The Trap Of Keyword Research On Amazon

Amazon is a search engine, like Google and Bing. Different from other search engines, Amazon searches have the purchase intention, and users have different search habits.
The competition on Amazon is very fierce, and most sales come from the first page of search results. How to let consumers see your products?
Keywords can lead customers to your product detailed page, so raising keyword ranking is the best way to increase exposure and sales.
1. Amazon keyword types and their operation principles
Because more than one seller sells the same product, they will compete for keyword rankings. With different variants of the same niche market, how to draw target customers becomes very important.
If you choose the subdivided market - “pet” to sell dog food, then keywords you choose represent your market. For example, the market positioning of "dry dog food" and "wet dog food" is different. But some of the keywords in these markets are related. Using them properly can attract more consumers than competitors.
Many sellers also use keywords as a way to select products.
2. Keyword types
For keyword research, there are several keyword types that need to be paid attention to:
Short Tail Keywords
Such keywords usually have one or two words. Because of the huge search volume, they are highly competitive in rankings. But short tail keywords cover a wide range of the most common product types. In PPC advertising, short tail keywords have high bids, but it is not valuable for sellers who focus on specific categories.
Example: flashlight
Long-Tail Keywords‍
Long-tail keywords generally have three or more words. Because of more precise positioning, they are not competitive in the ranking. Long-tail keywords are more closely related to categories and only apply to specific markets. Their PPC bids are lower. Such keywords are great for new sellers.
Example: Metallic tactical flashlight
The following three types of keywords can be short-tail keywords or long-tail keywords, depending on the choice of keywords:
Broad match
When a keyword is the same as or a variant of a broad match keyword, your product will show in the search results. Broad match keywords can be synonyms for keywords, misspelled words, or related words.
For example, your keyword is "flashlight", then the broad keywords can be:
   · Hand torch (synonym)
   · Flashlite (misspelled)
   · Headlamp (related)
Phrase Match
Phrase match keywords contain your keywords that are more relevant to the product. In addition, phrase match keywords include the singular and plural versions of your keywords, as well as the words that describe your keywords.
For example, your keyword is "flashlight", then the phrase match keywords can be:
   · Flashlights (plural)
   · Metallic tactical flashlight (descriptive)
Exact match
Exact match keywords are the root of your product.
For example, your keyword is "flashlight", then the exact keyword can be:
   · Flashlight (standard)
   · Flash light (separate)
Tips: What type of keywords a seller chooses depends on your product and market saturation. It’s best to start with exact match keywords, then adding variants of your keywords and other options.
3. Amazon A9 algorithm
Just like other search engines that index search terms by relevance, Amazon searches for products based on search terms. But because the customer's intention is to buy, the Amazon A9 algorithm works slightly different from the search engine.
First, it's not appropriate to apply the search volume factor from search engines to Amazon. While search volume is a key factor when choosing target keywords, customer intent is more important. Amazon consumers are more likely to use functionality and products as search terms, so choosing product feature keywords is an effective strategy to attract customers.
As an e-commerce platform, Amazon's purpose is to let consumers place orders, so this purpose directly affects product search rankings. Amazon A9 algorithm prioritizes products with a good sales history based on high click-through rates and conversion rates.
The better the product sells, the faster the ranking rises, and the more exposure it gets.
4. Amazon keyword research guide
What kind of keywords are good keywords? How do you find good keywords? You can get keywords that are suitable for you by:
1) Search competitors’ keywords and ASIN
Did your competitors use your chosen keywords? If the top-ranked competitor does not optimize ranking for a certain keyword, it means that the keyword may not have a high conversion rate or the competition may be too fierce. Whatever the reason, you need to reconsider this keyword. Some keyword tools can provide keywords used by competitors, such as SellerSprite ASIN reverse tool.
2) Relevance
Are keywords related to the product? The more relevant your keyword is to your product, the higher Amazon will rank you. Some sellers may be tempted to fill in keywords to increase exposure. But Amazon prohibits sellers from doing this. What’s more, consumers won’t click results that don’t match their search.
After finding relevant keywords for the product, you can put them into keyword tools( SellerSprite Mining Tool ) and look for other relevant keywords.
How do you know that these keywords are relevant to customer intent?
   · Utilize common sense - don't use keywords recommended by keyword tools if they have nothing to do with the product.
   · What keywords make competitors rank higher.
   · Research multiple competitors to see what keywords they use.
   · Make sure your conversion keywords are not unique to the product or brand.
3) Search volume
Even if the product is unique, it must be associated with keywords that have traffic. Amazon is not suitable for selling products without a search history. If no one uses your chosen keywords, you need to select the ones with search volume.
For example, "red water bottle with a twist cap". Although this keyword is highly relevant to your product, few people search for it. You need to find keywords that are relevant to your product and have traffic.
4) Hidden keywords
New products and new keywords appear every day. In addition, long-tail keywords may be more relevant to the product. If your product is "red water bottle with a twist cap", then the long tail keyword "twist cap water bottle" is very effective.
Long-tail keywords may have lower bids, so you can get ad traffic at a cheaper price. Even if the search volume for long-tail keywords is low, customers searching with such keywords may be highly interested in your product.
5)Keyword sorting for the new released product
When you launch a product on Amazon, you may optimize it for just a few keywords to get it rank on the first page.
Then you need to strategically place these keywords in the title, description, and bullet points. Which positions have the most impact on keyword rankings?
Sorting by impact size:
   · Title
   · Subject Matter
   · Search terms
   · Bullet points
   · Description
5. Mistakes in keyword research
01 Using tools with inaccurate data
Many keyword tools use data from other search engines. Not only is search volume different from Amazon, but search intent is also different. So make sure you’re using Amazon tools.
02 Overly focus on keywords with high search volume
Generally, keywords with high search volume are general keywords, which are not necessarily suitable for your product. How to judge if these keywords are suitable for you? Use them to search on Amazon, and don't waste time and money if you don't see many results similar to your product.
03 Select keywords based on relevance score
“Relevance score” is not as accurate as many people think. If you sell skincare products and use "skin toner" as your keyword, then the "relevance score" of "ink toner" will be very high, even if it has nothing to do with the products you’re selling.
04 Rely on "Keyword Score"
Don't rely entirely on “Keyword Scores” given by tools. While this score can narrow the range of related keywords for products, other factors such as high conversion rates are more important. When measuring the usefulness of keywords, use product rankings and sales.
05 Copy competitors' Listing
Lazily copy your competitors' Listings, which can get you into trouble. You can get inspiration from them, but please make your own original Listing.
06 Only focus on main keywords
For example, “Tactical Flashlight” may be your keyword, but can you compete for the ranking with top sellers? The bigger the keywords, the more sales it takes to get a high ranking, which means you must have enough inventory to maintain the ranking. Instead of focusing on the main keywords in the market, try keywords with less search volume, which may be ignored by top sellers.
07 Copy keywords from other markets
Effective keywords vary in different markets. In addition, do not copy keywords from the US marketplace to the UK or Canada marketplace. A keyword with a high ranking on one marketplace does not mean that it will be high on another. Word spelling may vary in the US, UK, and Canada, so take this into account.