Customer Search Term vs. Keyword on Amazon: Understanding the Difference

Amazon is one of the largest online marketplaces in the world, and many businesses rely on it to sell their products. To be successful on Amazon, it is essential to understand the difference between customer search terms and keywords. While they may seem similar, they play different roles in the Amazon search algorithm.

A customer search term is what a customer types into the Amazon search bar when looking for a product. It is the actual phrase that the customer is searching for. On the other hand, a keyword is what a seller bids upon in their manual campaigns. Amazon matches customer search terms to the seller’s keywords when deciding whether to show their ad. It is important to note that search terms are not visible to users and can only be indexed by Amazon’s crawlers.

Understanding the difference between customer search terms and keywords is crucial for sellers to optimize their product listings and ads. By using the right keywords and search terms, sellers can increase their visibility on Amazon and reach more potential customers. In the following sections, we will explore the differences between customer search terms and keywords in more detail and provide tips on how to use them effectively.

Customer Search Term vs Keyword on Amazon

Definition

On Amazon, customer search terms refer to the exact words or phrases that a customer enters into the Amazon search bar when looking for a product. Keywords, on the other hand, are what sellers bid upon in their PPC campaigns. Amazon matches customer search terms to the seller’s keywords when deciding whether to show their ad.

Importance

Understanding the difference between customer search terms and keywords is crucial for any seller looking to optimize their product listing and improve their visibility on Amazon. By choosing the right keywords that match the customer search terms, sellers can increase their chances of appearing in the search results and attract more clicks and sales.

How They Work

When a customer types a search term into the search box on Amazon, the A10 algorithm searches through the product listings to find the most relevant results. The algorithm takes into account several factors, including the relevance of the search term to the product title, bullet points, and product description, as well as the product’s sales performance, ratings, and reviews.

Sellers can control which search terms their ads appear for by choosing the right keywords and match types in their PPC campaigns. Match types include broad, phrase, and exact match, and they determine how closely the customer search term needs to match the seller’s keyword for the ad to display.

To optimize for customer search terms, sellers can use synonyms and variations of their main target keywords that don’t make it to the title, bullet points, or description. They can also include common misspellings and variations of the keywords to capture more impressions and clicks.

Overall, understanding the difference between customer search terms and keywords is essential for any seller looking to succeed on Amazon. By optimizing their product listing and PPC campaigns for the right search terms, sellers can improve their discoverability, attract more traffic, and increase their sales and conversions.

Definition

When it comes to selling products on Amazon, understanding the difference between customer search terms and keywords is essential. Both of these terms play a crucial role in Amazon’s search algorithm and can significantly impact the visibility of your products.

Customer search terms refer to the exact words or phrases that customers type into the Amazon search bar when looking for a particular product. These are the actual search queries that customers use to find products on Amazon. For example, if a customer is looking for a new pair of running shoes, they might type in “men’s running shoes” or “women’s running shoes” into the search bar.

Keywords, on the other hand, are the words or phrases that you choose to include in your product listing or advertising campaigns. These are the words that you want to be associated with your product and that you hope will help your product show up in relevant search results. For example, if you are selling men’s running shoes, you might include keywords like “running shoes,” “men’s shoes,” “athletic shoes,” and so on.

The main difference between customer search terms and keywords is that customer search terms are driven by the customer’s needs and desires, while keywords are driven by the seller’s goals and objectives. Customer search terms are the actual words and phrases that customers are using to search for products, while keywords are the words and phrases that sellers have chosen to associate with their products.

Understanding the difference between customer search terms and keywords is crucial for sellers who want to optimize their product listings and advertising campaigns on Amazon. By using the right keywords and targeting the right customer search terms, sellers can improve their product visibility and increase their sales on Amazon.

Importance

Understanding the difference between customer search terms and keywords is crucial for Amazon sellers who want to optimize their product listings and increase sales. By using the right keywords and search terms, sellers can improve their product’s visibility and ranking on Amazon’s search results page.

