Keyword research for marketplace SEO

Incorporating keywords into product listings aka is a critical part of marketplace SEO, but to do so effectively requires strategic thinking. Adding relevant keywords in key sections of the listing - title, description and metadata tags - contributes to better marketplace rankings, and thus to more exposure to relevant shoppers. This makes keyword research for marketplace SEO one of the most important SEO activities.

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Introducing Marketplace SEO

Sellers who operate a store in any of the major marketplaces, like Amazon or eBay, know how competitive the market is. Therefore, in order to reach as many potential customers as possible, sellers must optimize their listings. Marketplace SEO is the process by which sellers make this optimization, aiming to improve their listings’ ranking in the search result page and increase their visibility in the marketplace.

Importance of Marketplace SEO   

The vast majority of shoppers begin their journey with a search query. They are then most likely to click through several of the top listings in the search results page. Marketplace SEO helps you optimize your listings in a way that improves their ranking in the search results page, attracting more traffic, and boosting conversion rates.  

Marketplace SEO also helps sellers distinguish themselves from the competition. In the highly competitive world of online shopping, and specifically in the major marketplaces, it is important to stand out if you want to succeed. Optimizations such as correct keyword usage, incorporation of engaging product descriptions and high quality images, can help sellers rise above the competition, and attract more potential customers. 

By now, marketplace SEO strategy is not a suggestion - it is a must for every online seller. We have gathered some marketplace SEO best practices. Implementing these best practices in your marketplace SEO strategy will boost your listings’ marketplace rankings, and will help attract more traffic, generating more conversions and sales.   

Listing SEO: How to

This How-to guide to optimizing listings for marketplaces will include:

• Keywords
  • Significance of keyword research 
  • Keywords Research Tips 
  • Correct Keyword Use
• Product Description
  • Importance of product description
  • How to create high quality descriptions
  • Keyword incorporation in descriptions
• Images and Videos
  • Importance of images and videos for SEO
  • Images and videos optimization
  • Keyword incorporation in images and videos
• Reviews
  • The significance of shoppers feedback for rankings and confidence in the store
  • How to increase the number of review left by shoppers
  • Correct responses to both negative and positive reviews

Keywords

Significance of keyword research 

Keyword research is an essential part of marketplace SEO. The research helps sellers discover which keywords and keyphrases potential customers search for when looking to purchase the product they sell. Embedding these keywords and keyphrases in listings helps improve their rankings, making them much more visible for potential shoppers.

Keyword research tells sellers which specific words, terms and phrases are most commonly used by their target market when searching for their products. Inserting these common keywords and keyphrases in different sections of the listing - title, product description, image titles, etc. - ensures it will come up whenever shoppers are searching for the same keywords. 

In addition, choosing to use more specific keywords can help sellers distinguish their listings from the competition. For instance, for a seller that sells automatic watches, using the keyphrase “automatic watch” will help attract more potential shoppers than a listing that includes only the keyword “watch”.

How to Conduct an Effective Keyword Research

The first step of effective keyword research is to come up with a list of keywords and keyphrases that you believe shoppers use when searching for a product like yours. The next step is using a keyword search tool, like Google’s Keyword Planner, to see how popular the keywords in your list are, with both shoppers and competitors, and also identify relevant, related keywords and keyphrases.  
   

When selecting which keywords to use, it is recommended to use those that have high search volume but relatively low competition. These keywords will boost the listing’s ranking and help generate more traffic. In addition, using long-tail keywords alongside more general keywords can help reach a wider audience, by catering to both browsers and searchers.

An effective keyword research can help you identify and then incorporate the most relevant keywords into your listings. This optimization will help improve the listings’ ranking in the marketplace, increasing their exposure, which eventually leads to generating more sales. 

Keywords Research Tips  

• Begin with more general keywords, and work your way to more specific, long-tailed keywords that are very relevant but less competitive. 
• Shopper reviews can be a very good source of keywords and keyphrases popular among your target audience.  
• It is always helpful to see what your competitors do. Examine and identify the relevant keywords in competing listings, and see if they work out for you as well.   
  

Keyword Research Tools

There are a number of keyword research tools out there that provide information about keywords effectiveness. Some, like Google Keyword Planner, are free and are a valuable source of information that can help you decide which keywords can best help your listings rank higher in the marketplace.  

Correct Keyword Use 

After you have decided which keywords and keyphrases are the most relevant to your products, you can begin incorporating them into the different sections of your listings. Here are a few SEO best practices:

Titles

• Incorporate the most relevant keywords into the listing’s title. For more visibility, insert them at the beginning of the title. 
• Titles should be short but informative, highlighting the product's best attributes. 
• Don’t overstuff the titles with keywords, as some might be irrelevant and could impact the listing’s ranking.
  

Product Description

• When incorporating keywords into product descriptions you must do it strategically. Don’t just throw in keywords. The product description should be engaging, and the keywords should be incorporated in a way that makes sense and flows with the rest of the text.   
• Use keywords and long-tailed keywords to highlight the product’s unique attributes and benefits
  

Metadata Tags

• Incorporate relevant keywords into products’ metadata tags.
• Again, refrain from overstuffing metadata tags or using irrelevant tags, as this will impact the listing’s ranking.
  

Incorporating keywords into product listings is a critical part of marketplace SEO, but to do so effectively requires strategic thinking. Adding relevant keywords in key sections of the listing - title, description and metadata tags - contributes to better marketplace rankings, and thus to more exposure to relevant shoppers. This makes keyword research for marketplace SEO one of the most important SEO activities,having said so, remember to do it wisely and strategically, because simply stuffing listings with irrelevant keywords will wind up hurting your rankings.