Do you want to know how to increase visibility on Amazon? Then optimising Amazon listings with backend keywords should be your number one priority. Keywords are the cornerstone to better performance and conversion on this highly lucrative platform. Without the right keyword strategy when creating your listings, you could be letting massive marketing opportunities pass you by.
The Amazon platform is the largest retail market in the world, with more than 310 million active users. This makes it one of the best places to get your products seen and drive traffic to your website, but competition is fierce. You could have the best product ever invented, guaranteed to make you millions…..but only if your customers can find it.
This is where Amazon backend keywords come in. Using the right search terms can boost rankings – and not doing so can lead to your Amazon product listing failing. That fact is, if no one knows about your product, it may as well not exist. So in this article, we highlight the importance of backend keywords, what they are, how they work, and how to adopt the right techniques to make your listings shine.
What are Amazon backend keywords?
Amazon backend keywords are designed to help you target specific keywords or terms that are not included in your listing. While optimising the copy is a major priority when we upload new listings, it’s just as key to include additional keywords in the backend system.
These Amazon backend search terms are essential to helping you boost your organic visibility, and are used to clarify to Amazon the worthiness of your listing.
Why are Amazon backend keywords so important?
Having backend keywords is crucial because they provide Amazon with additional information to ensure your products are both visible and relevant to customers. Used correctly, more people are likely to see your product in their search results.
But one of the biggest benefits of using Amazon backend search terms is being able to preserve the quality and commercial effectiveness of your title, bullet points and description. Instead of cramming keywords into the copy, you can maintain readability and on-brand messaging.
This technique is key in learning how to increase visibility on Amazon. Because it helps to engage customers, getting their attention without spamming them.
How do Backend Keywords work?
These backend keywords are read by Amazon but are not visible to the customer, giving you an invisible SEO boost. You can think of them as HTML tags on websites, as they are unseen by users but positively impact your rankings.
This means backend keywords can be used for:
- Common customer misspellings
- UK/US spelling variations
- Key phrases that don’t work well in a sentence
- Keywords that are off-brand
- Any terms that have negative associations
As well as being able to omit words that aren’t as aesthetically pleasing on your Amazon product listing, you can also get around awkward wording. For instance, if you’re selling dresses for larger ladies, you could use backend keywords such as ‘large’, ‘overweight’ or ‘heavy’ without writing it explicitly in your brand copy.
There is an Amazon backend keywords limit of 255 characters, so having good keyword research skills is needed. For businesses that don’t have the time, resources or knowledge, Amazon account management can be a great service for boosting visibility.
How to upload Amazon backend keywords
To add backend keywords on Amazon, follow these steps:
1. Select ‘Manage Inventory’ from the Inventory dropdown in your Seller Central account.
2. Choose the item that you want to add backend keywords for and click the ‘Edit’ button (located at the far right of the screen).
3. Click on the ‘Keywords’ section and then choose the Search Terms field to enter in your hidden keywords.
Top tips for optimising Amazon listings:
- Make the most of the Amazon backend keywords limit (255 characters) but avoid using irrelevant terms as these can damage your listing.
- Do NOT repeat a word as this is wasting valuable space that could be used for other terms.
- Avoid using commas, full stops and other forms of punctuation (use spaces to separate different terms instead).
- Omit your brand name from keywords (this will more than likely be in your product title already).
- Never use competitor ASINs or brand names as the Amazon algorithm deems this as unfair listing manipulation and it can result in a penalty.
- Avoid terms that you cannot guarantee (such as “cheapest” or “top-rated”).
- Do NOT use conjunctions and supporting words like ‘for’, ‘a’, ‘and’, ‘or’ etc. which are ignored by Amazon.
- Do NOT use keywords already in your listing (optimise with keywords missing from your visible product copy).
- Forget plurals as Amazon’s A9 algorithm takes this into consideration (use “red sweater” instead of “red sweaters”).
Choosing the right backend keywords.
When optimising Amazon listings, it’s crucial to do an in-depth analysis of your most fierce competitors. This will give you an idea of additional terms and keywords that customers are searching for.
It’s also advantageous to look into related products that people also buy. For example, someone shopping for a TV may want to purchase a soundbar or speaker. Or someone looking at laptops may also be interested in laptop bags and accessories.
Having these related Amazon backend search terms can increase your chance of ranking on the platform’s ‘Customers also bought’ section.
What’s important to understand though is keyword monitoring. Many business owners make the mistake of adding backend keywords, never to revisit them again. The key to knowing how to increase visibility on Amazon is continuous account management and review.
How Seller Presto can help!
For beginners, there are many free online keyword tools to help you get started. But if you’d rather leave Amazon product listing optimisation to the experts, get in touch with our team at Seller Presto.
With over 15 years of combined experience, we know what works and what doesn’t – and our specialist team is at the forefront of Amazon’s A9 algorithm. We deal exclusively with Amazon across all the major marketplaces and are on the pulse with all the latest trends and changes.
For keyword research and selection, we use advanced software to target the right search terms for your products. This can save you time and money, helping you focus on the everyday operational activities of your business. On top of that, we are also commercially aware and use the human approach to apply real terms that people actually search for.
Ready to find out more about optimising Amazon listings with keywords? Get in touch for a free consultation and see how we can boost conversion and traffic for your business.