Keyword Research - Practical Ecommerce https://www.practicalecommerce.com/category/seo/keyword-research Independent analysis and strategy for online merchants Wed, 20 Aug 2025 13:52:50 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.4 How AI Content Sleuths SEO Gaps https://www.practicalecommerce.com/how-ai-content-sleuths-seo-gaps Wed, 20 Aug 2025 12:51:06 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=1555650 The perfect storm of zero-click searches and generative AI platforms prompts some marketers to double down on ranking opportunities.

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]]> Keywords Don’t Work for AI SEO https://www.practicalecommerce.com/keywords-dont-work-for-ai-seo Mon, 14 Jul 2025 13:03:50 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=1554648 Merchants looking for AI visibility should create problem-solving content. Attempting to match keywords to prompts is fruitless.

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]]> SEO for Google’s AI Fan-Out Results https://www.practicalecommerce.com/seo-for-googles-ai-fan-out-results Mon, 09 Jun 2025 10:13:13 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=1553624 Google's new AI Mode delivers "query fan out" search results. The term is new, but the concept is not.

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]]> How Keywords Drive Helpful Content https://www.practicalecommerce.com/how-keywords-drive-helpful-content Tue, 08 Apr 2025 12:04:48 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=1551664 Keywords no longer guarantee traffic, but they do reveal prospects' needs.

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]]> Search Volume Tools for Marketers https://www.practicalecommerce.com/search-volume-tools-for-marketers Mon, 31 Mar 2025 12:17:11 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=1551380 Search terms rise and fall in popularity. Understanding the movements aids informed decisions.

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]]> Keyword Volume: Google vs. Semrush vs. Ahrefs https://www.practicalecommerce.com/keyword-volume-google-vs-semrush-vs-ahrefs Tue, 12 Nov 2024 10:00:28 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=1544918 Keyword search volume metrics are imprecise and vary among the three principal sources.

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]]> Keyword Density Matters in SEO https://www.practicalecommerce.com/keyword-density-matters-in-seo Wed, 19 Jun 2024 11:06:11 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=1538556 "Keyword stuffing" is a discarded optimization tactic. Leaked Google documents suggest otherwise.

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]]> How AI Improves Keyword Research https://www.practicalecommerce.com/how-ai-improves-keyword-research Thu, 25 Apr 2024 13:16:10 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=1536025 Traditional keyword tools expand on an existing core term. AI tools discover new terms.

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]]> Analyzing Bing’s Keyword Research Tool https://www.practicalecommerce.com/using-bings-keyword-research-tool Thu, 11 May 2023 10:00:33 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=1521323 Bing Webmaster Tools contains a helpful and free keyword research section. We take a look.

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]]> Yes, SEO Keywords Remain Important https://www.practicalecommerce.com/yes-seo-keywords-remain-important Tue, 11 Apr 2023 13:56:54 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=1520340 Keywords are still important for search engine optimization despite the rise of semantic-based rankings.

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]]> AI Chat and Keyword Research https://www.practicalecommerce.com/ai-chat-and-keyword-research Sun, 26 Feb 2023 13:05:22 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=1518438 ChatGPT, Jasper, and other AI-powered tools are handy idea generators for SEO keywords, including query intent, entities, search volume, and more.

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]]> SEO: 3 Tools to Find Related Keywords https://www.practicalecommerce.com/seo-3-tools-to-find-related-keywords Wed, 22 Feb 2023 16:51:21 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=1518322 Google has long relied on semantic search — producing results based on the intent of the query. Optimizing content for many intent-based keywords can improve rankings.

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]]> SEO: Keyword Research for a New Site https://www.practicalecommerce.com/seo-keyword-research-for-a-new-site Tue, 23 Aug 2022 19:57:08 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=1508421 A new site has no history of search queries that drive traffic and sales. But it can still research and optimize keywords. Here's how.

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]]> SEO: How to Assess Keyword Difficulty https://www.practicalecommerce.com/seo-how-to-assess-keyword-difficulty Thu, 18 Aug 2022 12:58:34 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=1508188 Optimizing for keywords can improve a page's organic rankings. But the competition for keywords varies. Here's how to tell which ones are worth the effort.

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]]> How Keyword Clustering Powers SEO https://www.practicalecommerce.com/how-keyword-clustering-powers-seo Thu, 19 May 2022 10:00:24 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=1503463 Keyword lists for SEO are often cluttered and seemingly endless. "Clustering" can help by grouping keywords by a common modifier.

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]]> Keyword Gaps Are SEO Opportunities https://www.practicalecommerce.com/keyword-gaps-are-seo-opportunities Thu, 24 Mar 2022 15:11:32 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=1501257 Keyword gap analysis can identify search queries to target for organic rankings. Contributor Ann Smarty explains the concept and two tools that make the analysis easy.

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]]> SEO: Keyword Research for Product Content https://www.practicalecommerce.com/seo-keyword-research-for-product-content Sun, 14 Feb 2021 10:00:30 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=367729 For many commerce businesses — omnichannel retailers, ecommerce-only merchants, wholesalers — attracting a steady flow of site visitors from organic search results is vital for success. But achieving high rankings in those results requires optimizing a site with relevant content.

