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. We already spoke about the importance of getting your website intact, putting together email marketing campaigns, and polishing your social media posts. But there’s one more thing you simply can’t afford to overlook, and that’s optimizing your website for search engines.

Every online business wants more organic traffic. And to get it, they need to rank for certain keywords. Now, and this is crucial, you won’t go far without knowing which keywords you want to drive traffic from. And even worse, if you’re driving traffic to your store with irrelevant keywords, you won’t make any sales, you’ll only waste your time and money. And who wants that?

I know what you’re thinking. SEO is tough. And I won’t lie–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 keywords (there are more than 800). More importantly, learn how to use them to generate more valuable traffic and boost sales during this holiday season.

Black Friday & Cyber Monday search patterns

Whether customers are planning on hitting brick-and-mortar stores, or prefer shopping in the comfort of their own home, 75% still agree they research the product or the deal online before making a purchase.

Online shoppers start looking up generic, non-branded deals for Black Friday & Cyber Monday in early November. Searches become more specific only about two weeks before the Thanksgiving weekend.

Gaining an online presence on search engines takes time, so if you want to be visible in the search results for the Black Friday & Cyber Monday period, you’ll need to get started sooner rather than later.

SEO keyword research

The very first step to content optimization is keyword research. And while it may sound daunting at first, it’s really not that difficult. What can get in your way, however, is the price of SEO tools you need to use to get the job done. And let’s be real, the majority of them come at a price most small businesses aren’t ready to pay.

But that’s where this guide of Black Friday and Cyber Monday tips comes in.

To help you figure out which keywords you should be focusing on, we did the holiday keywords research for you. Even better, we grouped these keywords together in 5 distinctive categories:

• Black Friday keywords
• Cyber Monday keywords
• Printful product keywords
• Electronics keywords
• Buzz keywords

Each keyword includes useful metrics that can help you evaluate their potential value and competitiveness:

• Search volume is a rough estimate of the number of searches for a keyword per month. the higher the search volume, the more people search for it. We used search volume data suggested by Google Ads Keyword Planner (Global),  and search volume data from Ahrefs Keyword Explorer (US).
• Difficulty score, on a scale from 0 to 100, shows how difficult it is to compete with already-ranking (organic) results. The lower the value, the easier it is to rank for the keyword.
• PPC competition score, on a scale of 0 to 1, indicates how many advertisers are bidding a certain amount to have their ads appear on the keyword. Even though this refers to paid advertising, it can also be used as an indicator of how competitive the SEO arena might be.
• SERP features are other types of info blocks/features provided by Google that appear on search engine results pages (SERPs) next to organic links, all of which may draw traffic away from your organic links. Data refers to Google in the USA.

Pro tip: Focus your efforts on keywords that strike a good balance of high search volume and small competition.

But enough rambling, let’s get onto the keywords!

High-value Black Friday keywords

This year Black Friday falls on November 29th, which means you’ve still got just under two months to get the attention of holiday shoppers.

You might think that the ecommerce holiday season is still miles away. But every year online retailers start promoting their Black Friday deals earlier, 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.

