December 27th, 2024

Amazon keyword research: Mastering the maze (Canada & US)

In today’s competitive e-commerce landscape, Amazon keyword research has become an essential tool for sellers seeking to improve their product visibility, enhance sales, and optimize ad campaigns. Whether you’re selling in Canada or the U.S., mastering the art of keyword research is critical for success. Amazon is the world’s largest online retailer, and understanding how to effectively use keywords within your product listings can significantly increase your chances of success.

This article will delve into how to conduct effective Amazon keyword research, the tools that can help optimize your listings, and how to improve your product visibility across the U.S. and Canadian marketplaces.

Read on to learn more.

Why Amazon keyword research matters

Amazon’s search engine is fundamentally different from Google’s, as it is designed to match potential buyers with products they want to purchase. It combines both product listings optimization and ad campaigns to deliver relevant results. As Amazon’s algorithm continues to evolve, it’s more important than ever to focus on keyword optimization to ensure your product appears in relevant search queries.

Effective Amazon keyword research helps in:

Increasing organic product visibility: By identifying the right keywords and using them in your listings, you can make your products more discoverable by shoppers.
Boosting ad performance: Whether you’re running Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, or other ad campaigns, proper keyword research helps you target the right audience with the right terms, making your ads more effective.
Increasing sales: With the right keywords in place, your products are more likely to appear in search results, leading to increased clicks and conversions.

How to conduct Amazon keyword research

Understanding how to conduct Amazon keyword research is the first step toward optimizing your listings and ad campaigns. Here’s a breakdown of the process:

1. Start with Seed Keywords

The foundation of keyword research begins with seed keywords. These are the basic terms or phrases that describe your product. For example, if you sell “wireless headphones,” your seed keywords might include “wireless,” “headphones,” or “Bluetooth headphones.”

These initial terms will help you uncover more specific keywords, including long-tail phrases that can attract highly targeted customers.

2. Use keyword research tools

Keyword research can be time-consuming if done manually, but there are many tools available that simplify the process. Some popular tools for Amazon keyword optimization include:

Helium 10: Helium 10 is one of the most comprehensive Amazon keyword research tools available. It offers features like keyword tracking, trend analysis, and competitor research, making it a top choice for Amazon sellers.
Jungle Scout: Jungle Scout provides both a keyword tool and a keyword tracker that help sellers discover profitable keywords, track their rankings, and identify untapped opportunities in the marketplace.
MerchantWords: MerchantWords provides access to millions of Amazon search terms. It is particularly useful for Canadian keyword research, offering detailed insights into what shoppers are searching for in both Canda and the U.S..
Amazon Seller Central: Amazon’s own Keyword Research Tools in Seller Central can be used to identify popular search queries, helping sellers optimize their listings based on actual data.
Keyword Tool.io: This tool gathers keyword data from Amazon, Google, and other platforms to provide keyword suggestions that can be used for SEO and PPC campaigns.

Using these tools, sellers can generate a list of relevant and high-volume keywords that are directly tied to what consumers are searching for.

3. Analyze search volume and competition

Once you’ve gathered a list of potential keywords, it’s time to evaluate them. This step helps identify which keywords are worth pursuing based on search volume, competition, and relevance to your product.

Search volume: Keywords with higher search volumes generally result in more clicks and conversions. However, they may also be more competitive, making it harder to rank.
Competition: Competition is critical when assessing keyword opportunities. Highly competitive keywords may require more effort to rank for, while less competitive, long-tail keywords can present low-hanging fruit for sellers to target.

4. Focus on relevance and buyer intent

Keyword research isn’t just about finding the highest-volume keywords; it’s about identifying terms that match the buyer’s intent. For example, a keyword like “best wireless headphones for running” indicates a buyer who is ready to make a purchase, whereas a keyword like “wireless headphones” may reflect someone in the research phase.

By targeting keywords that match buyer intent, you can optimize your product listings for conversions rather than just traffic.

5. Optimize your product listings

After identifying the most relevant and high-converting keywords, the next step is to optimize your product listings. Here’s how you can do that:

Title: Incorporate your most important keywords naturally in your product title, but avoid keyword stuffing. The title should clearly describe your product, highlighting key features that shoppers would look for.
Bullet points and description: Use bullet points to describe your product’s features and benefits while naturally integrating keywords. In the product description, go into more detail, including variations of your keywords for better SEO.
Backend search terms: Amazon allows sellers to input search terms in the backend of the listing. Use this space wisely by including alternate spellings, synonyms, and variations of keywords that might be relevant but don’t fit naturally into the title or description.
Images: While images don’t directly impact keyword rankings, they play a critical role in converting shoppers. Ensure that your images are clear, high-quality, and showcase the product from different angles. Use alt text with relevant keywords to help Amazon’s algorithm understand your listing better.

Improving product visibility with keywords

The more relevant keywords you use, the higher the chances that Amazon will match your product to the appropriate search queries. But how do you improve visibility even further?

1. Leverage Amazon advertising

Amazon’s advertising platform offers several options for boosting visibility through ad campaigns. Sponsored Products ads, for example, allow you to bid on keywords, placing your products at the top of search results or on related product pages. Proper keyword research for ad campaigns is essential, as it ensures your product will be displayed to relevant audiences.

The key to successful ads is testing different keywords and ad types (automatic vs. manual campaigns) to find which combinations generate the highest return on investment.

2. Leverage keywords from customer reviews

Customer reviews are vital for Amazon ranking. By analyzing the reviews, you can spot relevant keywords or phrases that customers are using to describe your product. You can then include these keywords in your product listing (e.g., in the title, bullet points, or description). This improves your product’s visibility because it signals to Amazon that your product matches common search queries.

3. Monitor and adapt

The market is dynamic, and so are search behaviors. Therefore, Amazon keyword research should be an ongoing process. Track how your keywords are performing. If certain keywords are underperforming, replace them with new ones that might be trending. Monitoring your rankings and adjusting your strategy ensures that you stay ahead of the competition.

Special considerations for canadian Amazon sellers

While many principles of Amazon keyword research apply equally in Canada and the U.S., there are a few key differences to be aware of.

Bilingual search terms: Canada is a bilingual country, so incorporating both English and French keywords can give you a significant edge in reaching Canadian shoppers. Tools like MerchantWords offer specific data for Canadian search trends and can help you identify French-language keywords.
Regional preferences: Canadian consumers may have different preferences than their American counterparts, so it’s important to consider regional trends when conducting keyword research. Tools like Keyword Tool.io can help uncover keyword differences between Canada and the U.S..
Shipping and pricing terms: Canadians may use different terminology for certain products, shipping methods, or payment options. Ensuring your listings reflect these nuances will improve keyword relevance and attract more clicks.

Conclusion

Mastering Amazon keyword research is a game-changer for any seller looking to improve their product visibility, drive more traffic, and increase sales in both Canada and the U.S. By understanding how to conduct research, utilizing the best tools for Amazon keyword optimization, and aligning your product listings with the right keywords, you can set yourself up for success.

Whether you’re looking to optimize organic search or improve the performance of ad campaigns, focusing on relevant keywords that match buyer intent is key. With the proper research and ongoing monitoring, your products will gain the visibility they deserve, driving more sales and helping you stand out in the crowded Amazon marketplace.