Ecommerce Keyword Research: How to Find the Best Ecommerce Keywords for Marketplace Success
- Anil Gandharve
- Apr 14
- 8 min read
Updated: May 5
Ecommerce keyword research might sound like a technical chore, but it’s the first real step to getting your products noticed on digital shelves.
Most marketplace sellers struggle with knowing which keywords to focus on — should you go for high-volume terms, or niche ones? Should you mimic competitors or find gaps they’ve missed? And what about backend keywords no one even sees?
Figuring out which ecommerce SEO keywords actually push your listings up the rankings in marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, or Target often feels like throwing spaghetti at the wall.
But here’s the deal: get your ecommerce keyword research strategy right, and everything else starts to click. Better rankings. More traffic. Higher conversions.
Let’s walk through how to make intelligent, data driven keyword decisions that help your listings get found and actually sell.
Why Keyword Research is Crucial for Marketplace Sellers
Marketplace algorithms live and breathe ecommerce keywords. They’re the invisible gatekeepers deciding whether your product shows up — or sinks — when someone types in “sweet snacks” or “kids snacks.”
It’s not just about being relevant. It’s about being relevant enough to outrank everyone else.
Two key metrics make or break your visibility:
Organic Share of Voice: This tells you how often your products show up in search results compared to your competitors. If your organic share is low, it means your competitors are hogging the spotlight and pulling in more traffic.
Search Rank / Position: This is your product’s average ranking for a given keyword or keyword group. If you’re not in the top 3–5 spots, chances are shoppers won’t even scroll far enough to find you.
If your product listings are missing the right ecommerce SEO keywords—or worse, targeting irrelevant ones—your products could be buried deep in the results.
But when your ecommerce keyword research is done right, everything changes. You:
• Show up in front of the right people, at the right time
• Climb higher in search rankings where it matters most
• Attract niche buyers who are more likely to convert
• Outrank your competition by targeting keywords they’ve overlooked
It’s not just about visibility—it’s about winning the shelf space on marketplaces that shoppers actually see.
Overview of Marketplace Ecommerce Keyword Research
When we talk about ecommerce keyword research, we’re not just chucking terms into a tool and hoping for the best. There’s strategy behind the madness.
Types of Ecommerce Keywords for Marketplaces
Picking the right ecommerce keywords is the secret sauce behind every top-selling snack listing. Let’s break down what that mix should look like — using snacks as our tasty example.
Primary Keywords: Core product-related terms buyers search for
These are the heavy hitters — search terms like “sweet snacks,” “protein bars,” or “healthy chips.” They’re broad, popular, and directly linked to your snack product.
Because everyone’s gunning for these, simply stuffing them into your title won’t cut it. To make them work, you’ve got to thread them through your entire listing:
Use them in your product title
Reinforce them in bullet points and descriptions
Align them with your category selection
For example, if you're selling “low sugar protein bars,” that phrase should lead your title and echo in every section of your product page.
Long-Tail Keywords: Niche search terms with higher conversion rates
These are more specific, use-case-driven terms like:
“low calorie snacks for travel”
“after school snacks for kids”
“gluten free sweet snacks for work”
They may not pull massive volume, but they attract people who already know what they want. And guess what? That means they’re more likely to hit Buy Now.
Use these long-tail keywords in places where you can tell a bit more story — like in bullet points or your product description. Talk about the benefits. Why’s it perfect for lunchboxes or post-gym snacking? That’s what makes these keywords work hard for you.
Competitor Keywords: Keywords used in high-ranking product listings
Look at the best-selling snacks in your category and dig into the words they’re using.
Maybe your competitor ranks for “high protein peanut butter bar” or “vegan chocolate snack.” These keywords give you insight into what’s actually performing, and you can decide if they’re a fit for your product.
Sometimes, you’ll find niche angles you hadn’t considered—like “snacks for new mums” or “snacks that don’t melt.” These gems might not show up in the usual tools, but they clearly resonate with buyers.