Keyword	Search Volume (Global)	Search Volume (USA)	Difficulty Score	PPC Competition	SERP Features
black friday	4,090,000	360,000	88	0.07	Site links, Related questions, Top stories, Image pack, Knowledge panel, Thumbnail
black friday deals	550,000	296,000	83	0.18	Top stories, Related questions
black friday sales	165,000	39,000	82	0.11	Site links, Image pack, Knowledge panel
black friday ads	110,000	119,000	70	0.03	Site links, Related questions
black friday angebote	74,000	20	14	0.41	Site links
black friday tv deals	74,000	28,000	22	0.94	Featured snippet, Shopping results, Thumbnail
best black friday deals	60,500	69,000	38	0.5	Featured snippet, Related questions, Top stories, Thumbnail
black friday ad	27,100	8,200	64	0.03	Site links, Image pack, Related questions
black friday laptop deals	27,100	16,000	21	1	Featured snippet, Shopping results, Thumbnail
black friday tv	27,100	3,400	13	0.91
laptop black friday	27,100	5,400	9	0.82	Shopping results, Thumbnail
black friday phone deals	18,100	9,100	14	0,96
black friday cyber monday	14,800	600	29	0.03	Site links
black friday deals canada	14,800	100	5	0.24	Site links, Related questions
black friday tv sales	14,800	2,200	33	1	Featured snippet
best black friday tv deals	12,100	7,700	22	0.8	Featured snippet, Shopping results, Thumbnail
black friday cyber monday deals	12,100	200	16	0	Related questions
black friday deals uk	12,100	90	31	0.28	Top stories, Related questions
xbox black friday	12,100	2,300	23	0.19
black friday ipad deals	9,900	3,000	10	0.18	Featured snippet, Shopping results, Related questions, Thumbnail

These are 20 most popular keywords. Take a look at the full list of high-value Black Friday keywords.

Ultimate Cyber Monday keywords

After the Friday shopping craze follows Cyber Monday. Last year this day made the mark in ecommerce history by generating a record-breaking $6.6 billion in sales. Cyber Monday is expected to reach even greater heights this year by generating $7.25 billion worth of sales.

If you want to boost your sales this holiday season, mark December 2nd on your marketing calendar and start optimizing your website for valuable Cyber Monday keywords.

Keyword	Search Volume (Global)	Search Volume (USA)	Difficulty Score	PPC Competition	SERP Features
cyber monday	1,000,000	124,000	49	0.1	Site links, Related questions, Image pack, Knowledge panel
cyber monday deals	550,000	280,000	51	0.24	Site links, Related questions
best cyber monday deals	33,100	14,000	27	0.07	Related questions
when is cyber monday	27,100	16,000	37	0.02	Related questions
cyber monday sales	22,200	12,000	52	0.18	Related questions
ipad mini 4 cyber monday	18,100	200	9	0.4	Related questions
black friday cyber monday	14,800	600	29	0.03	Site links
cyber monday chile	14,800	200	16	0.14
cyber monday ps4 deals	14,800	2,000	32	0.52
nike cyber monday	14,800	4,900	0	0.59
black friday cyber monday deals	12,100	200	16	0	Related questions
cyber monday tv deals	12,100	12,000	26	0.41	Featured snippet, Related questions, Thumbnail
cyber monday laptop deals	9,900	10,000	47	0.34	Featured snippet, Shopping results, Related questions, Thumbnail
cyber monday argentina	8,100	100	22	0.18	Site links
cyber monday ps4	6,600	4 700	16	0.17
iphone cyber monday	5,400	1,100	18	0.14	Related questions
cyber monday laptop	4,400	1,500	27	0.29	Featured snippet, Ad
cyber monday playstation 4	4,400	1,000	17	0.46
cyber monday tv	4,400	1,600	15	0.86	Related questions
cyber monday canada	3,600	150	6	0.11	Related questions

Full list of ultimate Cyber Monday keywords.

Fun fact: Did you know that people visit online stores on Mondays more than any other day of the week?

Popular Printful product-related keywords

Year in, year out, apparel and accessories take the cake as a top-selling product category during Cyber Week. And if your store offers any of these categories, you need to make your products 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	PPC Competition	SERP Features
black friday clothing sales	5,400	1,300	12	0.31
black friday clothes	4,400	450	11	0.13
black friday clothing deals	3,600	350	12	0.2
cyber monday clothing deals	3,600	450	8	0.02
black friday shirts	1,600	450	0	0.98	Image pack
cyber monday clothing	1,300	500	14	0.07
backpacks black friday sale	880	20	12	0.86	Shopping results, Thumbnail
black friday clothing stores	880	350	20	0.18
black friday t shirts	880	300	0	0.8	Image pack
black friday dresses	720	200	5	0.42
black friday hoodies	720	100	2	0.2
black friday poster	720	100	17	0.18	Image pack
cyber monday mens clothes	720	100	21	0.01	Site links
men's clothing black friday sale	720	20	9	0.92	Ad, Site links
black friday backpack	590	40	8	0.49
black friday dresses sale	590	40	10	0.95
black friday women's clothing sales	480	80	20	0	Ad, site links
cyber monday clothing sales	480	200	21	0.33
cyber monday womens clothing	480	150	10	0.66	Ad, Site links
best black friday clothing deals	390	500	1	0.05	Featured snippet

