High-Value SEO Keyword Guide for Black Friday Cyber Monday
There are lots of things online businesses need to take care of before Black Friday and Cyber Monday come around, like:
- preparing your store for the increased traffic
- putting together holiday email marketing campaigns
- polishing your social media posts
But there’s one more thing you can’t afford to overlook, and that’s optimizing your website for search engines. To do holiday SEO, you need to rank for certain keywords. It’s also crucial to know which keywords you want to drive traffic from.
I know, SEO is tough and it can get tricky, especially if you’re new to it. But don’t let tricky cost you sales this holiday season. Instead, use the Black Friday Cyber Monday shopping craze as an opportunity to draw more attention to your brand and products.
Read on to find out what are the most valuable Black Friday Cyber Monday SEO keywords (there are more than 150). More importantly, learn how to use these keywords to increase valuable traffic and boost sales this holiday season.
Black Friday Cyber Monday search patterns
In 2020, 59% of consumers said they did more of their holiday shopping online than in brick-and-mortar stores. Due to the global pandemic, online stores became a safer and more pleasant alternative to in-person shopping.
The shoppers started looking up generic, non-branded Black Friday Cyber Monday (search queries like smartphone discounts, toy offers, clothing deals) deals in October. Searches become more specific only about two weeks before the US Thanksgiving weekend (search queries like biggest iPhone discounts, best Hot Wheels offers, cheap ASOS deals).
Gaining an online presence on search engines takes time. If you want to appear in the search results during Black Friday Cyber Monday, you’ll need to get started right now.
Holiday SEO keyword research
The very first step to content optimization is keyword research. To help you figure out which keywords to use and avoid pricey SEO tools, we did the holiday keyword research for you and grouped the keywords into 4 categories:
- Black Friday keywords
- Cyber Monday keywords
- Printful product keywords
- Buzz keywords
Each keyword table comes with useful metrics that’ll help you predict their potential value and competitiveness. Here’s a quick guide on what each metric means:
- Search volume is a rough estimate of the number of monthly searches for a keyword. The higher the search volume, the more people Google it. We used US and global search volume data suggested by Ahrefs Keyword Explorer.
- Difficulty score, on a scale from 0 to 100, shows how difficult it is to compete for a ranking spot in the search results. The lower the score, the easier it is to rank for the keyword.
- SERP features are other types of info blocks that appear on search engine results pages (SERPs), all of which may draw traffic away from your organic links.
Pro tip: Focus your efforts on keywords that strike a good balance of high search volume and small competition.
And now, finally, let’s get onto the keywords!
High-value Black Friday keywords
This year Black Friday falls on November 26, which means you’ve got just a little over two months to get the attention of holiday shoppers.
Every year, online retailers start promoting their Black Friday deals earlier than the previous year, so you should do the same. It’s a strategic move that lets shoppers find deals and plan their purchases once the big shopping day comes around.
This year, businesses will start their Black Friday Cyber Monday craze as early as the beginning of November. Which just leaves you one thing to do: hurry up.
| Keyword | Search Volume (Global) | Search Volume (USA) | Difficulty Score | SERP Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| black friday sales | 122,000 | 48,000 | 83 | Site links, Related questions, Knowledge panel |
| best black friday deals | 91,000 | 65,000 | 88 | Site links, Related questions |
| black friday ads | 51,000 | 49,000 | 78 | Site links |
| black friday 2021 | 46,000 | 5,700 | 82 | Related questions, Site links |
| black friday angebote | 32,000 | 150 | 61 | Site links |
| black friday specials | 20,000 | 3,100 | 79 | Site links |
| black friday cyber monday deals | 15,000 | 10,000 | 72 | Site links, Related questions |
| cyber monday deals black friday | 13,000 | 12,000 | 72 | Site links, Related questions |
| best black friday tv deals | 12,000 | 11,000 | 51 | Top stories, Thumbnails, Related questions, Videos |
| cyber monday black friday deals | 11,000 | 4,000 | 78 | Related questions, Site links, Adwords bottom |
| black friday deals uk | 11,000 | 60 | 67 | Sitelinks |
| black friday deals canada | 10,000 | 150 | 33 | Site links, Image pack |
| the black friday | 9,900 | 9,100 | 89 | Site links, Related questions, Knowledge panel |
| black friday ad | 7,200 | 6,900 | 80 | Site links |
| black friday shopping | 6,600 | 4,300 | 90 | Site links, Related questions, Knowledge panel |
| best black friday | 5,400 | 3,600 | 81 | Site links |
| black friday online deals | 4,700 | 4,200 | 88 | Sitelinks, Related questions |
| black friday online | 4,600 | 2,300 | 86 | |
| best black friday sales | 4,500 | 3,300 | 85 | Site links |
| online black friday deals | 4,300 | 4,100 | 86 | Related questions, Site links |
These are the 20 most popular keywords. Sign up for our blog newsletter at the end of the article to get the full list of high-value Black Friday keywords.
Ultimate Cyber Monday keywords
After the Black Friday shopping craze, it’s time for Cyber Monday. Last year, Cyber reached a new record of $12.16 billion in sales.