Backend Keywords: Hidden keywords that improve discoverability
These live behind the scenes—Amazon’s backend search fields, for instance—and they’re vital.
Use this space to drop in:
Misspellings (e.g., “protien bars”)
Alternate terms (e.g., “healthy treats” or “on-the-go snacks”)
Local language variations (e.g., “crisps” vs “chips”)
Trendy Gen Z search terms (e.g., “snackcore,” “aesthetic snacks,” or “vibe snacks”)
You’re not limited by format here, so think broadly. What are people calling your product when they aren’t using the exact name? That’s what goes in the backend.
How Marketplaces Rank Products Using Keywords
Marketplaces now drive nearly 3 out of every 4 ecommerce dollars globally. That’s not a trend — it’s the new normal.
Amazon alone pulled in $798B in GMV in 2024. And globally, 72% of ecommerce revenue now flows through marketplaces, not traditional direct-to-consumer sites.
Here’s the big question: Is your brand ready for a world where Amazon, Target, and marketplace giants—not your own site—own the customer relationship?
To succeed here, keywords aren’t optional. They’re foundational.
With tools like Amazon Rufus — AI-powered shopping assistant — things are evolving fast. Rufus doesn’t just look at product titles. It uses natural language processing to read product pages, scan reviews, browse Q&A, and pull in context from across the internet. That means the language you use — your tone, phrasing, and keywords — has never mattered more.
So how do marketplaces decide which products get seen first?
It all starts with how well your ecommerce keywords match what shoppers are typing. But it’s not just a word match — it’s where and how those keywords appear.
Here’s what carries weight:
Product Titles: Still the heaviest hitter. Get your primary keywords in here, ideally up front.
Bullet Points: These back up your title and help build relevance. Use this space to drop in long-tail and benefit-driven keywords.
Product Descriptions: Reinforce your keyword themes, add storytelling, and naturally include related terms.
Backend Keywords: The hidden layer. Add alternative search terms, slang, regional spellings, and rising trends. These give your listing silent strength.
But keywords only get you in the door. Once you’re in the mix, performance signals take over:
Sales velocity: Are people actually buying your product?
Click-through rates: Are shoppers engaging with your listing?
Customer reviews and ratings: Are they leaving positive feedback?
None of these signals fire unless you show up in the first place — and you only show up if your ecommerce keyword research is solid.
The new era of marketplaces is smart, data-driven, and AI-enhanced. Your keyword strategy needs to be just as sharp.
Steps to Conduct Marketplace Keyword Research
1. Identifying Seed Keywords
Start with the most obvious terms tied to your snack product—things like “trail mix,” “protein bar,” or “vegan chips.” These are your seed keywords. Think about how a customer would casually search for your product:
What’s the product type?
Any defining traits (organic, gluten-free, high-protein)?
Who’s it for—kids, gym-goers, office snacking?
Use Amazon’s and Walmart’s search bar suggestions as a shortcut to what shoppers are already typing. For instance, typing “snacks” into Amazon might drop “snacks for work” or “snacks for diabetics”—that’s pure gold for long-tail ideas.
Don’t worry about search volume at this stage. Focus on collecting relevant, intent-driven terms. Once you’ve got a list, move on to validating them.
2. Using Keyword Research Tools for Marketplaces
Now bring in the heavy hitters.
Tools like Helium 10, Jungle Scout, and Keyword Tool Dominator let you:
Reverse-engineer top snack listings using ASIN lookups
Discover keyword opportunities through real shopper data
Compare keyword volume, competition level, and trend shifts
For example, using Helium 10’s Magnet with “healthy snacks” might reveal hidden gems like “healthy snacks for office” or “keto snack variety pack.”
If you’re selling on Walmart too, tools like Trellis or Sellegr8 surface Walmart-specific search terms that don’t always match Amazon’s. Use them to cross-check keywords for each platform.
3. Analyzing Competitor Listings for Keywords
You don’t have to reinvent the wheel—just understand how the best wheels are built.
