An Expert Advice on Finding Relevant Keywords for Your Amazon Ad Campaigns

Updated October 6, 2023
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One of the first steps in starting a business is finding a platform that will help you increase your reach towards your target audience. Many aspiring sellers look into Amazon since people around the globe have been continuing the transition to a digital economy. Through Amazon ad campaigns, you can expand your business to a wider audience. But, with all the competition out there, how exactly do you make your brand stand out?

Various strategies exist on Amazon to ensure that shoppers see what they want to see, And it’s up to you on how to optimize your listings in order to capture attention. Fortunately, there are many resources that discuss how to grow your brand on Amazon.

What some of you may not know is that keywords act as the glue between you and the products. With the use of keywords, you reach out to your customers easily as they search for the products that they need. Some keywords yield unique searches however others may just give you generic views. But the most important thing to remember about keywords is that when you use the right ones for your business, you ensure that your listings will be visible to more customers giving your business a higher chance of succeeding.

An Expert Advice on Finding Relevant Keywords for Your Amazon Ad Campaigns
An Expert Advice on Finding Relevant Keywords for Your Amazon Ad Campaigns

Defining Amazon advertising

Amazon Advertising

Think of advertising on Amazon similarly to advertising on Google and even on Facebook.

When your customers search for particular products, they include certain keywords. When they click “Search”, they’ll see results which may include sponsored posts. These sponsored listings are Amazon ads, and you’ll easily distinguish them from organic listings because of “Sponsored” or “Ad” in the label.

As much as possible, sellers who want to gain more visibility bid on certain keywords that are relevant to their items for Amazon Search Engine Results pages (SERP). You’ll then be charged depending on how many customers click on the ads you’ve posted.

Types of Amazon ad campaigns

Marketing your products on the eCommerce giant seems beneficial especially if you’re looking to expand your branding. Fortunately, Amazon gives a variety of options for you to choose from. Different kinds of Amazon ad campaigns will help you figure out which works best for your products.

Sponsored ads

Formerly known as Headline Search Ads, these are now known as Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands. Sponsored posts let you reach Amazon customers as they search for and discover new products. These kinds of ads help you promote your listings and target them to customers who are actively looking for a specific item.

How to get started?

  • Choose the products you want to advertise
  • Decide on a budget
  • Pick the keywords that will fit your products and choose the categories you want to target

When you start creating your campaigns, you’ll discover why these ads can help your business. Some of the benefits are:

  • Cost-efficient marketing – you only pay for ad clicks and you have full control of your budget.
  • Stability – if you feel the keywords don’t work, Amazon will show you suggestions for you to choose from and bid on. This way, you’ll easily target items that are very similar to yours.
  • Insights – as you work with Sponsored Ads, you get access to data and insights to check on how your ad campaigns have been performing. You’ll be able to optimize the keywords to see if they still are relevant. Moreover, you may adjust your bids depending on how the campaign is going.

Display ads

With display ads, you get to deliver straightforward messages to your customers through creative output and actionable insights. These appear on Amazon sites, Amazon gadgets, apps, and even third-party websites. What’s useful about this type of ad is that you have the option to work on the campaigns alone, or to work with a team of experts.

Where will these ads be placed?

  • Amazon devices (e.g., Kindle)
  • The Amazon Network
  • Amazon-owned and operated websites

What are the benefits of display ads?

  • Wider reach to customers
  • Diversity in the format
  • Ability to target desired customers based on insights from their shopping behaviors
  • Searchers are led to specific pages on Amazon via Headline Search Ads

Video ads

The younger demographic today requires engagement on a different level. As technology evolves, more and more people prefer watching videos over reading or looking at ads. Videos can make brands seem relatable: they allow you to share stories and even empathize with your customers while enticing them to buy your products.

What benefits do you get from video ads?

  • Raises and boosts your brand awareness since they may be shown on various Amazon sites
  • Widens your reach as it goes beyond traditional ads such as tv commercials and print ads, and thus has no geographical boundaries
  • Connects your brand to the customer on a more personal level

How do you find relevant keywords for your Amazon ad campaigns?

Amazon Campaigns

Now that you know the different kinds of ads that you can put on Amazon, let’s move on to discovering how you can find relevant keywords for your Amazon ad campaigns.

When you set up sponsored ads on Amazon, a few features will be made available to you such as prompts about targeting preferences. When you choose keyword targeting for your Amazon sponsored ads, you will see these choices:

  • Broad
    • This encompasses all keywords regardless of order or position in the phrase.

Example: The keywords “girls shirt”. When a user searches for a “red shirt for girls”, your product will be displayed.

  • Phrase
    • The search contains the correct sequence of keywords, including any additional keywords in the mix.

Example: The keywords “girls shirt”. When a user searches for a “red girls shirt”, your product will be displayed.

  • Exact
    • The phrase must be the exact same as the keywords, although whether your phrasing is singular or plural is also considered.

Example: The keywords “girls shirt”. When a user searches for anything but “girls shirt”, your product won’t be displayed.

When using keywords for your ad campaigns, you need to find helpful keywords that will lead your customers to your product listings.

Remember to use negative keywords. This helps your customers search more efficiently as they can avoid irrelevant clicks.

Likewise, check and observe the keywords your competitors are using. This way, you can find ideas on how to improve your reach and even the keywords you implement. If you want to find your competitors you can always search with common and generic keywords and see the brands that appear on the results.

Some other tips to try

If those mentioned above aren’t sufficient, here are more Amazon SEO guide from experts:

Search for blogs or websites that use your keywords

Promoting your Amazon products on your own website widens your reach. It also helps you discover other blogs that relate to your products and that use the same keywords. A tool like Buzzsumo can help you find your competitors, conduct research on content curation, and even with brand monitoring.

Run search campaigns on a budget

In order to find relevant keywords for your Amazon ad campaigns, first decide on a small budget and try creating automatic campaigns. Pay attention to the keywords that Amazon automatically chooses. These keywords that they suggest are based on the product category, description, and other similar products.

With the continued use of automatic campaigns, you’ll discover long-tail keywords that may not have entered your mind but are useful and relevant to your products.

Takeaway

In a nutshell, Amazon has programs and features that can help your business grow to increase your income on the platform. Ensure that you’re doing your part by discovering the keywords that will improve your performance on Amazon. Though it may be tempting to grow your business quickly through unsavory practices, follow these tips and Amazon’s guidelines in order to prevent your account from undergoing an Amazon suspension, and you’ll eventually find success.

Now what are you waiting for? Search for those keywords and start optimizing your listings today!

Jayce - Seller Interactive - Managing DirectorAuthor’s Bio: Jayce is the managing director of Seller Interactive, an Amazon marketing agency that offers Amazon SEO services to brands built on Amazon. With content marketing skills that have taken him to top brands such as GoDaddy and Toyota, he’s cemented his knowledge and expertise in helping brands reach new heights.