Taking over an e-commerce account can feel overwhelming. Often, the previous manager has already done the groundwork by targeting basic product keywords, making further development seem difficult. However, there’s always room to grow. Google states that 15% of searches are entirely new, presenting an opportunity to tap into unexplored territory. The question is, how do you uncover these unique e-commerce keyword combinations? To find out, I consulted with Nic D’Amato, our in-house PPC expert, to glean his insights on expanding retailers’ keyword lists.

Meet Nic, the mastermind behind these brilliant strategies. The next time you’re looking for keyword inspiration, consider these five ingenious e-commerce keyword research techniques:

#1. Explore Your Dynamic Search Ad Queries

Thinking outside the box can be challenging. So why not let Google do the heavy lifting? Unlike conventional keyword-based campaigns, Dynamic Search Ads (DSAs) utilize Google’s organic web crawling capabilities to determine when to display your ads.

Setting up a DSA campaign is a breeze. While technically you can incorporate DSAs into an existing search campaign configured with all features, it’s generally recommended to create separate DSA campaigns. The process involves setting up dynamic ad targets based on your website’s content. These targets help AdWords identify relevant product categories. For well-indexed websites, there’s usually a wide array of categories to select from. To concentrate your campaign on specific product categories or brands, you can fine-tune your targeting by setting ad targets for individual web pages. This allows for the creation of custom categories based on URLs, page titles, or page content.

Next, you can create ad groups to focus on specific categories or website sections. After crafting description lines for your ads (AdWords dynamically generates the headline and landing page), you can sit back and let AdWords handle the rest.

Remember, if you’re running other search campaigns, it’s wise to set your existing keywords as negatives within your DSA campaigns. This prevents competition with your current keywords and ensures that DSAs are solely focused on unearthing fresh search terms.

Unveiling Those E-commerce Keywords

You might be wondering how keyword-free DSA campaigns can help uncover new keywords. Well, AdWords actually provides a list of all search queries that your dynamic ads are matching to. You can access this list by navigating to the Auto Target tab > See Search Terms section. This list is a goldmine for e-commerce advertisers, not only revealing obvious terms you might have overlooked but also introducing you to entirely new keywords you might never have considered bidding on.

#2. Mine Your Shopping Feeds for Insights

In most cases, the e-commerce clients you inherit will already have Shopping campaigns running. The feeds used to manage these campaigns are a treasure trove of e-commerce keyword ideas. Take your top-performing products from these feed lists and input them into AdWords’ Keyword Planner. This will give you valuable data on search volume for these products and help you discover related terms. Just remember to set specific geo-targeting for each search to obtain accurate traffic estimations.

#3. Scope Out the Competition

There’s no harm in a little friendly spying when it comes to client success. While you can’t directly access your competitors’ account details, there are a few clever ways to identify the e-commerce keywords they are likely bidding on. The best part is you don’t need to be a tech whiz to do it.

One tactic is to utilize the Keyword Planner. This tool allows you to input a URL to see which search terms are leading people to that website. Although intended for use with your own website, you can actually enter any URL. Simply plug in your competitors’ landing pages into the “Your landing page” field and let the tool do its magic. It will generate sets of keyword and ad group ideas, all based on terms that your competitors are probably bidding on.

Another method for uncovering competitors’ keywords is using nexus-security’s Competitive Website Crawler. Input your competitor’s URL, and the tool will analyze the site, identifying significant terms they are likely using in their campaigns.

#4. Tap into Pinterest’s Promoted Pins

This technique, originally conceived by SEO guru Clay Cazier and shared with us a few months ago, has become a favorite of ours (check out his original article here). Pinterest provides a unique window into the semantic phrases people use to discuss your clients’ products. With its strong sales and retail focus, it’s an ideal platform for conducting e-commerce keyword research.

If your client has a Pinterest for Business account, leverage Promoted Pins to unearth new keywords. Clay suggests launching a Promoted Pins campaign and selecting the pin that best embodies one of your primary keywords. Next, input a related term associated with that pin. Pinterest will then generate a list of related themes that can spark new ad group and keyword ideas.

What makes this strategy so valuable is that it goes beyond simply providing semantically similar variations of your initial keyword. It also reveals terms users associate with that keyword, offering valuable insight into your audience’s interests. A little brainstorming around these terms is guaranteed to uncover some unique and effective keywords!

#5. Don’t Overlook Your Shopping Search Query Reports

At nexus-security, we’re big proponents of using Search Terms Reports to generate new keyword and negative keyword ideas. We even have a tool to streamline the process! While this tactic is useful for expanding existing ad groups, Nic stresses the importance of paying close attention to the search queries within your Shopping Campaigns, especially for e-commerce PPC accounts.

It’s crucial to remember that Shopping Campaigns function solely based on product feeds, not keyword groupings. However, Google keeps track of the queries that trigger your ads. Regularly review this list to pinpoint the top-performing search queries. Once identified, input these terms into the Keyword Planner to verify sufficient search volume. If the volume is there, these terms are likely worthy additions to your search ad groups.

This list will undoubtedly give you a head start the next time you’re tasked with conducting keyword research for a new e-commerce client. What other proven methods do you employ when building out keyword lists for retailers?