Just like any other search engine, Amazon’s own search engine is also being updated regularly. You’ll need to optimize your product info regularly to keep your product ranking on Amazon, and that optimization process greatly depends on keywords.

Today we are talking about how you can research and optimize your keywords for Amazon. I’ll provide a step-by-step guide on how to do Amazon keyword research and keep your ranks high.

What Are Amazon Keywords

Google or Bing isn’t the only place people do online searches. Many websites also provide a search option so you can find what you need.

Amazon, one of the most widely used e-commerce platforms across the globe, also provides a search option to find products quickly. Amazon has its own search algorithm. This powerful algorithm helps shoppers to find relevant products through a range of keywords.

These keywords (words and phrases) are indexed by Amazon and have been a way to optimize product pages. The higher you rank on Amazon’s search results, the more your sales grow.

Let’s Meet the Amazon A9

Amazon uses a powerful algorithm named “A9” to list the best search results for any given query. This algorithm evaluates keywords to find out the best relevant product for your search query. A9 is one of the most powerful algorithms for products in the world.

Unlike Google’s algorithm, A9 also takes account conversions and product reviews into account to rank a product.

What this means is, that if a product can be considered a better-selling product in terms of volume and conversion rate, or has many positive reviews; that product is more likely to rank higher than a product with low sales volume, and conversion rate, or negative review.

How Amazon Keywords Work

Keywords are important to rank your products. How well you place the keyword will determine how high you rank up on the A9 search results. Not all keywords will get the same importance. Here is the priority order of how A9 prioritizes the importance of your keyword:

Product Title＞> ‘About this Item’ (Bullet Points)＞> Hidden Keywords＞> Product Description

Let’s have a deeper look.

Within the title

The title gets the most importance from A9. This is the reason you see almost every product title on Amazon is a mile long and stuffed with a bunch of keywords. People try to put as many relevant keywords in the title as possible.

The general guideline is to use the main keywords at the start of your product title and include all the main variants of your particular keyword that people are searching for. This practice is called “Front-loading.”

On the product page

The next big and important placement is the product page. Shoppers will click through your title, and leave your page without any conversions if they don’t find the correct and reliable information.

Your product page should contain product detail that matches your product description. Avoid
reusing keywords you’ve already put in your title. You also should provide bulleted lists of the benefits of your product and try to answer prospect questions with informative keywords.

Hidden keywords

A9 also has the ability to hide keywords from customers. These keywords are used to rank your products but stay hidden from the shoppers. Usually, related keywords with a high search volume that don’t describe your product (audience-focused or competitor keywords) go here.

These keywords are named “hidden/backend” keywords and you’ll get 250 bytes to put them in your seller account. You can also put commonly misspelled words related to your products.
You’ll need to properly utilize the allocated space and update the keywords regularly.

How to Do Amazon Keyword Research: Step-By-Step

Now that you are familiar with the basic concepts, let’s dive deep into how to use The Amazon keyword research process to rank your products.

Step #1: Use the Amazon search bar

This is a pretty straightforward and time-consuming way to find related keywords. Just enter your product’s name in Amazon’s search bar, followed by the letter of the alphabet; one letter at a time.

This way, you’ll be able to find out related keywords that the customer sees when they type in your product’s name. This will give you a good start, and it’s free.

Step #2: Find relevant products

Amazon has an amazing feature named “frequently bought together/buy it with” where it showcases relevant products that’ll compliment your product.

This is a great way to come under the spotlight and reach the customers who didn’t even know they needed your product. Collect keywords from there and include them as hidden keywords.

Step #3: Check your Google ranking

Customers who are buying for the first time often search multiple sources before making the purchase. And most people still use Google as their primary search engine. That’s why ranking on Google will also help you increase your conversion and create a loyal client base.

When people search for a product online, most of them intend to buy it. Utilizing your Google ranking and optimizing your Amazon listing will help you to be there when the customer is ready and looking for you.

Step #4: List your seed keywords

Seed keywords are the primary keywords that you use to get ahead of your competition. Just like any other marketing strategy, competitor research is a must in Amazon keyword research as well.

You can either do it manually or take help from a keyword research tool. The key is to note down 4-6 seed keywords that you’d expect your clients to search on Amazon. The seed words should be about 2-3 words long and relevant to your product.

Step #5: Use a tool

Nowadays, there are lots of tools available to make your keyword research smooth, hassle-free, and efficient. That is why I am explaining this separately. You can use tools like Amazon’s Reverse ASIN search tool, Google keyword planner, Ahrefs, Sonar, Helium 10, and many more.

