People think differently. Because not everyone calls the same products by the same names or searches for what they need with the same thought process, omitting keywords from your research (and thus losing potential traffic) is a common mistake.
The 7 types of keywords below will give you some ideas for researching keywords that you might not have thought about in the past. When you test them (and you should constantly test keywords), you may just find they offer a brand-new source of qualified traffic for your web pages, eBay listings, and Amazon listings.
Information-Gathering Keywords
There is a proven buying process that most people go through before and during the time they shop for what they need. Some people go through it lightning fast while others take quite a long time.
During the first two phases of this process (need recognition and information search), people will usually type in phrases related to either the problem they are having or the solution they want to find.
- Problem-Based Keywords
These types of search terms are phrased like “get fit” or “stop snoring.” These both describe a problem that someone might type in to see what solutions present themselves.
- Solution-Based Keywords
Just the opposite are solution-based keywords. Instead of what you see above, someone might choose to look for “best fitness watch” or “snoring products.” These focus on finding a solution and can sometimes be a little more specific than problem-based keywords.
Buying Keywords
Once the need has been clearly identified and the search for preliminary information has been done, you’ll notice that searchers tend to gradually get more specific. When that happens, shoppers may use some (or all) of the types of keywords below.
- Product Descriptors
As the name implies, these keywords are related to ways people might describe your product or service. If you’re selling USB drives, you’ll likely have lots of keywords to use from this category because USB drives have many names. (Always search for synonyms for whatever keywords / phrases you include in your research.) In addition to “USB drive,” these are also called:
- USB storage
- Removable memory stick/drive
- USB stick
- Thumb drive
- Flash stick/drive
- Portable memory stick/drive
- Keydrive
…and about a dozen other names. People who are new to this type of technology may call them something completely unrelated, such as “small computer file storage device.” My team and I recently saw this related to a bath product. The actual description for that type of product was “bath bomb.” Because these are relatively new, people have been searching for them with all sort of descriptors, including “round fizzy bath balls.”
- Attribute Keywords
Again, this type of keyword is relatively self-explanatory because it focuses on the attributes of a product or service. Colors, sizes, shapes and other features would all fall under this classification.
- Brand Keywords
You would, of course, want your own brand to be searchable, but you might also consider using other brands that are similar to yours IF it is allowed on the platform you’re selling on. Amazon does not allow you to insert competitor brands into your title or search term fields. If you are not competing with the brand, but instead your product works with or is designed for use with a brand, you are allowed to include the brand name.
For instance, if you’re selling cell phone cases that are made specifically to fit iPhone 6, you have to mention iPhone 6 so that the buyer will be able to understand that your case will fit the phone they own. Also, products such as replacement toothbrush heads that are compatible with particular brands or models of electric toothbrushes, coffee pods that are made to fit specific coffeemakers, etc.
- Use Keywords
Sometimes people have a particular idea in mind for an item they are shopping for. Other times, there are several products that have the same description and they must specify the use in order to find search results that match the exact one they want.
For instance, the term “crab crackers” can mean food (snack crackers that are crab flavored) or it can mean a tool used to crack crab shells when eating crab legs. In order to find the one tool the searcher wants, s/he must search for something like “crab crackers for seafood” or “crackers for crab legs.” Without including the use of the item, the search results will not be accurate for the search.
Another example is the word “hammock.” There are dozens of types of hammocks and not all serve the same purpose. They can be used for camping, hiking, relaxing, etc. Combine the use with the attributes and you will probably find some great phrases such as “nylon hammock for camping” or “rope hammock for backyard.”
- Target Audience Keywords
There is a huge variety of target audience keywords that could possibly be used to drive traffic. These might include practically any descriptor of your target audience, such as:
- man
- woman
- kids
- adults
- children
- surfers
- hikers
- campers
- coffee lovers
- construction workers
Think of who your target customers are and research terms that include the various names they might be called (including their sex, gender, occupation, hobbies, and more).
With a little thought and some creativity, you can quickly compile a huge list of potential keywords. Once you do, check the accuracy and search volume to see which would make the best choices for your copy.
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Google Keyword Planner for web pages.
Another outstanding post Karon! Keep up the great work!
Chuck
Thank you, Chuck!
Really excellent, Karon.
It rakes a while before coming to an allreciaton of Search Intent.
Thank you
Yes it does.