To explain the concept of keywords, we invite you to think with us.. Have you recently found yourself thinking about a specific topic, then headed to the Google search engine to look for it, navigating between search results that carry the specific word or phrase occupying your mind as you search for an answer? Well, this single word or compound phrase is what we call a "keyword," and its role, simply put, is to liberate the scope of search. And as long as brands compete even at the keyword level to improve their visibility on the results page, the winner in these rounds of competition is the one who can master the game of (Keywords) with brilliance.

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What is a Keyword?

It is also called a "Key Phrase," and it refers to the "Term" that a user types into the Google search engine looking for an answer to a specific question, resulting in a set of search results. Simply put, they are words and phrases that describe the topic more accurately, which users search for in search engines.

Hint | You will be very lucky if you are among the first results on the first page of the Google search engine when that happens.

What is Keyword Research?

This is the term given to the process through which popular and common keywords used by searchers in Google are identified, in order to create suitable content for them by following the appropriate content strategy, and targeting the largest possible number of them to bring them to your site, which eventually allows you to convert them into customers by making a purchase decision.

Keyword research is not just Keyword Research the way you get more visitors, but it is also the way you learn how your customer thinks. What do they feel? What are they afraid of? What are their expectations of you? In fact, market trends in general are identified through keyword research.

So, the right keyword is the first step to successful targeting, immediately followed by quality content. The customer will not be affected by the products you offer except through valuable content that contains two important elements:

• Targets the intended Keyword

• Offers real value to the target visitor, and consequently engages them with you (subscribing to the mailing list – purchasing – etc.).

How to Find the Right Keyword for an Online Store?

To reach words that fit your commercial activity, it is important to understand the trend of the market and the individuals interested in your activity. This helps you gain inspiration for ideas related to your business. You might be wondering now (how?), so here are some ideas we find inspiring and useful:

Keyword Ideas for an Online Store

Let's assume there is an online store selling organic candles. The owner wants to raise awareness about candles that are not made from chemical substances by writing various topics about organic candles on the store's blog. In this case, and in order to get more visitors interested in the organic candle product in general, and then drive them to take interest in and buy the store's products in the future, they should target them with the main keyword of their activity, which is "organic candles."

Note that at this stage we will look for a way to get keyword ideas, and the goal now is not to find the keywords in themselves:

1- Google Autocomplete Search Suggestions

In Google's main search box, type the primary keyword – organic candles – and notice how Google generates a list of suggestions that give you plenty of ideas.

This is not just a list of search suggestions, but a complete list of ideas you can use to prepare the keyword list we will use in the next stage. Note that the one presenting these suggestions to you is the largest search engine on the planet! So, the options presented now are of extreme importance and value. We recommend that you repeat the same step with YouTube suggestions, as well as the Bing search engine.

You will notice some similarities and differences in the results. Filter the results to come up with a list of suitable keywords for your online store, aligned with your direction, products, and user behavior, avoiding repetitive ideas.

2- Related searches from Google as well

The emergence of results after the initial search process is only the beginning. By scrolling down to the bottom of the page, some other search queries written in blue will appear under the title "Searches related to .. organic candles," which means even more ideas.

3- Wikipedia

By clicking on the -mostly- first search result that appeared on the Google page, you will enter Wikipedia, which is considered the largest gold mine for keyword ideas for any product. There, we will find that the table of contents nested under that word is a true treasure for many ideas, each of which can create independent content, with an independent keyword, containing high-quality content that brings many visitors on this word alone. Then, by moving to the end of the organic candles page, we will find that Wikipedia -just like Google did before- offers suggestions for other topics related in one way or another to organic candles, which can be explored as well.

4- Using supporting tools to find keyword ideas

The previous methods can be referred to as manual methods. So what about using some supporting tools?

In fact, the tools are many and varied, and the list could go on:

• Google Keyword Planner

• SEMRush

• Ubersuggest

• Ahrefs

• Keywords Everywhere

• Exploding Topics

With the exception of the Google Keyword Planner, the above tools are paid. Meaning you have to pay for them on a monthly or annual basis, or buy them completely to benefit from their services effectively.

