Amazon Keyword Research: Using User Intent to Focus Your Keyword Research

With over 2 million sellers worldwide and counting, Amazon marketing tactics are constantly evolving as the company seeks to provide a more seamless customer experience. A big part of that experience is Amazon’s ability to tie the right products to the right keywords that will lead to a sale.

Arguably the most important factor in selling on Amazon, Google, or any other search engine is keywords: otherwise known as the queries or search terms that are entered into a search box in order to find a product. For the purpose of this blog series, we’re going to look at Amazon keywords, how they’re classified, and how they can be manipulated to increase sales.

Categorization on Amazon

Amazon customers are able to further refine their searches by choosing specific product categories and subcategories. Amazon uses Browse Tree Guide (BTG) to classify listed products. You can use this information to assign your products to specific categories and subcategories and also find relevant keywords in certain browse paths.

The Amazon Sales Funnel

There are different types of keywords that should be considered for an Amazon listing. By focusing on keywords closer to the point of sale (bottom of the funnel), sellers can expect stronger conversions. This is the point from which all keyword research should begin for any Amazon seller.

User Intent Sales Funnel Summary

• Audience Terms: Terms targeting a specific audience during a buyer cycle.
• Complementary Product Terms: Search queries for products that have a strong association with your product.
• Substitute Product Terms: Products that someone might use instead of your product.
• Competitor Terms: Other distributors in your marketplace.
• Product Terms: Search terms that focus on the nomenclature of the actual product, as well as synonyms.
• Brand Terms: Targeting buyers that know the brand and actively support it.

From top to bottom, Brand Terms are your point of sale, where the strongest connection and conversion rates are going to happen for your product. You might be asking yourself: how do I generate these keywords? Where do I begin?

Generating Keywords

Although there are a variety of tools you can leverage to find Amazon keywords, I prefer to stick with the mainstream winners:

• Google Keyword Planner
• Merchant Words
• Google & Amazon’s Search Functionalities

Once you select a tool you like, it’s always good practice to use more than one tool for compiling a solid list of 20–25 keywords that align with your sales funnel. Start by identifying root keywords that are hyper relevant to your products. Use the tools above to expand your research and identify themes.

Here are some of my personal tips for effective keyword research:

• Focus on branded and product terms first, as they are bottom of the funnel and closest to the POS.
• Search for your product on Amazon and review the A9 algorithm list; consider buying JungleScout for sales velocity and product data.
• Search for your product on Google Keyword Planner, noting clicks, search volume, and keyword difficulty to get an idea of the competitiveness.
• Search for products on Google noting recommended searches at the bottom of the page as well as titles, descriptions and products that show up in the SERP.
• The Google Keyword Planner tool will suggest Ad Groups which can be used to identify root keywords.
• Use MerchantWords to get eCommerce specific terms as well as volume.

In order for your product to shine in the eyes of consumers, they need to be able to find it first. Understanding how your customers search for your products, and more specifically, the keywords used to that lead to a purchase is the primary reason for conducting keyword research. In an ultra competitive environment, good keyword research will set you apart from the competition. That is why putting in extensive time and research with your keywords will pay off in the long run. Taking your time and going step-by-step, effective Amazon keyword analysis is completely doable.

Ready to learn more about implementing the keywords effectively? Stick around for Part 2.