Easy in 3 Steps! How to Choose High-Converting Google Ads Keywords Using Google Analytics and Google Search Console

In this article, we introduce a keyword selection method using Google Analytics and Google Search Console that is likely to drive sales — perfect for Shopify merchants who struggle with Google Ads keyword research.

At StoreHero, we provide growth support to many Shopify merchants on a daily basis. As part of that, we manage Google Ads campaigns and help merchants establish rules for running their own Google Ads effectively.

Keyword selection is one of the biggest challenges in running Google Ads. We have seen many cases where merchants couldn't get started with Google Ads — or couldn't improve performance — simply because they didn't know how to select keywords.

This article introduces a keyword selection method using Google Analytics and Google Search Console that even Google Ads beginners can follow.

For a step-by-step guide covering the basics of setting up Google Ads with Shopify, please refer to the article below. If you want to understand the full picture, check it out.

StoreHero leverages our proprietary growth platform to support detailed campaign management that manual operations can't achieve, and to drive business growth through large-scale implementation of growth initiatives.
If you're facing challenges growing sales on Shopify, feel free to reach out. =>Download our free service introduction materials here

Step 1: Identify Landing Pages That Are Generating Sales via Organic Search

Before opening the Google Ads dashboard, open Google Analytics and check which landing pages are generating sales via organic search.

You can find landing pages with organic search revenue in Google Analytics by going to Landing Pages, adding a secondary dimension for Source/Medium, and filtering to show only entries where Source/Medium contains "organic."

Step 2: Use Google Search Console to Research Keywords Driving Traffic to Those Landing Pages

Using Google Search Console, research the keywords that are driving traffic to the high-converting landing pages you identified in Step 1.

By opening "Search Results" in Google Search Console, you can see the number of impressions and clicks for keywords bringing traffic to your Shopify store.

Next, open the filter at the top of the screen,

and enter the URL of the landing page you identified in Step 1.

This will display the keywords driving traffic to that URL — the search terms customers used on Google before visiting that landing page and making a purchase.

In other words, if you target those same keywords in Google Ads and increase traffic from them, you can expect even more sales. Keyword selection isn't so daunting after all.

Step 3 (Advanced): Expand Your Keyword List

By Step 2, you should have a solid foundation of keywords to register in Google Ads. As a bonus, here are some advanced methods for expanding your keyword list.

There are several ways to expand keywords, and they're all straightforward.

Method 1: Google Search

Try searching Google with the keywords you found in Step 2. You'll find hints in the related keywords and search results.

Google search results reflect the needs of people searching on Google, so they are of course useful when selecting keywords for Google Ads.

If you look carefully at Google search results, you'll find all kinds of useful hints. Approach it with curiosity.

Method 2: Google Keyword Planner

Google Ads' Keyword Planner is also very useful. Go to "Tools and Settings" in the Google Ads menu and select Keyword Planner.

Then select "Discover new keywords" > "Start with a website," enter the URL of your target landing page, choose "Use only this page," and extract keywords. Note that you can enter not only your own store's URL but also competitor site URLs.

Keyword Planner will suggest keywords that match the content of the target page, so simply select the ones that are relevant to your business.

The downside of this method is that it often suggests too many keywords, requiring some experience to narrow them down effectively.

Method 3: Google Search + Ahrefs

Here's a slightly easier approach.

First, search Google using the keywords you found in Step 2, then pick out the URLs of e-commerce sites or product-focused sites that appear in the top results.

Enter those URLs into a tool called Ahrefs to extract the estimated keywords driving organic search traffic to those pages.

Keywords driving traffic to e-commerce and product sites tend to have strong purchase intent, making them excellent targets for Google Ads as well. (Please note that Ahrefs is a paid tool.)

Special Tips: Keyword Tool

Here's a special tip for those who've read this far. Keyword Tool is an extremely useful tool for Google Ads keyword research. The good news is that Keyword Tool is quite powerful even on the free plan.

This tool extracts related keywords not just from Google, but also from platforms like YouTube, Amazon, and Instagram. Amazon search keywords are especially valuable, as they tend to be used by people actively considering a purchase.

Use Keyword Tool to efficiently expand the keywords you discovered in Step 2.

Running Google Ads Thoroughly with StoreHero

StoreHero supports Shopify merchants who want to grow their sales by helping them execute growth initiatives thoroughly.

For Google Ads as well, we leverage our growth platform StoreHero to automatically generate feed data based on individual product and SKU performance and inventory data, as well as audience data based on customer purchase history and attributes. This enables highly granular campaign management that would be difficult to achieve manually, and supports continuous growth through large-scale implementation of initiatives.

We are currently offering free store diagnostics. If you have challenges with Google Ads or growth initiatives in general, please feel free to contact us. Learn more about our free store diagnostics here

Summary

In this article, we introduced a keyword selection method using Google Analytics and Google Search Console for Google Ads beginners. While Step 3 on keyword expansion introduced some tools beyond Google Analytics and Google Search Console, the core work can be done almost entirely with just these two tools. We hope this serves as a helpful reference for anyone who has found Google Ads keyword selection challenging.

We've also written other articles related to Google Ads, so feel free to take a look if you're interested.

StoreHero helps anyone easily implement advanced growth strategies using Shopify by incorporating them into day-to-day operations. If you're interested, please don't hesitate to reach out.