If you want to boost your sales this holiday season, mark November 29 on your marketing calendar and start optimizing your website for valuable Cyber Monday keywords right away.
| Keyword | Search Volume (Global) | Search Volume (USA) | Difficulty Score | SERP Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| cyber monday | 637,000 | 75,000 | 78 | Related questions, Site links, Knowledge panel |
| cyber monday deals | 239,000 | 201,000 | 76 | Site links |
| when is cyber monday | 31,000 | 22,000 | 67 | Related questions, Site links |
| best cyber monday deals | 30,000 | 28,000 | 79 | Related questions, Site links |
| black friday cyber monday deals | 15,000 | 10,000 | 72 | Site links, Related questions |
| cyber monday sales | 14,000 | 12,000 | 76 | Site links, Related questions |
| cyber monday tv deals | 13,000 | 12,000 | 40 | Related questions, Top stories, Videos |
| cyber monday deals black friday | 13,000 | 12,000 | 72 | Sitel inks, Related questions |
| cyber monday amazon | 13,000 | 5,000 | 52 | Related questions |
| cyber monday laptop deals | 12,000 | 11,000 | 45 | Adwords top, Related questions, Top stories, Videos |
| cyber monday black friday deals | 11,000 | 4,000 | 78 | Related questions, Site links, Adwords bottom |
| what is cyber monday | 7,900 | 4,500 | 72 | Site links, Related questions, Knowledge panel |
| cyber monday chile | 7,500 | 150 | 15 | Site links |
| black friday deals cyber monday | 3,600 | 3,600 | 73 | Site links, Top stories, Videos |
| cyber monday monitor deals | 3,200 | 3,200 | 33 | Adwords top |
| cyber monday sale | 3,200 | 1,800 | 76 | Related questions, Site links |
| black friday cyber monday | 2,900 | 600 | 57 | Featured snippet, Thumbnails, Related questions, Site links |
| cyber monday argentina | 2,800 | 30 | 27 | Site links |
| cyber monday computer deals | 2,600 | 2,500 | 46 | Adwords top, Site links |
| cyber monday 2021 | 2,500 | 1,400 | 61 | Related questions, Site links |
Get the full list of ultimate Cyber Monday keywords.
Popular Printful product-related keywords
Every year, apparel and accessories take the cake as the top-selling product category during Cyber Week. And if your store offers any of these product categories, you need to make them search-friendly.
Here are the most important keywords your products should be ranking for this holiday season:
Keyword Search Volume (Global) Search Volume (USA) Difficulty Score SERP Features
black friday clothing deals 4,400 3,000 27 Related questions
black friday clothes 2,000 800 30 Adwords top, Related questions
black friday deals clothes 1,800 1,300 30 Related questions
black friday clothing sales 1,100 700 26 Related questions
cyber monday clothing deals 900 800 39 Adwords top, Related questions, Adwords bottom
black friday clothes sale 900 350 34 Related questions, Adwords bottom
best clothing black friday deals 700 600 21 Related questions
best black friday clothing deals 700 500 15 Related questions
black friday mens clothes 700 200 16 Adwords top, Adwords bottom, Shopping results, Thumbnails
black friday poster 700 150 1 Shopping results, Thumbnails, Image pack, Site links, Top stories
clothing black friday deals 600 500 30 Related questions
clothes black friday 600 450 37 Related questions, Image pack
black friday clothes deals 600 450 36 Related questions, Adwords bottom, Shopping results, Thumbnails
baby clothes black friday 500 400 7 Site links
cyber monday clothing 350 300 38 Adwords top, Adwords bottom
black friday deals clothing 350 200 35 Related questions
black friday dresses 350 150 12 Shopping results, Thumbnails, Site links
black friday shirts 300 250 0 Image pack
cyber monday clothing sales 300 200 38 Related questions
black friday womens clothes 300 150 19 Shopping results, Thumbnails, Adwords bottom
Get the full Printful product holiday SEO keyword list.
The most searched buzz phrases
While you want Google to favor your website content, at the end of the day, it’s humans who will buy your products. This set of keywords will give you an idea of which buzzwords or phrases (even if they sound a little cheesy) you should focus on to drive shoppers’ attention to your store:
| Keyword | Search Volume (Global) | Search Volume (USA) | Difficulty Score | SERP Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| best black friday deals | 91,000 | 65,000 | 88 | Site links, Related questions |
| best cyber monday deals | 30,000 | 28,000 | 79 | Related questions, Site links |
| best black friday | 5,400 | 3,600 | 81 | Site links |
| black friday offers | 5,200 | 900 | 82 | Site links |
| best black friday sales | 4,500 | 3,300 | 85 | Site links |
| best online black friday deals | 3,000 | 2,800 | 85 | Site links, Related questions |
| top black friday deals | 2,500 | 2,000 | 81 | Site links |
| best cyber monday sales | 1,300 | 1,100 | 69 | Related questions |
| top cyber monday deals | 1,200 | 1,200 | 70 | |
| the best black friday deals | 900 | 700 | 88 | Adwords top, Site links, Related questions |
| black friday doorbusters | 800 | 800 | 86 | Site links, Top stories, Videos |
| black friday offer | 800 | 250 | 87 | Site links, Related questions, Image pack |
| biggest black friday deals | 700 | 600 | 82 | Site links |
| best cyber monday | 700 | 600 | 61 | Sitelinks, Top stories, Videos |
| best black friday clothing deals | 700 | 500 | 15 | Related questions |
| best cyber deals | 600 | 600 | 63 | Site links |
| best black friday offers | 450 | 90 | 87 | Site links |
| biggest deals cyber monday | 400 | 400 | 76 | Top stories, Videos |
| biggest black friday sales | 350 | 200 | 87 | Site links |
| best online black friday | 300 | 250 | 81 | Adwords top, Site links, Top stories, Videos |
Full list of the most searched buzz phrases.
