We’ve just released a new feature in Smart SEO to give you even more control over your meta tags search engine optimization - the Focus Keyword. This feature is especially useful if you're looking to improve your products in Google search results and attract the right kind of visitors to your store.
In this article, we’ll explain what a focus keyword is, why it matters, how to use it in Smart SEO, and what to expect from your SEO score moving forward.
What Is a Focus Keyword?
A focus keyword is the main word or phrase that describes what your product is about and what you want it to rank for in Google.
Think of it like this: If someone goes to Google and types something in, what exact words would they use to try to find your product?
📌 Example:
Let’s say you’re selling a product called “Red Summer Dress”.
Some possible focus keywords for this product could be:
- red dress
- summer dress
- red summer dress (more specific and often better for targeting)
These are the terms you want Google to associate with your product, so you’ll want to include them in your meta title and meta description - that’s what the Focus Keyword feature is designed to help you do.
Short and Long Keywords
When doing SEO, it’s helpful to understand the difference between short-tail and long-tail keywords:
| Type | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Short-tail | dress |
Very broad, high competition |
| Long-tail | red summer dress |
More specific, easier to rank for |
Short keywords (like "dress") are searched a lot, but they're also very competitive. Long keywords (like "red summer dress" or "red summer dress for women") have less competition and are more likely to bring in visitors who are actually looking for exactly what you're selling.
That’s why it's recommended to choose clear, specific keywords for your products.
How to Use the Focus Keyword in Smart SEO
Once you know what keyword you want to target for a product, here’s how to use it:
Go to the Meta Tags page in Smart SEO > Products > find the product in question and click the Add keyword button:
Enter your Focus Keyword in the pop-up and click Save.
Or, you can also add it when you open the edit page for a specific product:
Make sure the meta title and meta description contain that keyword (ideally with the title starting with it).
With the new SEO scoring update, Smart SEO will automatically check:
✅ Does the focus keyword appear in the meta title?
✅ Does it appear in the meta description?
✅ Does the meta title start with the keyword? (which is considered a good SEO practice)
If your product's meta tags meet these conditions, your SEO score will improve for that product and you will rank better for the specific focus keyword you provided.
What If I Don’t Want to Set Focus Keywords Manually?
Focus keywords are usually chosen based on keyword research - the process of finding out what people are actually searching for on Google. This helps you pick words and phrases that are more likely to attract the right customers.
If you work with an SEO expert or agency, keyword research is often one of the first steps they take when optimizing your store.
However, if you don’t want to do this manually or don’t have time to research and enter keywords for each product, that’s totally okay!
In fact, most of our users prefer to use bulk templates or AI generation to speed things up. When you take that route, Smart SEO will automatically use the product title as the default focus keyword. So if your product is called “Red Summer Dress,” the app will treat that as your keyword and evaluate your meta tags accordingly.
This is a practical approach for stores with large catalogs that don’t have time to optimize every product individually.
Important:
The Focus Keyword field is intentionally designed for manual use, giving you the flexibility to dive deeper into optimization when you want to - for example, on your bestsellers or most competitive products.
So if you skip setting a custom focus keyword, you may see slightly lower SEO scores - but that’s expected. The scoring system is there to highlight opportunities for improvement, not penalize automation.
Also, note that the SEO score is only visible to you. Google doesn’t use it or see it. It’s simply a tool to guide you.
Do I Really Need to Use Focus Keywords?
It depends on your goal.
If you're aiming to rank better on Google for specific products, then yes - setting a well-researched focus keyword and adjusting your meta tags accordingly will help.
But if your main goal is to save time and cover your entire catalog efficiently, using the default product title as the keyword (through bulk or AI tools) is totally fine, even if the SEO score isn’t perfect.
Remember: perfection isn't always necessary. It's about balancing efficiency with impact.
Final Thoughts
The Focus Keyword feature is here to give you more control over how your products appear in search results. Whether you're a hands-on store owner doing keyword research and fine-tuning each product or you're automating most of the process, Smart SEO supports both approaches.
If you're not sure where to start, feel free to contact our support team. We’d be happy to help you choose keywords, review your meta tags, or explain any part of the scoring system.
