvet covers", "double duvet cover").
- **Product attributes:** material, colour, size and use case ("cotton", "percale", "sateen").
- **Customer language:** reviews, support tickets and on-site search logs show how customers describe products in their own words, not yours.
- **Autocomplete:** suggestions in Google and in marketplace search boxes reflect searches real people run often.

Spelling variants matter too. Shoppers search with and without accents, in singular and plural, and with regional words. You rarely need separate pages for these variants, but knowing which form is most common shapes your titles and copy.

## Which tools help you expand the list?

Free Google tools cover most of what an online store needs:

| Tool | What it gives you | How to use it in ecommerce |
|---|---|---|
| Google Search Console Performance report | Real queries you appear for, with impressions, clicks and average position | Find keywords where you get impressions but few clicks |
| Google Ads Keyword Planner | New keyword ideas and search volume estimates | Compare the size of category-level keywords |
| Google Trends | Relative interest in a search over time | See when demand for seasonal products rises |
| The search results page itself | Which page types Google shows for a query | Confirm search intent |

On an existing site, Search Console is the most valuable source because it shows queries you actually appear for rather than estimates. Google recommends looking at 16 months of data when analysing traffic, which is also enough to spot seasonal swings. Combining query and page filters in the Performance report shows exactly which keywords each page appears for.

Keyword Planner is built for advertisers, but it is still useful in organic research to compare how big keywords are relative to each other. Treat its numbers as a comparison tool, not a traffic promise.

## How do you identify search intent?

Two searches about the same product can need completely different pages. The most reliable way to read intent is to search the keyword and look at what kind of results fill the first page. If category pages dominate, Google reads the query as a product listing search. If guides dominate, it is an information search.

You will see four main intent types in ecommerce:

| Intent | Example search | Right page type |
|---|---|---|
| Informational | "how to iron a linen shirt" | Blog post or guide |
| Commercial investigation | "best running shoes", "linen vs cotton" | Comparison content or filtered category |
| Transactional | "men's linen shirts", "linen shirt price" | Category page |
| Specific product or brand | "brand X white linen shirt size L" | Product page |

The classic mistake is targeting a transactional keyword with a blog post, or an informational keyword with a category page. When your page type does not match the result type Google prefers, ranking gets much harder.

## How do you prioritise keywords?

You cannot target everything at once. A simple scoring grid helps:

1. **Commercial value:** does the keyword belong to a product group that drives sales? High-margin products come first.
2. **Demand:** search volume estimates and the Trends curve. Focus on the relative gap between keywords rather than absolute numbers.
3. **Current position:** if Search Console shows you already sit on page two or three, you will see results faster than with a keyword where you start from zero.
4. **Realistic competition:** if page one is only giant marketplaces and household brands, target more specific long-tail variants first.
5. **Stock continuity:** product groups you sell all year are a more durable SEO investment than one-off items.

### Example prioritisation

Example: a home textiles brand is assessing three keyword groups.

| Keyword group | Commercial value | Current position | Competition | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "duvet cover set" | High | Page 3 | Very high | Long-term target |
| "cotton double duvet cover set" | High | Page 2 | Medium | Act now |
| "how to fold a duvet cover" | Low | None | Low | Add to blog calendar |

Here the first job is strengthening the sub-category page already waiting on page two. The broad keyword is pursued over time through internal links and content.

## How do you map keywords to pages?

The output of research should be a mapping sheet, not a keyword list. Each row holds a page URL, its primary keyword, supporting variants and the search intent. We cover how to optimise the category pages themselves in our [category page SEO guide](/en/blog/category-page-seo-guide).

Follow these rules when mapping:

- **One intent, one page.** "Men's linen shirts" and "linen shirts for men" are the same intent; do not build two pages, or your own pages will compete with each other.
- **Open filter combinations selectively.** If "white linen shirt" is genuinely searched, it can justify an indexable sub-page. Filter combinations nobody searches for should stay out of the index.
- **Fill gaps with content.** Valuable keywords that fit none of your existing pages are opportunities for a new category or guide.
- **Align titles and headings.** Google's SEO starter guide recommends using the words people would search for naturally in your content, while it treats keyword stuffing as spam.

## How often should you refresh the research?

Keyword research is not a one-off task. Update the sheet when you add new product groups, when seasons change and when new queries appear in Search Console. A practical rhythm is a quarterly review of Search Console queries, plus a look at Trends data a few months before each seasonal peak.

## Key takeaways

- The goal of ecommerce keyword research is to map every search intent to the right page type.
- Pull seed terms from your product tree, product attributes and customer language.
- Expand with Search Console, Keyword Planner and Google Trends, and confirm intent by checking the results page.
- Prioritise by commercial value, current position and realistic competition.
- Assign each intent to exactly one page and refresh the sheet regularly.

If you would like a keyword mapping sheet built around your own catalogue, the Performetic team can review your site and put together a [free growth analysis](/en/contact).

## FAQ

### Can you do ecommerce keyword research with free tools?

Yes. Google Search Console, Google Ads Keyword Planner and Google Trends give most online stores enough data. Search Console shows your real queries, Keyword Planner shows the relative size of keywords and Trends shows seasonality. Paid tools speed up competitor research but are not essential.

### Should I target a keyword with a category page or a blog post?

Let search intent decide. Search the keyword on Google: if product listings and category pages dominate page one, target it with a category page; if guides and how-to content dominate, use a blog post. Pointing both page types at the same keyword makes your pages compete.

### Do I need separate pages for spelling variants?

No. Singular and plural forms, accented and unaccented spellings and small word-order changes usually share the same intent and should be served by one page. Separate pages create duplicate content and cannibalisation. Knowing the most common variant simply helps you choose wording for titles and copy.

### How often should I update my keyword list?

Review Search Console queries at least once a quarter. Update the mapping sheet immediately when you add a product group, when seasons change or when unexpected new queries appear. For seasonal products, checking Trends a few months before the peak gives you time to prepare pages.

## Sources

- [SEO Starter Guide (Google Search Central)](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/seo-starter-guide)
- [Use Keyword Planner (Google Ads Help)](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/7337243)
- [Performance report (Search Console Help)](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/7576553)
- [Get started with Google Trends (Trends Help)](https://support.google.com/trends/answer/6248105)
- [Debug Google Search traffic drops (Google Search Central)](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/monitor-debug/debugging-search-traffic-drops)