Keyword Research for WordPress and Shopify Using Free Tools

For a small WordPress or Shopify site, keyword research can be done with free tools: start with the queries Google Search Console says you already appear for, compare wording in Google Keyword Planner with the location set to Australia, and read Google’s own suggestions and results page to see what each search really wants. Then give every important page one main search to answer, in the words your customers use.

Paid tools have their place, but a small business site with a few dozen pages rarely needs them to get started. What matters more is choosing searches you can realistically win and matching each one to the right page.

Step 1: Start with what Google already shows you for

If your site has been live for a while, Google Search Console is the most valuable keyword tool you have, because it shows real searches that already put your pages in front of people.

1. Open Performance > Search results, set the date range to the last three months, and tick Average position as well as clicks and impressions.
2. Look at the Queries tab. To see the queries for one page, open the Pages tab, click the page, then go back to Queries.
3. Export the list (the Export button at the top right) so you can sort it in a spreadsheet.

Three things to look for:

• Queries near the bottom of page one or on page two. Google already thinks your page is relevant. Improving that page for that query, with clearer headings, a direct answer and better internal links, is usually the quickest gain available.
• Queries showing the wrong page. If a blog post appears for a search that your service or product page should win, the service page needs to answer it better, and the post should link to it.
• Location words. Queries with your city, suburb or “near me” show how local customers phrase things.

Search Console does not show every query: very rare searches are left out to protect searchers’ privacy. Treat it as a strong sample, not the full list. For a new site with no data yet, skip to Step 2.

Step 2: Compare wording in Keyword Planner, set to Australia

Google Keyword Planner is free inside a Google Ads account. You need to set up an account, but you do not have to run a campaign to use the planner.

1. Open Keyword Planner from the Tools menu in Google Ads and choose Discover new keywords.
2. Enter a few plain descriptions of what you sell or do.
3. Check the location setting and set it to Australia, or to your state or city if you only serve one area. Do not assume it already is.

Without active ad spend, the planner shows search volumes as broad ranges rather than exact numbers. That is fine. Use it to compare phrasings (“linen sheets” against “linen sheet set”, “website maintenance” against “website care plan”) and to find wording you had not thought of. The suggested bid for the top of the page is also a useful hint: a high bid means advertisers find that search leads to sales.

Step 3: Read Google itself

The results page tells you more about a search than any tool.

• Autocomplete. In a private browser window on google.com.au, type your main phrase slowly and note the suggestions. Add a suburb or city name, or “near me”, and note those too.
• People also ask. These questions are ready-made headings for guides and FAQs.
• Related searches at the bottom of the page show other wording people use.
• What already ranks. This is the most important check. If page one is all shop category pages, Google has decided the searcher wants to browse products, and a blog post will not rank for it. If it is all guides, a product page will struggle. If it shows a map with local businesses, the search is local, and your Google Business Profile matters as much as your website.

Step 4: Use Australian wording

Australians search with Australian words. Customers search for “postage”, “doona” and “thongs”, and expect “colour” and “organise”. Tools built around US data can steer you towards words your customers do not use. When in doubt, compare two wordings in Keyword Planner with the location set to Australia, or in Google Trends with the region set to Australia, which shows which term people search for more.

Step 5: Give each page one main search

Make a simple spreadsheet with four columns: search, what the searcher wants (buy, compare, learn, find a local business), the page that should rank, and its current position from Search Console. Then:

• Give each important page one main search, plus close variations that mean the same thing.
• Do not give two pages the same main search. They compete with each other and both rank worse. If you already have that problem, our guide to fixing keyword cannibalisation in WordPress walks through it.
• Put the main search in the page’s SEO title and its main heading, in natural wording, and answer it in the first paragraph.

Shopify specifics

• Collections for category searches, products for specific ones. A search like “linen sheets” is a browsing search, and a collection page answers it best. A search for a particular product, size or colour suits a product page. Give important collections a short, useful introduction, not just a grid of products.
• Edit the title and description Google sees. On a product, collection, page or blog post in the Shopify admin, find the Search engine listing section and edit the page title, meta description and URL handle.
• Title pattern. For products, lead with what the product is in the customer’s words, then a key detail, then your brand, for example “Queen Linen Sheet Set, Stonewashed | Your Store”. For collections, use the category search, for example “Linen Sheets and Sheet Sets | Your Store”.
• Changing a URL handle. Shopify offers to create a redirect from the old URL when you change a handle on a live item. Leave that ticked.

WordPress and WooCommerce specifics

• Service pages for buying searches, posts for questions. “Plumber Geelong” belongs on a service page. “Why is my hot water system leaking” belongs in a guide that links to the service page.
• WooCommerce product categories work like Shopify collections. Add a description to important categories and give them a proper SEO title in your SEO plugin.
• The focus keyword field is a reminder, not a ranking signal. Rank Math and Yoast use it to check your own page. Google never sees it.

For the rest of a store’s SEO, our guide to ecommerce SEO for WordPress and Shopify stores continues from here.

A worked example

Here is the process applied to an example business, a small Shopify store in regional Victoria selling linen bedding. The store is made up to show the thinking; the steps are the ones above.

1. Search Console: the owner exports three months of queries and sorts by impressions. The collection page for sheets appears for “linen sheets” and “linen sheets australia” but sits on page two. A blog post about caring for linen appears for “how to wash linen sheets”.
2. Keyword Planner, set to Australia: “linen sheets” and “linen sheet set” fall in the same volume range, so the owner keeps “linen sheets” as the collection’s main search and uses “sheet set” in product titles. “French linen sheets” shows up as a phrasing they had not used.
3. The results page: page one for “linen sheets” is almost all shop category pages, which confirms the collection page, not a blog post, is the right page to improve.
4. The plan: the collection’s SEO title becomes “Linen Sheets and Sheet Sets | Store Name”, it gets a short introduction covering sizes, fabric and postage, and the washing guide links to it with the words “linen sheets”. The owner records the current position and checks it again in Search Console a few weeks later.

What to ignore

• Keyword density targets. There is no ideal percentage. Repeating a phrase to hit a number reads badly, and Google’s spam policies list keyword stuffing as a violation. Write naturally and answer the search.
• The meta keywords tag. Google does not use it for ranking.
• Sitelinks search box markup. Google retired the sitelinks search box in 2024, so older advice to add it is out of date.
• Exact search volumes. Free tools give ranges, and paid tools give estimates. Use them to compare options, not as forecasts of traffic.

If you would like this done for you, we can build a keyword plan for your site, mapped page by page, using your own Search Console data.

Frequently asked questions

Can I do keyword research without paid tools?

Yes. Search Console shows the searches you already appear for, Keyword Planner compares wording and gives volume ranges for Australia, and Google’s autocomplete, People also ask and results pages show what each search wants. For a small business site that is usually enough to start.

How do I find keywords for a Shopify store in Australia?

Set Keyword Planner’s location to Australia, use Australian wording, and check the results page for each search. Category searches belong on collection pages and specific product searches on product pages. Once the store has some traffic, use the Search Console queries report to find searches where you sit on page two.

How many keywords should one page target?

One main search, plus close variations that mean the same thing. If two searches need different answers, they need different pages.

Does keyword density still matter?

No. There is no target percentage. Use the main search in the title, main heading and opening paragraph where it reads naturally, and spend the rest of your effort answering the question well.