How to use Black Friday Cyber Monday keywords
So you know you need to optimize your store for search engines, and you have the most important holiday keywords at hand. What next? Here are the most important SEO elements where your keywords should go.
Page titles (title tags)
Your store’s page titles appear as links in search engine results pages (SERPs), web browser tabs, and social media post thumbnails.
When writing your page titles, make sure to include the most valuable keywords. Ideally, place the keywords at the beginning of the title to help you rank higher. It’s important to make each page title unique—Google doesn’t like repetitive content and may mark it as spam. Also, try to stay within 60 characters to avoid your page title being cut off as you can see in the example above.
Pro tip: Use tools like Google SERP Simulator to preview how your page titles will look in search results once published.
Main headings
The main heading appears in the body text of your website. Add a couple of Black Friday Cyber Monday buzzwords to your main heading to make your website rank on search results.
Just like page titles, you want your main headings to be unique—don’t repeat the same heading over and over again on different pages. The main headings should also be optimized for the most valuable Black Friday Cyber Monday SEO keywords related to the page topic.
Alt image tag and image file names
Since Google bots can’t see the images, they use alt image tags and file names to understand the content. An alt tag is a short and simple description of the image. Alt image tags are also used by screen readers for the visually impaired. So it’s crucial that whatever info you include in the alt tag is true to the image itself.
For example, a good alt tag for the image below would be: photo of a woman wearing a baseball cap. And a good file name for it would be: denim-baseball-cap.jpg
Pro tip: Make your alt tags and file names slightly different to have more keyword ops.
URLs
Keep your URLs short, simple, and include a focus keyword or phrase, as it helps search engines recognize what the page is about. If you’re planning to create a new landing page to promote your Black Friday Cyber Monday deals, choosing a URL that contains a valuable keyword is a must.
Anchor texts
Google uses hyperlinks to understand the relevance and value of pages on your site. Links can be:
- internal—you linking to your own pages
- external—someone else linking your pages on their website.
Think of each link, internal or external, as a vote—the more you have, the better. And while the link (or vote) itself is important, anchor text is what helps Google figure out what the vote is for.
An anchor text is part of the content where the link is added (or anchored) to. So, in a way, it hints at what content you’ll find in the link.
Link your holiday-related pages in product categories, blogs, or other landing pages. Then use a keyword-optimized anchor text to direct customers to your Black Friday Cyber Monday offer page.
Pro tip: Google values in-content links way more than footer and sidebar links.
Long tail keywords
Some markets are more competitive than others. And if you happen to be competing with companies that have a large marketing budget and dominate search results already, ranking for generic keywords like “t-shirt” or “sports bra” will be difficult.
Your best bet is optimizing pages for long tail keywords. Here’s how a long tail keyword works:
generic keyword + specifications = long tail keyword
Since long tail keywords are more detailed, they get less search traffic but usually have a higher conversion rate and are easier to rank for.
So, let’s say you’re selling yoga leggings. Instead of targeting the yoga leggings keyword, try leopard print yoga leggings, or any other cool detail about your product.
Start optimizing your content for BFCM
Optimizing your content for higher rankings in search results is important all year round, but it’s crucial during busy shopping seasons like Black Friday Cyber Monday. Use this guide to identify the most valuable keywords and start optimizing your website with them in mind today.
What’s your experience with using holiday SEO to get the most out of the Black Friday Cyber Monday season? Share your wisdom in the comments below!
This article was originally published in October 2018; it has since been updated.
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September 22nd, 2021
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The points raised here are really good. Good to see emphasis placed on keywords. I am surely going to keep these points in my mind while optimizing my business websites.
Whether you’re looking for Black Friday or Cyber Monday tips or not, this post has some great information on SEO in general. It’s really helpful how you have everything broken down under SEO 101. Even mentioning Alt Image tags which so many people forget about! Great stuff Giedrė!
Thanks, Aric. Glad you found it helpful 🙂
I was recommended a smarter platform named Ink for All. It’s a full text editor with WordPress integration that lets you easily upload your content to your site. And gives suggestions on how to optimize your content for search results so you don’t have to use several different tools. Has anyone written in INK?
Thanks for sharing this—would be nice to see if other members have used it and have any feedback?