How to Use Short and Long-Tail Keywords for E-Commerce SEO

Understanding Keyword Types for E-Commerce SEO

When building an e-commerce site like Willis Candle Shop, keywords are the foundation of your SEO strategy. Using the right types of keywords in the right places will help attract different types of customers. Let’s break down how to approach short, medium, and long-tail keywords — and how to use them to dominate your niche.

Short-Tail Keywords

Short-tail keywords are very broad, usually one or two words. They get massive search volume but are extremely competitive and harder to rank for.
Example for candles:

• "Scented candles" (18,100 monthly searches, SEO difficulty 62)

When using short-tail keywords in your Shopify store, place them in major locations like your product titles, homepage H1s, and key collection pages to gain visibility even if you're competing with bigger brands.

Medium-Tail Keywords

Medium-tail keywords are slightly longer — usually three to four words — and offer a balance between search volume and competition.
Example for candles:

• "Coconut soy candles" (880 monthly searches, SEO difficulty 44)

Medium-tail keywords should show up throughout product descriptions, collection pages, blog posts, and your homepage SEO meta descriptions. They pull in more targeted traffic that's still sizable.

Long-Tail Keywords

Long-tail keywords are highly specific — often five or more words — and attract the most qualified buyers.
Example for candles:

• "Candles made in the USA" (720 monthly searches, SEO difficulty 33)

These keywords belong in blog titles, FAQ sections, product descriptions, and landing pages. They might bring less traffic individually, but the visitors they attract are way more likely to buy.

Why Mixing Keywords Matters

If you only chase short-tail keywords, you’ll struggle against huge corporations with unlimited budgets.
If you only use long-tails, you’ll miss out on volume.

The winning strategy:
Mix all three types across your Shopify site for diversified organic reach.

At Willis Candle Shop, we evenly distribute short, medium, and long-tail keywords across blogs, product pages, and collection descriptions for maximum surface area in search rankings.

Practical Placement Example for Shopify

Here’s how you would structure keyword placement:

• H1 Title (Shopify automatically makes your page title the H1):

  • "Luxury Coconut Soy Candles | Willis Candle Shop"

• H2 Section:

  • "The Best Eco-Friendly Candles for Home Décor"

• Body Paragraphs:

  • Drop in long-tail phrases naturally within the description, like "candles made in the USA" or "clean burning coconut soy candles."

Using a combination of different keyword types in a natural flow tells Google you're serious about what you sell.

How to Write Strong Meta Descriptions

Meta descriptions appear under your link in Google search results and should include 1–2 keywords naturally.

Example meta description:
Find the perfect coconut soy candles at Willis Candle Shop. Explore premium candles made in the USA with clean-burning ingredients. Order today!

Pro Tip:
Keep your meta descriptions between 150–160 characters — short, punchy, and compelling with a call-to-action.

Internal Linking and External Linking

To boost your SEO further, every blog or page should contain:

• One internal link to a product, collection, or another blog

• One external link to a high-quality site (ideally a backlink source)

Example Internal Link(s):
Check out our 10 oz White Frosted Mocha Masquerade Candle — perfect for clean burning and luxurious home scenting.

For additional details on SEO and Authority Backlinks, see our Blog on Build E-Commerce with Backlinks. 

Example External Link:
See our mention on Nancy Rubin’s Blog.

Linking this way builds trust, helps your site structure, and improves crawlability for Google bots.

Final Tips for Smart Keyword Use

• Avoid keyword stuffing — write naturally.

• Focus on the user experience first.

• Place the highest priority keywords early in titles and paragraphs.

• Regularly update and refresh old blogs with new keyword phrases for continued ranking strength.

At the Willis Candle Shop, our growth strategy is simple:
Use smarter keywords, not just more keywords.