Customer search terms are the actual words or phrases that customers type into the Amazon search bar when looking for a product. These search terms are collected by Amazon and used to match with the keywords that sellers use in their product listings. By including relevant search terms in their listings, sellers can increase the chances of their products appearing in the search results for those terms.

Keywords, on the other hand, are the words or phrases that sellers use in their product listings to describe their product. These keywords are used by Amazon to match with the customer search terms and determine which products to show in the search results. By including the right keywords in their listings, sellers can ensure that their products are visible to customers who are searching for those terms.

The importance of using the right keywords and search terms cannot be overstated. By optimizing their product listings with relevant keywords and search terms, sellers can increase their product’s visibility and ranking on Amazon’s search results page. This can lead to more clicks, more sales, and ultimately, more revenue for the seller.

In addition, using the right keywords and search terms can also help sellers target specific customer segments and increase their chances of converting those customers into buyers. By understanding the language and search terms that their target customers use, sellers can tailor their product listings to better meet their needs and preferences.

Overall, the difference between customer search terms and keywords is an important one for Amazon sellers to understand. By using the right combination of keywords and search terms, sellers can optimize their product listings, increase their visibility and ranking on Amazon’s search results page, and ultimately, drive more sales and revenue.

How They Work

When it comes to Amazon, the difference between customer search terms and keywords can make or break your product’s visibility. In this section, we’ll take a closer look at how customer search terms and keywords work on Amazon.

Customer Search Term

A customer search term is what a customer types into the Amazon search bar when they’re looking for a product. These search terms are the actual words and phrases that customers use to find products on Amazon. For example, if a customer is looking for a “magnetic wood poster hanger,” that’s the search term they’ll type into the search bar.

Customer search terms are important because they help Amazon match products with the keywords that sellers use in their campaigns. When a customer types in a search term, Amazon’s algorithm looks for products that match those search terms. If a product’s keywords match the customer’s search terms, Amazon is more likely to display that product in the search results.

Keyword on Amazon

A keyword on Amazon is a word or phrase that a seller uses to describe their product. Keywords are used in product listings and advertising campaigns to help Amazon match products with customer search terms. For example, if a seller is selling a “magnetic wood poster hanger,” they might use keywords like “poster hanger,” “magnetic,” and “wood” to describe their product.

Keywords are important because they help sellers target specific customer search terms. When a seller uses keywords in their product listing or advertising campaign, Amazon’s algorithm looks for products that match those keywords. If a product’s keywords match the customer’s search terms, Amazon is more likely to display that product in the search results.

In summary, customer search terms and keywords are two important components of Amazon’s search algorithm. By understanding how they work, sellers can optimize their product listings and advertising campaigns to increase their visibility on Amazon.

Customer Search Term

Definition

A customer search term is a specific query that a customer types into the Amazon search bar when looking for a product. It can be a single word or a combination of words. It is important to note that customer search terms are different from keywords used in PPC campaigns.

Examples

Some examples of customer search terms include “poster hangers,” “waterproof phone case,” and “running shoes for women.” These are the actual words that customers use to search for products on Amazon.

Importance

Customer search terms are crucial for the success of an Amazon seller. Understanding what customers are searching for can help optimize product listings and PPC campaigns. By matching customer search terms with relevant keywords, sellers can increase their visibility and attract more clicks and sales.

It is important to use the right match type for keywords to ensure they match with the right customer search term. Amazon offers three match types: broad match, phrase match, and exact match. Broad match keywords can match with any search query that is relevant to the keyword, while phrase match keywords can match with search queries that contain the keyword in the same order. Exact match keywords only match with search queries that are identical to the keyword.

By analyzing customer search term reports in Amazon Seller Central, sellers can identify which search terms are driving the most clicks and sales. They can then optimize their PPC campaigns by bidding on these high-performing keywords and adding negative keywords to exclude irrelevant search terms.

In addition to optimizing PPC campaigns, customer search terms can also be used to improve SEO. By including relevant customer search terms in the product title, bullet points, and product description, sellers can increase their relevancy and improve their ranking in Amazon search results.

