How to Effectively Use Keywords to Increase Sales on Amazon

One of the many reasons shoppers flock to Amazon is the abundance of options. From clothing to hardware, Amazon has a plethora of choices for even the most specific products. While advantageous for customers, Amazon often presents more competition than sellers would face in a traditional brick and mortar retail environment.

In such a competitive landscape, it is of the utmost importance for sellers to rank highly in product searches. While many factors influence Amazon’s “A9” search algorithm, including seller reviews and product price, Amazon allows sellers to manually input keywords in Seller Central that are indexed for product searches.

In fact, SupplyKick has discovered that effective keyword selection can lead to an 8-10% increase in traffic on Amazon.

How To Add Product Keywords

Product keywords can be added to a listing via Amazon Seller Central. After logging in, go to Manage Inventory and click “Edit” on the product you wish to add keywords to. Then, go to the “Keywords” tab, shown below.

While Amazon gives sellers many fields to work with, the most important is the “search terms” section. Here, Amazon gives sellers the opportunity to add up to five keywords for each product.

How to Select Product Keywords

Selecting appropriate keywords is vital for your product’s success. Here are a few tips for Amazon:

• Spacing matters: Amazon takes spacing into account when indexing keywords. For example, “bifold”, “bi-fold”, and “bi fold” are all treated differently. Be aware of which spacing is used most frequently.
• Phrasing: Many sellers will try to input as many keywords into the five search term fields as possible. However, Amazon indexes these as phrases. Instead of “bear stuffed teddy animal”, sellers should use “teddy bear” or “stuffed animal” for best results.
• Don’t double dip: Keywords or phrases already included in the listing copy should not be included in the Seller Central search terms. Listing copy is already indexed by Amazon, so repeating words and phrases will count them as null.
• Use all five search terms: For products that have previously existed on Amazon, there is no downside to using all five available keywords. Consider a customer’s likelihood to purchase if they input your search term, and use a mix of broad and specific words and phrases for the best audience.
• Take advantage of keyword tools: There are a variety of free and paid Amazon keyword tools available (Sonar Tool is a good free example). SupplyKick uses a paid, Amazon-specific keyword tool to ensure the highest-ranking keywords are used.

Here at SupplyKick we help all our products succeed via listing optimization, including keyword research and evaluation. Learn how partnering with a single seller who understands the intricacies of Amazon can help your products stand out among the crowd.