How to Find Keywords for Your E-commerce: A Practical Guide to Selling More with SEO

Finding the right keywords for an e-commerce business isn't about looking for those with the most searches, but rather those with real purchase intent — and that difference determines whether the organic traffic you generate converts into sales or empty visits. The process starts with the products you already sell, moves through understanding how your ideal customer searches for them on Google, and ends by assigning a specific keyword to each URL of your store without repeating or competing between pages. The most useful tools for doing this are free and available to any store, regardless of its size or budget.

In this article, you will learn the complete process of conversion-oriented keyword research: how to start with your products to find the right keywords, how to evaluate if a keyword is worthwhile before creating content for it, which free tools to use at each step, and how to organize everything into a keyword map that you can apply to your store today.

Why Keywords with the Most Searches Are Not the Best for an Online Store

The most common mistake online store owners make is obsessing over search volume. They believe that the more people search for a keyword, the more traffic they will get, and therefore, more sales. However, this is a trap. A keyword with 100,000 monthly searches like "shoes" can bring a lot of traffic, but how many of those people are ready to buy? Probably very few. Most are just researching, comparing, or looking for inspiration.

For an e-commerce business, the goal is not just traffic, it's qualified traffic that converts into customers. High-volume keywords are often very generic and have an informational or navigational search intent, not transactional. For example, someone searching for "cooking recipes" is not going to buy a pot immediately, but someone searching for "Instant Pot electric pressure cooker price" is close to making a purchase decision.

What Differentiates a Keyword That Attracts Traffic from One That Generates Sales

The key lies in search intent. A keyword that attracts traffic can be very broad and cover different stages of the buyer's journey. For example, "coffee" can be searched by someone who wants to know what coffee is, its history, how it's grown, or where to buy it. A keyword that generates sales, on the other hand, has a clear transactional intent. The user already knows what they want and is looking for where to buy it or what the best option is.

To identify keywords for selling on Google, look for terms that include purchase modifiers such as "buy," "price," "deal," "free shipping," "online store," "brand + model," or even comparison terms like "best" or "reviews." These users have already advanced in their decision-making process and are ready for action. For example, instead of "baby clothes," think "organic cotton newborn baby clothes Bogotá." The second term is more specific and attracts a buyer with a clear need.

How to Find Keywords for Your E-commerce Step by Step

This is the plan that will allow you to discover the keywords that truly interest your customers and will help you increase sales in your online store.

Step 1 — Start with Your Products, Not a Tool

The first step is the most intuitive and often the most overlooked. Open a spreadsheet (Google Sheets or Excel) and write down the names of your top 10 best-selling products or product categories. Then, for each one, think about what you would call it, what your supplier calls it, and most importantly, how you think a customer who is ready to buy it would search for it. For example, if you sell stainless steel thermoses, don't just write "thermoses." Think "stainless steel coffee thermos 500ml," "spill-proof office thermos," or "BPA-free cold water thermos."

This exercise forces you to put yourself in your customer's shoes. Don't limit yourself to technical descriptions; think about the problem your product solves or the benefit it offers. If you sell a face cream, is it for "anti-aging," "deep hydration," or "sensitive skin"? Each of these is a potential keyword for your e-commerce with a very specific intent. Don't worry about volume at this point, only about relevance and intent.

Step 2 — Discover How Your Customer Searches with Google Search and Keyword Planner

Now that you have an initial list, it's time to validate and expand it. Go to Google.com and start typing one of your initial keywords. Observe the autocomplete suggestions Google offers. These are real searches that other users have performed. Jot down the most relevant ones in your spreadsheet. Then, search for the term and scroll to the bottom of the results page to see the "Related searches" section. Here you will find even more keyword ideas for your e-commerce that people are already using.

For more concrete data, use Google Keyword Planner. It's a free Google Ads tool (you need a Google account, but you don't have to invest in advertising to use it). Enter your initial keywords, and Keyword Planner will show you the estimated search volume and competition (although the latter refers to competition in paid ads, not organic SEO, it's a good indicator). The most valuable thing is that it will give you ideas for related keywords with real search volume, which will help you prioritize.