These tools will help you to find hundreds of long-tail keywords within a few clicks. Your job will be to filter those keywords to find the most suitable keywords for your product. They will also help you to analyze your competitor’s keywords.

Step #6: Insert your keywords into the Amazon listing

Now, the race begins. You‘ll need to insert the seed keywords into your seller account to start ranking for them. As I’ve mentioned earlier, keyword placement is essential. You shouldn’t use one keyword in more than one place.

Find the best place to put your keywords and try to provide as much information as possible. Some keywords will go in the title, some will take place on the product description page, and some will remain hidden from the customer.

Do not stuff your product page with just keywords. If the buyers don’t find the right information, they won’t buy from you. Use keywords to carefully enhance your product description.

Step #7: Keep researching

Marketing isn’t something that you do once and gets over with. It is a lifelong process that you need to continue as long as you expect to sell products. Recent trends or the buyer’s behavior may change over time and you’ll need to be prepared for this. That’s why you should never stop optimizing your product page and constantly search for new opportunities. Once you stop, your sales will start to die out.

Top Amazon Keyword Tools

There are a lot of free and premium tools available in the market. These tools can help you find related keywords, check search traffic, analyze your competitors, and optimize your product page. Using these tools can make your keyword research process simple and seamless. Here are some of the top tools that can help you rank higher in Amazon.

Google keyword planner

It’s a free tool from Google that lets you find estimated search volumes and related phrases for any keyword. You’ll need to create a free AdWords account to be able to use the keyword planner.

This tool can also help you to research your competitor’s keywords. However, keep in mind that the metrics you see on Google keyword planner will not be the same as on amazon.

Ahrefs

Ahrefs is a widely known and used SEO tool that lets you find the keywords your competitors are using. Ahrefs Site Explorer tool will help you to stay one step ahead of your competition. This is a great way to get insights from Amazon’s top sellers.

The tool has both a free (limited) version and a paid version. Pick the one you like and get started.

Keyword Scout

It is a premium tool that can help you to generate hundreds of high-converting, top-ranking keywords against your keyword Amazon’s standard identification number (ASIN). You’ll also find trendy and relevant keywords.

Keyword Scout will also help you filter keywords to narrow your list down.

Helium 10

Helium 10 is a tool that helps you to collect related keywords and sort them by search volume and other related metrics. This powerful tool can also track the organic ranking of the products within your seed keywords.

Like Ahrefs, this tool also provides both a free (limited) and a premium version.

Sonar

Sonar is a free keyword research tool that can generate potential long-tail keywords related to your products. You’ll need to filter the results to get the optimal keywords. This tool can also help you find who is currently ranking for your organic keywords.

The basic version of Sonar is free. However, you’ll need to get additional paid tools from the developer, Sellics, to use the tool to its maximum potential.

What to Do if Your Ranking Drops?

Nothing lasts forever. What is trendy today may become obsolete tomorrow and you have to be prepared for that. If you don’t keep researching keywords and optimizing your product page, you’ll notice your rank dropping gradually over time.

The A9 is constantly pulling information from a massive amount of products and as a result, constantly changing the rankings. If you want to stay at the top of your game and ahead of the competition, here’s what you should do:

1. Target new variations of your keyword. (Ex, soda = pop = cola)
2. Use the phrases your clients might use to describe your product
3. Try to be a bit more benefits-focused in your product description.
4. Add more relevant keywords that are trendy
5. Try to add complementary products to your arsenal

Amazon Keyword Research Tips

Here are some pro tips you can follow to make the best out of your Amazon keyword research practice.

1. Create a specific marketing plan for your Amazon audience
2. Use your strongest keywords in the title
3. Don’t stuff keywords into your product page any more than you should
4. Use a variety of tools to make the process seamless (Ex, Ahrefs, Helium 10, Sonar)
5. Avoid using subjective keywords
6. Integrate relevant keywords in your listing
7. Use and update hidden keywords regularly
8. Try to catch the latest trends. Use apps like Google trends or Google Analysis
9. Regularly monitor and analyze your keywords
10. Research your competitors well
11. Provide sharp images and clear benefits of your product
12. Follow a specific keyword strategy throughout the sales funnel

FAQs

1. How many keywords does amazon allow? 

Ans: In the US market, you’ll get about 250 bytes worth of space for all of your keywords, including the hidden ones. The limit is 200 for India, 500 for Japan, and no limit for China. Note that the bytes are not equal to letters/characters.

2. How long does it take to choose keywords for amazon? 

Ans: That varies on the product and your experience level. It will take more time for a newbie. Once you get used to the environment and use tools, the process will become much faster.