Top electronics keywords

Another best-selling product category during Cyber Week is electronics. In 2017, around 30% of shoppers got their hands on discounted TVs, laptops, mobile phones, game consoles, and other smart devices. And according to Black Friday – Cyber Monday sale predictions, people are likely to spend on electronics even more this year.

If you offer electronic devices on your store, keep an eye on these keywords:

Keyword	Search Volume (Global)	Search Volume (USA)	Difficulty Score	PPC Competition	SERP Features
black friday tv deals	74,000	28,000	22	0.94	Featured snippet, Shopping results, Thumbnail
black friday laptop deals	27,100	16,000	21	1	Featured snippet, Shopping results, Thumbnail
black friday tv	27,100	3,400	13	0.91
laptop black friday	27,100	5,400	9	0.82	Shopping results, Thumbnail
black friday phone deals	18,100	9,100	14	0.96
ipad mini 4 cyber monday	18,100	200	9	0.4	Related questions
black friday tv sales	14,800	2,200	33	1	Featured snippet
cyber monday ps4 deals	14,800	2,000	32	0.52
best black friday tv deals	12,100	7,700	22	0.8	Featured snippet, Shopping results, Thumbnail
black friday ipad deals	12,100	4,800	30	0.85	Featured snippet, Shopping results, Related questions, Thumbnail
cyber monday tv deals	12,100	12,000	26	0.41	Featured snippet, Related questions, Thumbnail
xbox black friday	12,100	2,300	23	0.19
cyber monday laptop deals	9,900	10,000	47	0.34	Featured snippet, Shopping results, Related questions, Thumbnail
tablet black friday	8,100	300	3	0.71
cyber monday ps4	6,600	4,700	16	0.17
best black friday laptop deals	5,400	1,300	20	0.97	Featured snippet, Thumbnail
black friday cell phone deals	5,400	2,200	14	0.96	Featured snippet, Shopping results, Top stories, Ad, Site links, Thumbnail
black friday laptop sales	5,400	800	26	0.95	Featured snippet, Shopping results, Thumbnail
black friday notebook	5,400	50	20	0.98
iphone cyber monday	5,400	1,100	18	0.14	Related questions

Full list of top electronics keywords.

The most searched buzz phrases

Optimize your content not only for search engines, but for people too. You see, the way shoppers search for products online is different than how Google crawls the content. And 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 get the most human attention to your store.

Keyword	Search Volume (Global)	Search Volume (USA)	Difficulty Score	PPC Competition	SERP Features
best black friday deals	60,500	69,000	38	0.5	Featured snippet, Related questions, Top stories, Thumbnail
best cyber monday deals	33,100	14,000	27	0.07	Related questions
best black friday tv deals	12,100	7,700	22	0.8	Featured snippet, Shopping results, Thumbnail
best black friday	8,100	5,200	74	0.05	Site links, Top stories, Thumbnail
best black friday laptop deals	5,400	1,300	20	0.97	Featured snippet, Thumbnail
best black friday sales	5,400	1,700	78	0.38	Related questions
best online black friday deals	3,600	2,200	80	0.09	Related questions
cyber monday big sales	2,900	0-10	26	0.57	Related questions
best cyber monday tv deals	2,400	2,100	26	0.22	Featured snippet, Thumbnail
best cyber monday sales	1,900	1,100	31	0	Featured snippet
top black friday deals	1,900	1,400	60	0.05	Featured snippet, Related questions, Thumbnail
best cyber monday	1,600	600	18	0.19	Featured snippet, Related questions, Thumbnail
best cyber monday laptop deals	1,600	800	31	0.33	Featured snippet
black friday doorbusters	1,300	700	68	0.02	Site links, Related questions
best cyber deals	1,000	600	84	0.33	Related questions, Ad
best places to shop on black friday	1,000	300	59	0.01	Site links, Related questions
best black friday offers	880	150	76	0.11	Site links, Related questions
best stores for black friday deals	880	150	52	0.11	Featured snippet, Thumbnail
top cyber monday deals	880	500	40	0.01	Featured snippet, Related questions, Thumbnail
best black friday ads	720	400	67	0.01	Featured snippet, Site links, Thumbnail