Step 3 — Evaluate the Competition Before Committing to a Keyword

Not all keywords are equally easy to rank for. Before investing time and effort in optimizing your store for a specific keyword, it's crucial to evaluate the competition. Go back to Google and search for the keyword you are considering. Analyze the first 10 results. Who appears? Are they large retailers like Amazon or eBay, or more specialized stores like yours? If the first results are very large authority sites, it will be very difficult to compete. If, on the contrary, you see blogs, forums, or smaller stores, the opportunity is greater.

Also pay attention to the type of content. If most of the results are blog articles, perhaps that keyword doesn't have such strong purchase intent. If you see many product or category pages, that's a good sign. For a more detailed evaluation, you can use the free version of tools like Ubersuggest, which will give you an estimate of the SEO Difficulty (SD) for each keyword. Look for keywords with low or medium difficulty that still have a decent search volume.

Step 4 — Identify Long-Tail Keywords with Higher Purchase Intent

Long-tail keywords are more specific phrases, composed of three or more words. Although they have a lower individual search volume than generic keywords, they are gold for e-commerce for several reasons. First, the purchase intent is much higher. Someone searching for "men's athletic shoes size 10" is much closer to buying than someone who just searches for "shoes." Second, the competition is usually lower, making them easier to rank for.

You can find long-tail keywords using Google's suggestions, the "Related searches" section, and tools like AnswerThePublic (which visualizes questions and prepositions related to your main keyword) or the free version of Ubersuggest. Think about detailed descriptions of your products, their features, benefits, problems they solve, and the target audience. For example, if you sell an Italian coffee maker, a long-tail keyword could be "Bialetti Moka induction coffee maker 6 cups price."

Step 5 — Assign One Keyword Per URL Without Repeating on Other Pages

Once you have your list of selected keywords, the next step is to assign a primary keyword to each relevant page of your store (products, categories, blog posts). This is a golden rule in SEO: one page, one primary keyword. This means that if you have a page for "men's cotton t-shirts" and another for "men's basic t-shirts," you are making them compete with each other for very similar searches, a phenomenon known as keyword cannibalization. To avoid this, you need a clear keyword map.

Your spreadsheet should have a column for the URL of your page and another for the primary keyword you will assign to it. Make sure there are no two URLs with the same primary keyword. If you find duplicates, evaluate whether those pages can be merged or if one can be optimized for a variant of the primary keyword. For example, one could be "men's cotton t-shirts" and the other "men's printed t-shirts."

Free Tools for E-commerce Keyword Research

You don't need to invest in expensive tools to start doing effective keyword research. These free options are powerful allies:

Google Search Console — The Keywords That Already Bring You Traffic

Google Search Console is an indispensable tool for any e-commerce owner. It shows you the keywords for which your site already appears on Google, how many times your site was shown (impressions), and how many times it was clicked (clicks). It's pure gold because it tells you which keywords are working for you right now. Check the "Performance" > "Queries" section to identify opportunities and optimize existing pages.

Google Keyword Planner — Volume and Competition at No Cost

As mentioned, Keyword Planner allows you to discover new keywords and get estimates of monthly search volume, as well as an idea of the competition in the paid advertising realm. It's excellent for expanding your initial keyword list and prioritizing those with enough demand for your niche.

Ubersuggest Free Version — Long-Tail Ideas

The free version of Ubersuggest allows you to perform a few daily searches. It's useful for getting keyword ideas, seeing an estimated SEO Difficulty (SD), and discovering related long-tail keywords you might not have considered. It helps you quickly understand the viability of a keyword.

AnswerThePublic — How Your Customer Asks on Google

AnswerThePublic is a visual tool that takes your keyword and generates all the questions, prepositions, comparisons, and related terms that people search for on Google. It's fantastic for understanding the intent behind your customers' searches and for discovering long-tail keywords based on specific problems or needs.

