Most Shopify keyword research advice assumes you have a team and a big tool budget. A small store needs a simpler answer: is this phrase worth writing about, or will I be buried under marketplaces and big retailers? SEO Bison’s keyword research page is built to answer that one question quickly.
What you see for any phrase
Competition level
Low, Medium or High. SEO Bison runs one live Google search for your exact phrase and counts how many of the top 10 results are held by big-authority sites: large marketplaces, big retailers and major reference or publishing sites. The more of the top 10 they hold, the higher the competition level. It is a practical read of the search results, not a score invented by a model.
What people ask
Google’s “People also ask” questions and the featured answer, if there is one, plus related phrases worth a look. These are the questions shoppers type before they buy, and they make good headings and FAQ entries.
Who already ranks
The sites in the top results, with the big marketplaces and publishers marked. If the top 10 is nine big retailers and a forum thread, you know what you are up against. If it is a mix of small stores and blogs, you have a way in.
Pick the market
Check the results for about 20 countries, or worldwide. Competition differs by market, so each result is labelled with the market you chose. That matters if you sell outside your home country, which you can also set up in Settings with up to 5 target markets.
It does not show search volume
Plainly: there is no search volume in SEO Bison, and no traffic, ranking, click or impression data either. If you need volume, use a dedicated tool alongside this one. What you get here is the part that decides whether a small store can compete, which is who holds the first page.
From keyword to topic idea in one click
Found a phrase worth writing about? One click turns it into a topic idea built around the products in your content scope, which you choose in Product sync. If the keyword is crowded, SEO Bison aims for a longer, more specific phrase instead, and keeps the topic on your products. The idea then appears in Topic ideas for you to approve, like any other. From there the Shopify AI blog writer drafts it, using live research and your product photos.
The same competition badge appears on every researched idea, and when an idea’s main keyword is High competition, SEO Bison automatically switches it to a more winnable phrase from the same idea and keeps the original as a secondary keyword.
A worked example
Say you sell linen clothing. You check “linen shirt” and the top 10 is mostly large retailers and marketplaces: High competition, and a post from a small store is unlikely to crack it. You check “how to wash a linen shirt” and the page is a mix of small blogs and a couple of stores: Medium, and People also ask hands you three follow-up questions that become headings. You check “linen shirt for hot weather travel” and find even fewer big names. That third phrase is a more realistic target, and it still points straight at the shirts you sell. (The phrases and results here are an illustration, not live data.)
Keyword research or topic ideas: which to use
Topic ideas start from your products and suggest what to write. Keyword research starts from a phrase you already have in mind and tells you whether it is worth the effort. Use topic ideas when you want suggestions, and keyword research when you have a hunch, a competitor’s title, or a customer question you keep hearing and want to test it first.
Your keyword list
Every keyword behind your topic ideas lives in one list. Filter it for low competition, keywords with no post yet, or keywords that already have a live post. It is a quick way to see what you have covered and where the easy wins are.
Lookups use a live Google search each, so there is a limit of 20 per store per hour.
How to pick winnable keywords for a Shopify store
- Go longer. “Linen shirt” is owned by big retailers. “How to wash a linen shirt without shrinking it” is not. Three to five words with a clear intent is the sweet spot.
- Look at who is on page one. If the top 10 is mostly marketplaces and national retailers, move on. A few small stores or blogs means the page is beatable.
- Match the phrase to a product you sell. A keyword you cannot connect to your catalog earns visits you cannot turn into sales.
- Prefer questions and comparisons. “X vs Y” and “how to” phrases usually have clearer intent than head terms, and People also ask hands you the follow-ups.
- Check the right market. Run the lookup for the country you actually sell to.
- Cover each phrase once. Two posts chasing the same phrase compete with each other. The keyword list shows which phrases already have a post.
Once you have a shortlist, run a Shopify SEO audit so the pages those posts link to are in good shape, and see the pricing page for what each plan includes. For more guides, browse the blog.