When it comes to building a keyword list, it helps to pay attention to wording nuances that suggest whether or not a searcher is in buying mode.
Conventional wisdom says that people start a very broad search term, such as tomato plants and then get progressively more specific as they get closer to buying, first with searches like beefsteak tomato plants, and finally something like Brandywine tomato plants.
While that’s likely true, there are other cues that searchers are in shopping mode, such as terms like these:
buy tomato plants
tomato plants for sale
tomato plants online
vegetable plant catalog
vegetable plant company
Someone searching on any of these terms is likely to be shopping, and at a point where they’re far more open to suggestion than the person shopping on Brandywine tomato plants.
By contrast, if you focus strictly on the higher volume, more generic keywords like tomato plants, there’s no way to know whether someone is shopping — or looking for advice on when to plant, how to plant, how to care for tomato plants, how to treat pests and diseases, when to harvest, or a myriad of other topics.
When building your keyword lists, be sure include those that telegraph a shopping intention, and be cautious about using those that too open-ended.
