> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.get-ryze.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Keyword research

> How Ryze derives keywords from your store and Search Console data, expands them through DataForSEO, and selects which are worth targeting.

Keyword research for ecommerce starts from what you already sell and already rank for, not from a blank keyword tool.

## How Ryze does it

<Steps>
  <Step title="Establish ground truth">
    Pull Google Search Console (queries and pages you already receive impressions for), DataForSEO (rankings, top pages, competitors), and your store (best products by revenue).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Derive seeds">
    Keyword seeds are derived from what you actually sell and who you sell to — anchored to the catalogue rather than guessed.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Expand">
    Seeds expand through DataForSEO into real keyword ideas with actual search volume and difficulty attached.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select">
    Candidates are narrowed to those worth chasing given your current authority and existing coverage.
  </Step>
</Steps>

Ryze never invents metrics. Volume and difficulty come from real DataForSEO data.

## Selection criteria

**Intent match.** A keyword must match a page type you can actually serve. Informational queries want articles; commercial queries want category pages. Targeting a commercial query with a blog post wastes the effort.

**Achievable difficulty.** Difficulty is relative to your domain authority. A term the market leader owns is not a target for a new store regardless of volume.

**Existing traction.** Queries where you already receive impressions but rank poorly are the highest-ROI targets — demand is proven and the page exists. This is where Ryze looks first.

**Distinct intent.** Ten keyword variants meaning the same thing get one page, not ten. Multiple pages for one intent compete with each other.

## Where ecommerce keyword research goes wrong

* **Chasing head terms.** "boots" has volume and is unwinnable. "wide fit waterproof walking boots" converts better and is reachable.
* **Ignoring existing impressions.** Search Console already tells you what you nearly rank for. Most stores never look.
* **One page per variant.** Produces internal competition, not coverage.
* **Volume without intent.** High-volume informational terms bring traffic that does not buy.
* **Ignoring the long tail.** Most catalogue revenue sits in queries too specific to target individually — which is what [programmatic content](/ecommerce/content-programmatic) is for.

## Two pools

Ryze plans topics in two pools so coverage is both focused and broad:

* **Pool A — priority-anchored.** Built around priority keywords and highest-value products.
* **Pool B — open.** Expands into adjacent demand from Search Console impressions, competitor gaps, and the wider catalogue.

See [how Ryze works](/how-ryze-works).

## Reviewing the output

If topics look off-target, the cause is almost always [agent context](/agent/context) — what you sell, who you sell to. That is the input everything downstream is anchored to. Fix it there rather than rejecting topics one at a time.

## Related

* [Programmatic content](/ecommerce/content-programmatic)
* [Keywords](/seo/keywords)