What is Keyword Cannibalization and How to Avoid It in Your Store

Keyword cannibalization occurs when two or more pages on your own website compete for the same keyword in Google's search results. This confuses search engines, which don't know which of your pages is most relevant, and can lead to both pages ranking worse than they would if only one of them were optimized. For an online store owner, this means losing traffic and sales.

To avoid it, the rule is simple: one primary keyword per URL. If you have very similar products, such as "men's white linen shirt" and "men's beige linen shirt," the ideal is to have a general category page "men's linen shirts" optimized for that keyword, and then individual product pages for each color, optimized for more specific keywords like "buy men's white linen shirt size M." Review your keyword map and make sure there are no overlaps.

How to Organize Your Keywords in a Simple Map for the Entire Store

A keyword map is a spreadsheet where you record all the keywords you have researched and assign them to the corresponding URLs of your store. It is your master guide for SEO optimization. It should include:

• Page URL: The specific web address (e.g., /products/t-shirts/white-linen-t-shirt).
• Primary Keyword: The keyword you want that page to rank for (e.g., "men's white linen shirt").
• Secondary/Long-Tail Keywords: Variations and synonyms that you will also use in the content of that page (e.g., "cool summer linen shirt," "buy men's linen shirt").
• Search Volume: The estimated monthly volume (taken from Keyword Planner).
• SEO Difficulty: An estimate of how difficult it is to rank for that keyword (taken from Ubersuggest or similar).
• Search Intent: Informational, transactional, navigational (almost always transactional for products).

At Ferova Agency, when we start working with a new store, the first thing we build is the keyword map — because without that map, any content or technical SEO effort is like shooting without aiming. The process described in this article is exactly what we apply with our clients. This map allows you to have a clear vision of how each page of your e-commerce contributes to your overall SEO strategy and helps you prioritize your efforts.

Conclusion

Keyword research is not a technical task exclusive to experts, but a strategic way to understand how your customer thinks when searching for your products on Google. Doing it well is the foundation of any SEO strategy that generates real sales in your e-commerce.

Practical Summary to Apply Today:

• Make a list of your top 10 best-selling products and think about how a customer would search for them.
• Search for those terms on Google and note the autocomplete suggestions and related searches.
• Check Google Search Console to see which keywords are already bringing traffic to your store.
• Create a spreadsheet and assign a primary keyword to each product or category URL, without repeating.

A store that knows exactly how its customer searches on Google has a competitive advantage that cannot be bought with advertising — it is built with time and judgment, and the results accumulate month after month. If you want us to review your store's keyword research and help you build the correct keyword map, at Ferova Agency we do it for free in the first session.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How many keywords should I use per product page?

You should optimize each product page for one primary keyword. Additionally, you can include 2-3 related secondary or long-tail keywords that support the primary one, without forcing density or repetition.

Do long-tail keywords really generate more sales?

Yes, long-tail keywords usually generate more sales because they attract users with a very specific and advanced purchase intent. Although the search volume may be lower, the conversion rate is significantly higher.

Is Google Keyword Planner enough to do e-commerce keyword research?

Google Keyword Planner is an excellent free tool to start and get search volumes and ideas. However, complementing it with Google Search (suggestions, related searches), Ubersuggest (SEO difficulty), and AnswerThePublic (question intent) will give you a more complete and strategic vision.

What is keyword cannibalization and how do I detect it in my store?

Keyword cannibalization occurs when several pages of your store compete for the same keyword, confusing Google. You detect it by reviewing your keyword map to ensure that each URL has a unique primary keyword, or by using tools that show you if multiple pages are ranking for the same term.

How often should I update my store's keyword research?

Keyword research is not a one-time task. You should review and update it at least once or twice a year, or when you launch new products, market trends change, or you notice significant changes in your customers' search behavior.

Can I do keyword research without paying for any tools?

Yes, it is entirely possible to do effective keyword research without paying for any tools. Use Google Search (autocomplete suggestions and related searches), Google Keyword Planner, Google Search Console, and the free version of Ubersuggest or AnswerThePublic to get all the necessary information.