It sounds easy enough, right? Choose a few suitable words and start optimizing. Or not? Not quite, we would say. It requires more thought and research than you might think. Today, we will therefore walk through how you should think when choosing keywords for your website.
Keywords are the words and phrases a person uses when searching on :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}. Someone looking for a pair of rubber boots will google “rubber boots” or possibly “buy rubber boots”, maybe even “buy rubber boots for adults”. The idea is that your site should appear at the top when they perform the search (provided that you sell rubber boots, of course).
When choosing keywords, there are three main factors to focus on:
• Relevance
• Search volume
• Competition
1. Relevance
Start by listing the words you associate with your site. If we continue with the example above involving rubber boots and assume that you sell such footwear, you naturally want to include “rubber boots” among your keywords. You have rubber boots in your assortment, perhaps even some longer texts about rubber boots? Perfect. That is a very good keyword to include. If you sell different types of shoes, you also need to include keywords that match those. You will not appear in the search results for “ballerina shoes” if you only focus on “rubber boots”.
The keywords should also be relevant to what you want visitors to do once they have found your site. “Buy rubber boots” works well if you want visitors to make a purchase—but what if you sell repair kits for rubber boots instead? Then the keywords or phrases need to reflect that. Keywords and phrases such as “hole in rubber boot” or “repair rubber boots” may attract the right visitors to your site. If your goal is to spread information, you can instead use search phrases or questions such as “types of rubber boots” or “how do rubber boots stay waterproof?”
2. Search volume
There is no point in optimizing for keywords that nobody searches for. Determining how many searches are performed for a specific term requires some type of software. When you analyze search volume, you can also receive suggestions for related keywords that may be of interest.
This type of research can be done via the Keyword Planner, but it requires that you have a linked :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1} account. You do not need to spend money in the Ads account, but you do need to have one. Alternatively, you can find several free tools, such as :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}.
Search volume should, however, be taken with a grain of salt—especially in unofficial keyword planners. You get a good indication of whether a keyword is popular or not, but do not treat the exact numbers as absolute truth. If we look at the search volume for four of the keywords mentioned above, it currently looks like this (via Keyword Tool and the Keyword Planner):
Compare the search volume with the value of a sale. If you sell inexpensive products, you need a large number of visitors and buyers before you become profitable. In that case, it can be beneficial to focus on popular keywords where you believe you can challenge competitors. If, on the other hand, you sell products worth hundreds of thousands, the search volume can be lower but more specific, since a single purchase can cover an entire month.
This is far too little data to draw firm conclusions, but it clearly shows that the numbers do not always match. However, it does provide an indication of which keywords are useful and which are not.
3. Competition
Google your chosen keywords and see who currently ranks at the top. If the results consist of large, well-known brands, it may be difficult—almost impossible—to compete for that keyword. Do not throw money down the drain chasing a top position when your competitors have budgets ten times larger than yours. Instead, focus on keywords with lower search volume but less competition. A middle ground where you have room to be visible.
That said, as a newly started or small e-commerce business, it can be difficult to break through on “rubber boots”—your competitors are Zalando, Tretorn, and Footway. The keyword “repair rubber boot”, on the other hand, does not give us any major e-commerce competitors. Instead, we find several forums on the first two pages of the search results. A clear sign that people are looking for solutions to this problem.
If you sell rubber boots, the keyword obviously needs to be included regardless of the level of competition. But rather invest time and money in a phrase containing the word “rubber boots” in order to reach people who are searching more specifically.
Your keyword work is never finished. You need to evaluate your keywords regularly and always be on the lookout for new ones. As your site develops and grows, your keyword inventory should evolve along with it.
Good luck!
