Improve Your Product Visibility Using Amazon Backend Keywords
Amazon sellers can boost their search ranks with two types of keywords. These are frontend and backend keywords.
Frontend keywords appear in a product’s title and description. Their goal is to create more engaging content, improve traffic and sales.
But frontend keywords are not enough to improve product visibility. This is where Amazon backend keywords can drive you to the top ranks.
In this post, we’ll learn how to take advantage of backend keywords to improve your product visibility on Amazon.
Let’s dive right in.
What are Amazon Backend Keywords?
Backend Keywords are ‘hidden’ phrases within a product listing. They are target terms left out of the ‘front end’ content, but which can still boost visibility.
There’s only so much space for keywords in a product listing. Luckily, backend keywords allow brands to index all relevant keywords to their items.
At the same time, they can keep their content clean and engaging. So, customers won’t see backend keywords, but your product will boost search ranks for them.
Amazon Backend keywords are also crucial to target niche audiences for your brand. Plus, they can also improve the success of sponsored ads campaigns.
How to Add Backend Keywords
Think of backend keywords as signposts for the Amazon A9 algorithm. Each term helps guide your audience to your products.
But can sellers input said signposts into their product listings? The process is quite simple. Here’s how to do it:
Log in to Seller Central and open the Inventory tab.Click on ‘Manage Inventory’ to view your product catalog.Select the product you want to add backend keywords.Click on ‘Edit’ and enter your keywords in ‘Search Terms’.Click ‘Save and finish’.
It’s that simple to submit backend keywords, but this is only the first step. To maximize the potential of backend keywords, you must follow the next guidelines:
249-Byte Limit
The backend keyword limit is 249 bytes. A single byte equates to one alphanumeric character. Note, however, that some characters can take up to 2-4 bytes (e.g., ü, €).
You can usually submit around 40 search terms within the 249 byte-limit. If your backend keywords exceed this threshold, Amazon won’t index the data.
Focus on Relevance
Don’t think that you should cram keywords in the frontend and backend. The goal is not to use the most keywords, but to use the most relevant terms.
Go for keyword value. Proper keyword research will help you find the best terms to boost conversions.
And avoid irrelevant or misleading keywords. Amazon wants to deliver the best results for customers. If your product is not related to a specific search result, your store will fall on the ranks.
Avoid Duplicates
Let’s say you’ve already used a few key terms in the title or description. In that case, there’s no need to include said terms in the backend.
It’s unnecessary to repeat keywords more than once. That way, you’ll make the most of front and back spaces of each product listing.
That said, make the most of synonyms, abbreviations, or spelling variations. The more relevant terms you use, the better your search rank will be.
Punctuation
Use lowercase. The A9 algorithm is not case-sensitive. So, don’t worry about using uppercase terms.Forego pronouns and prepositions. No need to take up space with terms like “a,” “an,” “by,” “for,” “of,” “the,” or “with.” The goal is not readability, but effectiveness.Use only singular and plural. Amazon does not consider using both words as separate terms.Nix Punctuation. Only separate keywords with a single space. Plus, black spaces do not add up to the 249 byte-limit.
Follow a Logical Order
Enter Amazon backend keywords in a logical order. For example, don’t put ‘tv smart 50-inch wall mount’. Instead, write ’50-inch smart tv wall mount’.
Submit terms in the way the customer is most likely to write them. This will increase your opportunities to appear in the search.
Play by the Rules
Amazon provides sellers with a set of guidelines to use keywords effectively. Here are a few examples:
Do not use promotional or subjective terms. For example: “new,” best,” “cheapest,” “amazing,” or “on sale now.”Focus on non-brand keywords. Avoid any brand identifiers from your business or the competition.Do not include ASINs, nor abusive or offensive terms.
Make the Most of Frontend SEO
The A9 algorithm also analyses frontend keywords to pick the best search results. So, take the time to create great product listings using frontend keywords.
Here’s a quick review of the process:
Match phrases. Write titles and bullet points with the terms most related to the product.Create long-tail keywords. Merge keywords into long phrases and include them in the product description.Avoid blank spaces. Be as detailed as you can. That way, you’ll increase engagement and satisfaction.Use quality visuals. Images and videos catch the attention. So, provide visuals that tell how a product will benefit the customer.Enhance your content. If you are a pro seller, take advantage of storefronts and A+ content.
How to Find Amazon Backend Keywords
Before you can submit backend keywords, you need to find the best keywords for you. The goal is to find high search volume terms with low competition.
There are several ways to go about doing this. Let’s review some of the most effective keyword research strategies:
Manual Search
Type in your relevant keyword in the Amazon search engine. Then, check the auto-complete results for the most popular search terms.
As you see, this is a tedious method. However, it’s a great way to discover popular long-tail keywords to use in your listings.
You can also check the competition to find the keywords they are using. Review their product listings and compare it with your own keywords.
It’s also useful to review customer descriptions. This can help you prioritize some low-used terms to boost your ranks.
Keyword Research Tools
Nowadays, there are many dedicated suites that help sellers improve their Amazon game. Three great examples are Helium10, Jungle Scout, and Viral Launch.
Helium 10 can find the best Amazon keywords for specific products and eliminate duplicates. It also organizes keywords in the frontend and backend of your listings.
Viral Launch takes keyword data from Amazon. So, sellers can keep up with search trends in real time.
Jungle Scout’s database features the most used Amazon keyword terms on Amazon. Sellers can know what customers look for, and cater their content strategy to boost traffic.
Amazon Search Terms Reports
The Amazon Search Terms Report keeps track of the keyword’s customers use to discover your listings.
Sellers can review high-performing keywords with the best click-through rate. This is great to flag poor-performing terms as negative keywords.
The report also tracks the sales & conversion rate of each keyword. So, you can tweak your ads campaigns to boost visibility.
You can find the reports in Seller Central. Just open the “Reports” tab and click on “Advertising Reports”.
Amazon Brand Analytics
Seller Central also grants access to Amazon Brand Analytics. This tool allows sellers to enter keywords and review the following metrics:
Search Frequency RankMost Clicked ASINsClick ShareConversion Share
Keyword Indexing
It’s not enough to add backend keywords to Amazon. Sellers must ensure that all terms get indexed by the A9 algorithm.
This is called keyword indexing. It means that Amazon takes your keywords to determine the product’s relevance for the customer’s search.
Keyword indexing is the key to guarantee your listings will appear in Amazon search. So, it’s crucial to ensure that each term is indexed.
Now, there are two methods to do this:
The manual way is to type in your ASIN and the keyword in the search bar. If the keyword is indexed, then the product will show up in the results.
Another method is to use reverse ASIN search engines. These tools provide data on indexation, keyword relevance, and sales metrics.
Final Thoughts
Of course, it takes more than backend keywords to succeed on Amazon. But as you can see, it’s more than worth it to invest in SEO.
Keyword research is an ongoing, time-consuming process. But in time, backend keyword optimization may get you to the first page of Amazon search.
Use the previous tips to fine-tune your keyword research and keep up with market trends. Then, it’ll be a matter of time for the A9 algorithm to notice your hard work.
Poor keyword research translates low visibility online. So, the higher you rank on Amazon search, the higher your profits.
Author
Esteban Muñoz is an SEO copywriter at AMZ Advisers, with several years’ experience in digital marketing and e-commerce. Esteban and the AMZ Advisers team have been able to achieve incredible growth on the Amazon platform for their clients by optimizing and managing their accounts and creating in-depth content marketing strategies.
The post Improve Your Product Visibility Using Amazon Backend Keywords appeared first on AMZ Advisers.