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]]> SEO: How to Target High-demand Keywords (or Not) https://www.practicalecommerce.com/seo-how-to-target-high-demand-keywords-or-not Mon, 28 Sep 2020 14:06:45 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=360257 Search engine optimization often has lofty goals, such as ranking on page one for a high-demand phrase. How can you reach a seemingly impossible objective? The sites that rank on the first page of the search results are Google's assessment of the best options.

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]]> SEO How-to, Part 7: Mapping Keywords to Content https://www.practicalecommerce.com/SEO-How-to-Part-7-Mapping-Keywords-to-Content Mon, 13 Jul 2020 11:08:19 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=354108 Keyword research is the process of identifying the words that consumers use to search for your products on Google and other search engines. Keyword mapping assigns those terms to pages on your site. This is the seventh installment in my "SEO How-to" series.

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]]> SEO How-to, Part 5: Analyzing Keyword Data https://www.practicalecommerce.com/SEO-How-to-Part-5-Keyword-Research-in-Action Fri, 19 Jun 2020 13:47:06 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=351156 Keyword research is a search engine optimization tactic to identify the words and phrases of consumers who are looking for the types of products and services that your company sells. In this post, I'll cover four steps: seeding keyword research, collecting the data, organizing it in my free keyword analysis template in Google Sheets, and analyzing it to understand intent and demand. 

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]]> SEO How-to, Part 4: Keyword Research Concepts https://www.practicalecommerce.com/SEO-How-to-Part-4-Keyword-Research-Concepts Wed, 03 Jun 2020 13:34:59 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=348613 Keyword research is the process of analyzing the search-engine queries of real people. That data — a window into the desires of searchers — is a gold mine for search engine optimization.

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]]> How to Find Seed Keywords and Explore Topic Clusters https://www.practicalecommerce.com/how-to-find-seed-keywords-and-explore-topic-clusters Thu, 28 Feb 2019 14:45:46 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=171060 Creating a short list of seed keywords is fundamental to search engine optimization, content marketing, and pay-per-click advertising. But for some marketers, the task of identifying seed keywords isn't clear.

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]]> SEO: Free Keyword Research in 3 Steps https://www.practicalecommerce.com/seo-free-keyword-research-in-3-steps Fri, 08 Feb 2019 15:21:48 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=170009 There are many expensive tools that claim to simplify and speed up the keyword research process. If you don’t have thousands of dollars in your budget, however, there’s always the old-school, free method.

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]]> SEO: Converting Keywords to Link Authority https://www.practicalecommerce.com/seo-converting-keywords-to-link-authority Sun, 13 Jan 2019 14:45:33 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=168407 Link authority is one of the most critical influencers of how a site ranks. How do keywords increase link authority? They indicate the content you need to create to convince others that your site is worthy of linking to.

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]]> SEO: Driving Content Strategy with Keyword Research https://www.practicalecommerce.com/seo-driving-content-strategy-with-keyword-research Fri, 19 Oct 2018 13:28:35 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=163033 Keyword research, the foundation of search engine optimization, also drives content strategy.
Searchers want something: information or a product. When we research keyword data, we mine the search engines for information ...

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]]> SEO: Use ‘Niche Down’ Keyword Research for Content Ideas https://www.practicalecommerce.com/seo-use-niche-down-keyword-research-for-content-ideas Tue, 25 Sep 2018 17:37:04 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=161495 Keyword research is one of the most effective search engine optimization practices. It can open the door to compelling content marketing ideas and link building.
The so-called “niche down” method of ...

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]]> Mine Competitors for Top Keywords https://www.practicalecommerce.com/mine-competitors-top-keywords Tue, 21 Aug 2018 15:01:01 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=159324 One of the best ways to discover keyword opportunities is to identify which phrases your company's competitors are ranking for on popular search engines. In this article, I'll address a few ways to identify the keywords that may be working well for your competitors.

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]]> SEO: Google Changes Keyword Planner for the Worse https://www.practicalecommerce.com/seo-google-changes-keyword-planner-worse Fri, 22 Jun 2018 14:25:43 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=155175 The end is near for the Google Keyword Planner interface. The new user interface provides (mostly) the same data with (mostly) the same features. But some key differences will force search optimizers to change the way we think about and collect keyword research.

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]]> SEO: 8 Reasons to Stop the Addiction to Keyword Demand https://www.practicalecommerce.com/seo-8-reasons-stop-addiction-keyword-demand https://www.practicalecommerce.com/seo-8-reasons-stop-addiction-keyword-demand#comments Fri, 16 Mar 2018 14:51:35 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=149364 Search marketing is all about experimentation — testing and learning. Slavish obsession with the average number of searches per month as a sole metric for optimization or a forecasting revenue will only hurt a natural search program. It’s time to end our addiction to search demand.

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]]> https://www.practicalecommerce.com/seo-8-reasons-stop-addiction-keyword-demand/feed 2 How to Identify Keywords That Signal Shoppers’ Intent https://www.practicalecommerce.com/how-to-identify-keywords-that-signal-shoppers-intent https://www.practicalecommerce.com/how-to-identify-keywords-that-signal-shoppers-intent#comments Tue, 23 Jan 2018 15:05:20 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=146666 Keyword phrases are the fuel that drives many online marketing efforts, including search engine optimization, paid search advertising, and even content ideas. If marketers do a better job in selecting keyword phrases, they may do a better job promoting their products and content.

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