Without a solid Amazon PPC keyword research strategy you’re really just shooting in the dark and most likely missing out on tons of profitable keywords. In fact, missing even one keyword could mean you’re leaving thousands of dollars on the table over the lifetime of the product.
So, what’s the best way to conduct keyword research? We use a process that allows us to identify an exhaustive list of keywords. We leave no stone unturned to ensure we’re maximizing each and every campaign.
Before going further, it’s important that you understand the difference between keywords and search terms. You can read the full article in the link but essentially…
Keywords come from you and search terms come from your customers.
Keyword Research Method and Goals
Here at PPC farm, we like to think of our primary keywords as “seeds”. We put those seeds into broad campaigns that we use for “farming” which brings us data in the form of customer search terms or potential future keyword targeting opportunities.
For example, if your seed keyword is “calendar” there are tons of search terms or related keywords to target that will sprout from that main seed.
The goal is to find as many possible relevant seed keyword targets as you can for your product.
What do I mean by “relevant” exactly?
Determining which keyword targets are or are not relevant to your product is a huge part of effective keyword research. If you’re targeting keywords that simply don’t make sense for your product, you’re going to be throwing away money on keywords that are never going to convert.
But how do you know what’s really relevant?
How to Determine Relevant and Negative Keywords
It’s a bit of an art and a science. The better you understand the product and the ecosystem around that product the easier it will be for you to determine whether or not a potential keyword target is relevant or not.
Remember, it’s basically impossible to predict which keywords are actually going to convert. Which is why understanding the keywords surrounding your product at the outset is so essential.
Going back to the calendar example, let’s say you are selling a calendar like the one in this pic. It’s a 15” x 12” spiral-bound hanging wall calendar made of paper.
Off the bat, you might go for “wall calendar” and “flip calendar” as relevant keywords and “mini calendar” as a negative keyword.
But what about desk calendar and fridge calendar? Well… let’s look at the SERPs!
Here’s what we see for “desk calendar”.
Ah, ok. So these are calendars that people put on their desks. Nope, that’s not what you’re selling. You could probably make this one negative.
And it looks like “fridge calendars” are actually dry erase calendars. That’s not at all what you’re selling so you could confidently make this one negative.
Next, just repeat the process on every single potential target. :D
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Yeah… it’s a lot of work but it’s really the most important part of the whole PPC process.
You’re probably also thinking, “How do I actually come up with these seed keywords? Is it just brainstorming?”
We recommend taking advantage of several different tools. Amazon has some free tools available and there are also plenty of third-party tools out there to look into.
Keyword Research Tools From Amazon
1. Amazon Brand Analytics: You have to be brand registered to use this set of tools and it can be found under the “brands” dropdown menu in Seller Central.
Within Brand Analytics you’ll find several different tools as seen below.
A good place to start for keyword research is in the “Amazon Search Terms” section. You can search by keyword or ASIN and you can set the time range that makes the most sense for your product.
2. Product Opportunity Explorer: This tool allows you to see keyword search volume and search volume growth for the last 360 days. It also shows the number of units sold, average price, and top clicked products in your niche.
3. Auto Campaigns: Your auto campaigns are actually a valuable keyword research tool! Auto campaigns can help you discover new search terms that you can break down into keywords and to then add to your campaigns or even your listing copy.
How do you do your keyword research? Are you using any special methods?
Did anything in this article spark your curiosity or bring up a question? Comment below or email us at Howdy@PPCFarm.com. We love talking about PPC!
