Ever wondered how to choose keywords that actually help your business grow?
Picking the right words can feel tricky, but it doesn’t have to be. With the right approach, you can find keywords that bring real people, people ready to buy straight to your website.
Let’s be honest getting traffic feels good.
But if you’re only getting visits and not a single sale, it’s frustrating.
The problem? You might be targeting the wrong keywords.
The goal isn’t just more visitors. It’s the right visitors. The ones who are already thinking about pulling out their wallet.
Start With Buyer Intent to Choose Keywords That Convert
Not all searches are the same.
Someone searching “how to fix a leaky faucet” isn’t looking to buy from you right now.
But someone searching “buy bathroom faucet online” probably is.
Keywords usually fall into three groups:
- Informational – people looking for answers (“what is WordPress hosting”)
- Navigational – people looking for a specific site or brand (“Nike running shoes site”)
- Transactional/Commercial – people ready to buy (“best running shoes under $100”)
If your goal is sales, lean toward transactional and commercial keywords.
Before choosing any keyword, ask yourself: Who am I trying to reach, and what do I want them to do? That’s the essence of buyer intent. Keywords aren’t just words they represent real people looking for solutions.
Here’s how to use buyer intent to guide your keyword choices:
- Focus on action-driven words: Look for keywords that show people are ready to buy, like “buy,” “order,” “sign up,” or “download.”
- Think about the customer journey: Early-stage searches are informational (“what is…?”), while late-stage searches are transactional (“best tool to buy for…”). Pick keywords that match where your audience is.
- Avoid traffic that doesn’t convert: High search volume sounds tempting, but if people aren’t ready to take action, it won’t bring sales. Quality beats quantity.
- Check your competitors: See which keywords are bringing sales for similar businesses. This gives insight into what buyers actually search for.
By starting with buyer intent, every keyword you choose is more likely to attract people who actually want what you offer. This makes your SEO efforts more efficient and profitable.
Go for the Long Tail When You Choose Keywords
Short keywords like “laptop” might look tempting, but they’re too broad.
And you’ll be competing with massive brands.
Long-tail keywords are more specific, and that’s a good thing.
They often come from people who already know what they want.
Examples:
- “lightweight laptop for travel under $1000”
- “WordPress maintenance plan for small business”
Yes, the search volume is smaller. But the buying intent? Much higher.
Use Tools, but Think Like a Customer
Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, SEMrus they’re all helpful.
They’ll tell you search volume, competition, and sometimes CPC (cost per click).
A high CPC usually means advertisers think the keyword is worth paying for often because it converts well.
But don’t just trust the numbers. Ask yourself:
If I searched this, would I be ready to buy? Or just researching?
Check the Search Results
Search your keyword and see what pops up.
If the first page is full of product pages, pricing pages, and service providers, you’re in good shape.
If it’s all “how-to” guides, the keyword might be more informational than transactional.
Spy (Nicely) on Competitors
Look at other businesses in your niche.
What keywords are they targeting that lead to their product or service pages?
If they’re ranking well for them, it’s a sign those keywords can work for you too.
Keep Testing
You might not get it perfect on the first try and that’s fine.
Track which keywords are actually bringing in customers.
If you’re juggling too much, a service like Manage My Site can take care of your site’s performance while you focus on improving your keyword strategy.
Quick “Sales Keyword” Checklist:
- Clear buying intent
- Specific wording
- Matches exactly what you sell
- Reasonable competition
- Shows up in search results with products or services
Good keywords are like a filter they pull in the people who are most likely to buy.
When you focus on intent and specificity, your traffic doesn’t just grow… your sales do too.
If you want to keep your site running fast and secure while you work on your SEO, you can get started here.