From this list, we will test the first option – the Google Keyword Planner tool – for its ease and the fact that it is free, so it does not pose an obstacle to you in the search process for the right keyword list for your online store to get started.

In reality, this tool was designed to help advertisers create successful and precise ad campaigns, but it can be used as an effective way to generate more ideas for building suitable keywords for your online store.

From your Google account, access the main Keyword Planner page. Choose the option on the right that suggests discovering new keywords. Type the primary keyword we are targeting in this article, which is "organic candles." On the next page, a marvelous list containing hundreds of ideas suggested by the Google keyword research tool will appear, with some additional positive indicators such as monthly search volume, and all you have to do is copy the ideas you want, or even export the file to be downloaded to your device as an MS Excel spreadsheet or Google Sheets.

Perhaps the next question that comes to your mind is: how can you rank high in competition for a keyword? And even win it? This is what we will address in the next section of this article.

Types of Keywords Suitable for an Online Store

Imagine that you work in the car sales field and want to compete for a specific keyword. Do you think it makes sense to compete for a word like "cars"?

You will find that the search result is about 25 billion search results for this word alone! These are your competitors! It is not logical to face this huge amount of competition while you are still in your early stages in the automotive world, in addition to the fact that this type of keyword "cars," which is called "Short Tail keywords," is not what you should target to achieve sales. Therefore, to understand the mechanism of choosing the suitable keywords for an online store from the list you prepared earlier, it is useful to first understand the types of keywords.

Keywords are divided into two main types:

• Short Tail Keywords

• Long Tail Keywords

Short tail keywords usually consist of one or two words (such as: cars or cars for sale), and do not carry a specific meaning, but rather a general one. They are not considered Conversional keywords, meaning they do not generate sales directly, simply because they do not target a specific element, and competition for them is extremely fierce.

While long-tail keywords are usually composed of 3 words or more (such as: used Hyundai cars for sale in Riyadh). The more words in the key phrase, the search intent becomes more specific and specialized, the competition for it decreases, and you find it closer to conversion (i.e., making sales or achieving the marketing goal from it).

Hint | The more words in the key phrase, the more specific it is, and the closer it is to achieving your marketing goal compared to general short-tail keywords.

Many are deceived by the search volume that a short-tail keyword receives, believing it brings huge visits, and thus multiplied conversions and sales, but unfortunately, this is unlikely unless the marketing goal is defined from the beginning.

A general keyword gets a very huge volume of monthly searches, but it does not achieve Conversional results for your business. If you own a used car showroom and your store is in Riyadh, you might prefer to start with the keyword "used cars for sale in Riyadh"; then it would make sense to get results like: (only 10 – 100 searchers per month), but the one performing such an exact search is mostly someone indeed looking for a used car, meaning they have the intention to buy a used car, and they live in Riyadh.

Hint | The more specific the search query in the keyword, the fewer results displayed, and the higher the chance of conversion (purchase) because the user in this case is looking for a specific item, and will likely buy it.

We recommend at this stage that you rearrange your keyword table/list based on choosing the suitable Long Tail Keywords, then determining which of them you will start with to prepare its content. This is not all yet; as it requires researching the search criteria for choosing the right keyword.

How to Choose the Right Keyword for an Online Store to Start With?

In fact, there are many factors that you should take into consideration when choosing the suitable keywords to start with, including:

1- Competition

Who are the competitors? And can you beat them?

Let's start with the keyword "used Hyundai cars for sale" on Google and study the search results. You will find that the searches are few, and despite the low rate of these searches, we will not stop at this step, but we will take a look at the real competition in Google, and what are the sites that will compete with you when you start preparing your content?

2- Search Volume

How many users search using these keywords monthly? And is this search volume considered high or low? To get a significant volume of traffic, and then leads, and finally customers, you must first secure a share of the monthly traffic volume for the targeted keyword. This will only happen if you target a long-tail keyword that has a certain monthly search volume.

And now here is the most important question: what is the monthly search volume that we can call a suitable search volume? In fact, it varies from one industry to another.

