Top-performing ecommerce category pages often carry far less copy than most store owners expect: top category pages average only about 310 words of unique content, and 10% have no text beyond the main heading. That means your edge rarely comes from writing a novel on each collection page, but from choosing the right keywords for each category and aligning them tightly with what buyers actually want to find. In this guide, you’ll learn exactly how to pick those keywords by category so you attract ready-to-buy visitors rather than random clicks.
Key Takeaways
| Question | Short Answer |
|---|---|
| How do you start choosing ecommerce keywords by category? | Begin with your existing categories and map each one to the buyer intent behind it (informational, comparison, or purchase-focused). Then build a keyword list around that intent, not the other way round. For expert support, you can review the approach outlined on what-is-seo-marketing. |
| How many keywords should each category page target? | Focus on a single primary phrase and 3–7 closely related variants (including plurals, modifiers like “cheap”, “best”, or “UK”, and common long‑tail searches). |
| Should you use long‑tail or short, broad phrases? | Prioritize 3–4 word phrases tied to strong buying intent, such as “women’s leather boots UK” instead of just “boots”, especially for subcategories and niche collections. |
| How do you choose keywords for Shopify or other ecommerce platforms? | Work category by category: research what customers type for each collection, then reflect those phrases in headings, body copy, filters, and internal links. The services page from BlueChip shows how category-focused growth strategies are structured. |
| Where should those keywords appear on a category page? | Use them in the main heading, short intro text, product grid headings, facet labels, and internal links. You don’t need to repeat them everywhere; clarity beats repetition. |
| How do you know if your category keyword choices are working? | Track visits, click‑through to products, add‑to‑cart rate, and revenue per category. Adjust phrases toward those that bring visitors who actually buy. If you’d like a structured review, you can request a growth plan through the contact page. |
1. Understand Why Category‑Level Keywords Make or Break Your Store
Category and collection pages sit in the middle of your store’s structure: they bridge broad interest (“trainers”) and very specific product choices (“Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 40 size 9”). Because organic search contributes around 53% of traffic for many online shops, the phrases you attach to those mid‑level pages decide which visitors ever see your products in the first place.
Your goal is simple: let each category act like a sign in a department store. If someone searches “vegan leather handbags”, you want your “Vegan Leather Bags” category to greet them, not a random blog post or a single product that might be out of stock. That only happens if the wording on the category mirrors how your buyers think and search.
2. Map Your Ecommerce Categories to Buyer Intent
Before you collect keyword ideas, you need to understand why someone would land on each category. A visitor on “Running Shoes” behaves differently from someone on “Nike Pegasus 40 Men’s”, so you should match each category to a specific stage of the buying journey.
A practical way to do this is to label each category as primarily informational, comparison‑focused, or ready‑to‑buy. That label will guide the types of phrases you target and the wording you use on the page.
Three Core Intent Types for Category Pages
- Discovery intent: Broad, exploring phrases like “garden furniture” or “men’s suits”.
- Comparison intent: More specific, such as “modular garden furniture sets” or “slim fit navy suits”.
- Purchase intent: High‑intent phrases like “buy 6 seater rattan garden furniture UK” or “men’s navy suit 40R next day delivery”.
For each category in your menu, write down the main intent and add a short note on what that visitor wants to achieve. You can sanity‑check that logic by reading through your own site’s positioning, for example how the BlueChip homepage frames services around revenue and buyer goals rather than technical jargon.
3. Build a Seed Keyword List for Each Category
Once you know the intent, start gathering “seed” phrases for each category. These are short, obvious terms directly connected to the products within that collection, plus common modifiers your customers use in conversation.
Work category by category. You’re not trying to capture the whole industry yet; you just need a focused seed list per area of your store that you can later expand and refine.
How to Collect Seed Phrases
- Use your own data: Look at onsite search terms, product reviews, support tickets, and emails to see how customers describe your products.
- Talk to your sales or support team: Ask them which wording buyers use most often.
- Study competitor menus: Check how other stores label similar categories and subcategories.
Create a simple spreadsheet with one sheet per category. Add columns for “Seed Phrase”, “Intent”, and “Notes”. You’ll expand and score these later.
4. Expand Category Keywords with Long‑Tail and Question Phrases
With seed terms ready, expand them into longer, more specific phrases. These “long‑tail” variants often show clearer buying intent and face less competition, which makes them ideal for subcategories and filterable collections.
You should also add conversational, question‑based variants that match how people speak into voice assistants. Around 58% of US smartphone users already use voice search to find information, and that share keeps growing.
Examples of Expanded Category Phrases
| Seed Category | Expanded Long‑Tail Phrases |
|---|---|
| “running shoes” |
|
| “garden furniture” |
|
You’ll rarely add these longer phrases word‑for‑word into a single category heading, but you can weave key terms into your intro paragraph, FAQs, and filter labels. That lets the page naturally reflect how real people search.
5. Group and Prioritise Keywords Per Category
At this point your list will be big and messy. Next, group related phrases into tight clusters and decide which ones should lead each category. You want a primary phrase that perfectly sums up the category and a small set of closely related “supporting” phrases.
Treat this like organising shelves in a warehouse: every item should sit on a shelf where it clearly belongs. Don’t force unrelated terms into the same category just because they sound appealing.
Simple Scoring Framework
For each keyword, quickly score three things on a 1–5 scale:
- Relevance: How accurately it describes the products in that category.
- Intent strength: How likely someone using that phrase is to buy.