Look at high-ranking snack listings on Amazon or Walmart. What keywords appear in their titles, bullets, and descriptions?
Use Helium 10’s Cerebro or Jungle Scout’s ASIN tools to pull a full list of keywords competitors rank for organically.
Don’t just copy—look for gaps. Are there long-tail keywords that your competitors missed? Are they ranking poorly for terms you could own?
Also track format words like “single serve,” “bulk,” or “variety pack.” These reflect how customers shop and can indicate strong buyer intent.
4. Evaluating Keyword Metrics
With a big list of potential keywords, you now need to filter by performance.
Key metrics to track:
Search Volume – Are people searching for this? High-volume = visibility, but also high competition.
Keyword Difficulty / Competition – Can you realistically compete for this term? Helium 10 and Jungle Scout both score difficulty.
Relevance – Does this keyword align directly with your product’s features and audience?
Balance is key: A keyword like “snacks” might have huge volume but low buying intent. “High protein snacks for travel” may be niche but highly convertible. You want a blend.
5. Selecting and Prioritizing Keywords
Here’s where it all comes together. Pick a well-rounded keyword set:
Primary keywords: High volume, direct relevance (e.g., “healthy snacks”) – go in your title.
Long-tail keywords: Niche and conversion-friendly (e.g., “keto snacks for kids”) – perfect for bullets and description.
Backend keywords: Misspellings, synonyms, alt spellings (“snackcore,” “guilt-free treats”) – hide these in your backend fields.
Prioritise based on:
Buyer intent – Is the keyword used by someone ready to buy?
Relevance – Does it match your actual product?
Competition – Can you realistically rank for it?
Group related keywords into clusters (e.g., “work snacks,” “office snacks,” “desk snacks”) so you don’t overload your listing with the same theme.
Implementing Keywords into Marketplace Product Listings
Once you’ve got your keywords sorted, it’s time to thread them through your listing where they’ll have the most punch.
1. Optimizing Product Titles
Your title is your prime real estate. Start strong—with a high-impact keyword up front.For example:“Healthy Trail Mix Snack Pack – Gluten-Free, Keto-Friendly, 20 Individual Bags”
That title works in “healthy trail mix,” “snack pack,” “gluten-free,” and “keto-friendly” all without sounding like spam.
2. Writing Optimised Bullet Points
Use your bullets to hit secondary keywords and explain real benefits.
• Great for office snacking or school lunches
• Packed with protein and fibre for energy on-the-go
• Variety of sweet and savoury flavours in one box
Slide in long-tails like “snacks for school lunches” or “on-the-go protein snacks” here naturally.
3. Optimising Product Descriptions
The description is your story. Here’s where you add depth and include tertiary keywords.Mention use cases—movie nights, travel, post-gym recovery—whatever fits.This is also the spot to echo buyer intent phrases like “ideal snack for busy parents” or “guilt-free sweet treat.”
4. Utilizing Backend Keywords
Use it for misspellings (“protien bar”), local variants (“crisps” vs. “chips”), Gen Z lingo (“snackcore,” “vibe snacks”), and anything that didn’t fit in the public-facing copy.Remember: no need to repeat what’s already in your listing.
5. Enhancing Visibility with Additional Content (A+ Content)
If your platform supports it, use A+ content to go visual and contextual.This is where you can echo extra long-tail phrases subtly, such as “perfect snacks for family road trips” or “plant-based snack box for clean eating.”
Conclusion
Ecommerce keyword research isn’t a one-time thing — it’s a process. But once you’ve nailed your ecommerce keyword research strategy, the benefits are real:
Higher rankings. More visibility. More sales.
And if doing all this still feels overwhelming? That’s where Genrise comes in.
We help brands automate ecommerce SEO keywords at scale. From primary keyword placement to backend field optimisation, Genrise uses smart automation to keep your listings updated, compliant, and competitive—without hours of manual work.