Let's give an example:

We find in the automotive world that many users search for used cars as a better option than buying a new car. The monthly search volume for these keywords reaches 100,000 monthly searches. In the same industry, we find an extremely low search volume for the phrase "new cars for sale."

Of course, it cannot be concluded that users search for used cars more than new cars in this industry; the comparison is only between one keyword and another, and is not a general market trend. Then, we work on extracting the suitable keywords for the online store according to the trends of the audience and market.

Hint | The appropriate monthly search volume varies from one industry to another, which requires a detailed search from you so you can judge an industry on whether its monthly search rate is suitable (high or low).

3- Click-Through Rate

Abbreviated as CTR, it refers to "the rate of clicks on a result relative to the rate of its appearance to the user." For example, if the impressions were 1000 times, and the clicks on the result were 30 times, the rate is 3%, and so on.

Hint | CTR rates have dropped recently.. why? Because of Featured Snippets! The searcher gets the full information in this box that appears in front of him -extracted- from the best first-page results, in addition to putting the link for the source of this snippet. If he finds the answer in the snippet during the search process, he satisfies his search there and leaves the page without clicking on the displayed result (our primary goal). This is exactly what affects weather results, currency conversions, product lists and preferences, addresses, meanings of words from online dictionaries, translation of words, and other various results. Thus, the user benefits when he finds his search result, and Google benefits by satisfying its users, but the brand owner (you) does not benefit. 

What is the solution? Try as much as possible to make the content look interesting; so that it drives the visitor to click on the website link and benefit from the rest of the displayed content.

4- The keyword must fit the nature of your business

Business Fit means successful marketing strategies that these keywords serve your business, not go against it, and also that they are not completely far from this business.

Suppose you own a store that sells espresso machines and coffee capsules from different brands only, and you do not sell raw coffee beans, roasted, or even ground. If you find a keyword like "Arabic coffee," you will find that the competition for it is low, but it does not fit your business directly and effectively. Therefore, attempting to rank for this secondary word, which does not bring the desired benefit to your business, would be considered a waste of time and effort.

5- Cost-Per-Click

Also referred to as CPC, it indicates how much an advertiser pays to get one visitor who clicks on their advertisement, especially the one that appears on the first page of Google.

What is the final format of this process?

In the end, you should have a specific file regarding the suitable keywords for your online store, with the list containing at least 200 keywords of different strengths and impacts.

Hint | Some industries include keywords in the thousands, and selections are made among them.

Pro Tips for Utilizing Keyword Research Results

We advise you to utilize this list in the best way possible. Therefore, we conclude with the best professional practices from SEO specialists, so you can rank at the top of your competitors for as long as possible.

1- Target the keyword with its Synonyms and Related Keywords

Someone who uses Google to search for "espresso machine" definitely also means "espresso maker," "espresso coffee machine," and other synonyms that serve the meaning indirectly. Make the content focus on one primary keyword, but at the same time cover other keywords that express the same meaning. Synonyms and Related Keywords have a great impact on raising your ranking preference with Google over competitors who only care about the primary word.

2- Spread everywhere using Barnacle SEO

If you managed to rank first on the first page of Google, whom are you leaving the second and third results to? If the content you provide is good enough to rank in the first three results, why not be present on other platforms that help you spread even more? Google is the number 1 website in the world, followed by YouTube, then Facebook.

Create ideal content on your website, and invest your energy in SEO to become the number 1 result. After that, create a video or a series of videos covering the same keyword on your YouTube channel. Then do the same with your official page, and then your personal Facebook account.

This way, wherever the user goes -using the target keyword- they will find you in front of them.

3- Search for Shoulder Keywords

Go beyond synonyms and express another meaning entirely. What about other topics that are related in one way or another to the industry, but with other keywords. On the same previous example of coffee machines, you will find keywords like:

• How to maintain an espresso machine at home

• List of the most luxurious coffee cups

• Can coffee capsules be substituted

• What is the optimal extraction of that specific coffee

And other keywords that will serve your site in the same industry and support your business content.

Finally | Now that you have gained a foundational knowledge of keywords, all you have to do is start building the appropriate keyword list for your online store and begin creating strong content to rank your website on Google's first page. We wish you a list that always dominates the top search pages.