Full list of the most searched buzz phrases.

How to use Black Friday – Cyber Monday keywords

So you know you need to optimize the holiday content for search engines, and you have the most important keywords at hand. What next? Here are some SEO basics to keep in mind while optimizing your page.

Page titles (title tags)

Website page titles appear as links in search engine results pages (SERPs), tabs of web browsers, and thumbnails of social media posts.

When writing your page titles, make sure to include valuable keywords (ideally at the beginning of the title) to help you rank higher. Also, try to stay within 60 characters to avoid your page title being cut off in the preview.

Every page title on your website should be unique and clear. Don’t stuff it with keywords as it may make your page seem less trustworthy and discourage users to click on it altogether.

Pro tip: Use tools like Google SERP Simulator to see how your page titles will look in search results once published.

Main headings

The main heading appears in the body text of your website. In most cases, main headings are automatically used as page titles, but they can be different if you want to make your page more catchy, for example, by adding couple extra buzzwords or a keyword synonym.

Just like page titles, you want your main headings to be unique. They should also be optimized for the most valuable keywords related to what that page is about. If you want your page to rank for Black Friday & Cyber Monday Google search results, adjusting the main heading is essential.

Alt image tags (+ file names)

It’s not a secret that visual content is becoming more popular, and Google understands that too. Therefore, it places a relatively high value on text alternatives for images, also known as alt tags.

Since Google bots can’t see the images, they use alt image tags and file names to understand what it’s about. Both of them should describe what’s on the image or how it relates to the rest of the content on the page.

Adding keywords to your alt image tags and file names can boost your overall rankings in search, so don’t forget to optimize your images in preparation for Cyber Week.

There should be an option to add alt text tags to your images in the image editor of the hosting platform you use. For example, here’s how you can do it in WordPress:

Pro tip: IIt’s better to use synonyms and variations of your main keyword than repeating the same keyword for all the images on the same page.

URLs

Google suggests keeping URLs short and simple. Just like with everything else, your web addresses should contain 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.

Pro tip: Don’t change the URL of your main page just for Black Friday, as it can negatively affect your referral traffic.

Anchor texts

Google uses links to understand the relevance and value of pages on your site. 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 texts is what helps Google figure out what is the vote for.

To use anchor texts to add product blocks on your homepage as sneak peeks of your amazing Black Friday deals. Then use keyword-optimized anchor text to direct customers to your Black Friday & Cyber Monday page where all of your best offers live.

Pro tip: Google values footer and sidebar links way less than in-content links. And the homepage is usually the best-ranking page on a website.

Long tail keywords

Some markets are more competitive than others. And if you happened 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” might be difficult.

In this case, your best bet is optimizing pages for long tail keywords that also contain some of the more popular generic phrases. AAnd since long tail keywords are more specific, they get less search traffic but usually have a higher conversion rate.

So, let’s say you’re selling yoga leggings. Instead of targeting the yoga leggings keyword, try leopard print yoga leggings, for example.

Start optimizing your content today

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 and Cyber Monday. So 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 SEO to get the most out of the Black Friday & Cyber Monday season? Share your takeaways and wisdom in the comments below!

This article was originally published in October 2018; it has since been updated.