What is a keyword, and which ones deserve a page on your shop?
The words somebody types into a search box. Easy to define, easy to waste. The useful work is reading the reason behind each one, then giving it one page.
- 068Keyword
- Words or phrases that users enter into search engines, essential for SEO and PPC campaigns to drive relevant traffic.
- Used in
- SEO, to decide what each page targets, and PPC, to decide what you bid on
- Judge it on
- The reason behind the search first, then volume
- Best free sources
- Search Console, and your own site search
One range, four different reasons for searching
Search volume tells you how many people type a phrase. It doesn't tell you what they want, and that's the bit that decides which page should answer.
| What they type | What they're after | The page that answers |
|---|---|---|
| how to wash linen sheets | Help, not a product yet | A care guide |
| best linen bedding | A shortlist to compare | A buying guide, or your category page |
| king size linen duvet cover | Something to buy today | The category or product page |
| Your brand name plus returns | A quick answer from you | Your returns page |
Read a phrase for its reason before you read its volume. A modest phrase that buys beats a huge one that only browses.
One keyword, one page, chosen before anyone writes
Give each phrase that matters exactly one page. When two of your pages chase the same search, Google has to pick one, and it won't always pick the one you'd have chosen.
On a shop the split is usually simple. Buying phrases belong to category pages, exact product names to product pages, questions to guides. Write the map down. It's the one SEO document everybody in the business should be able to read.
The keyword research your shop already owns
- Search Console's queries report, which shows the phrases you already appear for
- Your own site search, where shoppers type exactly what they came for
- The search terms report in Google Ads, if you run them, showing what people typed before they clicked
- Reviews, returns notes and replies to your emails, in your customers' own words
That last one gets skipped, and it's the one that writes the best subject lines too. Your search box can even send an email: the site search flow follows up with somebody who searched your shop and didn't buy, in the words they typed.
Related terms
FAQs
What's the difference between a keyword and a search term?
In Google Ads, the keyword is what you bid on and the search term is what somebody actually typed. With broad match the two can drift a long way apart, which is why the search terms report is worth reading every week. In SEO, people use the two words for the same thing.
How many keywords should one page target?
One main phrase, plus the close variations that come with it. A page that properly answers one thing tends to pick up related searches on its own. If two pages on your site are after the same phrase, merge them or give one of them a different job.
Should we go after the keywords with the most searches?
Not first. The biggest phrases are usually the vaguest and the most fought over, and plenty of the people typing them aren't ready to buy. Start where you can name the page that wins and the product it sells. Volume decides the order of the list, not what's on it.
Rather we explained it on your own account?
Bring your Klaviyo account to a growth consultation. We'll walk through what this means for your numbers, in plain English, and what we'd fix first.
Half an hour with Theo, our founder.
We're all about relationships built on trust, mutual respect and a shared vision for success. If that sounds like your vibe, let's make some waves together 🌊