- Reach: Rough sense of how many people search for it compared with alternatives.
Use the highest‑scoring phrase as your main category term, and keep 3–7 supporting terms in the same cluster. Avoid chasing phrases with huge traffic but weak relevance; quality visitors beat quantity every time.
6. Choose Category Keywords for National, Local, and International Ecommerce
Not every shop serves the same geography. If you sell to a specific country or city, your category keywords should reflect that, especially on pages where delivery area or regulations matter (like furniture, perishables, or services).
For national stores, location modifiers like “UK”, “USA”, or “Ireland” help filter out irrelevant traffic. For local businesses with click‑and‑collect or delivery within a radius, city names, counties, and neighbourhood terms matter even more.
Examples by Market Type
- National ecommerce: “women’s trainers UK size 6”, “garden sheds UK free delivery”.
- Local hybrid stores: “birthday cakes Manchester delivery”, “bike shop Bristol mountain bikes”.
- International ecommerce: Use neutral phrases on core category pages, then adapt on regional versions (“shipping to Germany”, local currencies, sizing terms).
Consider how your own positioning works across local and national audiences. The way BlueChip describes national and local support on its apply page gives a good example of speaking clearly to different geographic scopes without overcomplicating things.
7. Align Category Keywords with On‑Site Search and Filters
Your job doesn’t end once you’ve picked “nice” words for headings. A big part of choosing ecommerce keywords by category is making sure those terms also show up in your onsite search and filters, because that’s how shoppers navigate once they land.
Almost 68% of customers say they won’t return to a site with a poor search experience, and 78% complain that internal search often shows irrelevant items. That means poorly chosen facet labels or category names can cost you repeat buyers.
Where to Reuse Category Keywords On‑Site
- Search suggestions: When someone starts typing “trail…”, suggest “trail running shoes men” or “trail running shoes women”.
- Filters: Use buyer language for sizes, uses (“marathon”, “trail”, “office”), and materials (“vegan leather”, “organic cotton”).
- Breadcrumbs: Reflect your chosen category keywords in breadcrumb paths so users see where they are in plain language.
By mirroring category phrases across all these touchpoints, you make your store feel intuitive and predictable for shoppers.
8. Decide How Much Text to Add to Each Category Page
You don’t need walls of text on category pages to target the right phrases. In fact, studies of top ecommerce category pages show that 66% of them use under 400 words of unique text, and almost half sit under 200 words. What matters is using the space you do have wisely.
Think of your copy as a short guide that reassures visitors they’re in the right place and helps them narrow choices. A concise paragraph or two can often do that better than a long essay.
Practical Content Layout for Categories
- Intro paragraph (50–120 words): Describe what’s in the category and who it’s for, weaving in your primary phrase.
- Short bulleted guide: Highlight 3–5 ways to pick the right product (size, use case, material, fit).
- Optional FAQ snippet: Answer one or two common questions that naturally include secondary keyword variants.
Keep your language natural. If a phrase sounds awkward in a sentence, rephrase it instead of forcing it. Clarity always beats stuffing in more terms.
9. Connect Category Keywords to Product Pages and Internal Links
Choosing category keywords in isolation is only half the picture. You also need to reinforce those choices through internal links and product page wording so everything feels consistent to both visitors and crawlers.
That means your category names, internal link anchors, and product titles should speak the same language. If your category is “Women’s Trail Running Shoes”, avoid product names that hide that wording behind brand‑led names only, like “Nimbus XTR 9”.
Internal Linking Checklist
- Link from relevant blog posts to category pages using natural versions of your chosen category phrases.
- From product pages, link back to parent categories using consistent naming (“Back to Women’s Trail Running Shoes”).
- From your main navigation and footer, keep category labels stable instead of frequently renaming them.
Structured, consistent naming like this mirrors how strategy is framed on the about page of professional consultants: a clear promise, expressed the same way everywhere, builds trust and improves clarity.
10. Measure Results and Refine Category Keyword Choices
Keyword choice is never “set and forget”. You should review performance by category and adjust your phrases toward those that bring engaged, high‑value visitors. That feedback loop is what turns keyword guesswork into a reliable growth lever.
Instead of obsessing about vanity metrics, track whether visitors who land on each category actually move deeper into your site and buy. If not, you might be attracting the wrong intent, or your category page might not answer what those visitors expected to see.
Key Metrics to Watch Per Category
| Metric | What It Tells You |
|---|---|
| Click‑through to products | Whether visitors see relevant items that invite further exploration. |
| Add‑to‑cart rate | How well your category filters and layout help visitors find suitable products. |
| Conversion rate | If the intent your category attracts matches what your products actually deliver. |
| Revenue per visit | Which categories and phrases bring your most valuable shoppers. |
Set a cadence to review categories quarterly, update copy and naming where needed, and test small changes. If you want outside perspective, exploring how agencies describe long‑term optimisation on the services overview can give you ideas for a more structured review process.
Conclusion
Choosing ecommerce keywords by category is less about chasing the biggest phrases and more about understanding what each visitor expects when they land on that section of your store. You start by mapping buyer intent, build a seed list, expand into specific long‑tail and question phrases, then group and prioritise those keywords for each category.
From there, you reflect those choices everywhere that matters: headings, short category copy, filters, onsite search, internal links, and product naming. You keep copy concise but purposeful, measure what each category actually delivers, and refine over time. If you approach your category keywords this way, your store becomes easier to navigate, more aligned with how people actually search, and better at turning visitors into customers.