Overall, understanding customer search terms is essential for Amazon sellers to succeed. By using the right match types, optimizing PPC campaigns, and including relevant search terms in product listings, sellers can increase their visibility, traffic, and conversions.

Definition

When it comes to Amazon, the terms “customer search term” and “keyword” are often used interchangeably, but they have different meanings. A customer search term is the word or phrase that a customer types into the Amazon search bar when looking for a product. In contrast, a keyword is a word or phrase that a seller selects to target specific search terms in their Amazon advertising campaigns.

To put it simply, a customer search term is what the customer is searching for, while a keyword is what the seller is targeting. The goal for sellers is to match their keywords with the customer search terms to ensure their product is shown to the customer in the search results.

Amazon’s algorithm matches customer search terms with relevant keywords to determine which products to show in the search results. It is important for sellers to understand this relationship and ensure that their keywords are relevant to their product and the customer search terms that are commonly used to find it.

In summary, customer search terms are what customers search for on Amazon while keywords are what sellers use to target those search terms in their advertising campaigns. Understanding the difference between the two is crucial for sellers to optimize their product listings and advertising campaigns on Amazon.

Examples

To better understand the difference between customer search terms and keywords on Amazon, let’s look at some examples.

Example 1

Suppose you are selling a wooden cutting board on Amazon. Your keyword is “wooden cutting board”, and a customer searches for “large wooden chopping board”. In this case, Amazon will match the customer’s search term with your keyword, and your product will appear in the search results.

Example 2

Let’s say you are selling a set of resistance bands on Amazon. Your keyword is “resistance bands”, and a customer searches for “exercise bands for legs”. Again, Amazon will match the customer’s search term with your keyword, and your product will appear in the search results.

Example 3

Now, let’s consider a scenario where your keyword is “yoga mat”, and a customer searches for “exercise mat”. In this case, your product may not appear in the search results because the customer’s search term does not match your keyword closely enough.

Example 4

Suppose you are selling a pack of pens on Amazon. Your keyword is “ballpoint pens”, and a customer searches for “blue pens”. In this case, your product may still appear in the search results because “blue pens” is a relevant search term for your product, even though it is not an exact match for your keyword.

Example 5

Finally, let’s consider a scenario where a customer searches for “best wooden cutting board”. In this case, your product may not appear in the search results even if your keyword is “wooden cutting board” because the customer’s search term includes the word “best”, which is not a relevant keyword for your product.

In conclusion, understanding the difference between customer search terms and keywords on Amazon is crucial for optimizing your product listings and improving your visibility in search results. By using relevant keywords and anticipating customer search terms, you can increase your product’s discoverability and drive more traffic to it.

Importance

Understanding the importance of customer search terms and keywords on Amazon is crucial for any seller looking to optimize their product listings and increase their sales. By utilizing the right keywords and search terms, sellers can improve their product’s discoverability, relevance, and visibility in search results, ultimately leading to increased clicks, impressions, and conversions.

One of the main reasons why customer search terms and keywords are so important is because they directly impact a product’s ranking on Amazon’s search engine. When a customer enters a search query into Amazon’s search box, the search engine matches their query with relevant products based on the keywords and search terms used in the product listing’s title, bullet points, and product description. If a product’s listing contains relevant keywords and search terms that match the customer’s query, it is more likely to appear higher in the search results, increasing its exposure and potential for sales.

Another reason why customer search terms and keywords are important is because they allow sellers to optimize their PPC campaigns. By bidding on relevant keywords and matching them with the right match types (broad, phrase, or exact), sellers can control their ad spend, exposure, and conversions. Additionally, by using negative keywords and targeting specific customer search terms, sellers can further optimize their campaigns and reduce wasted spend.

It’s also important to note that customer search terms and keywords can impact a product’s SEO on Amazon. By including relevant keywords and synonyms in a product listing, sellers can improve its relevance and discoverability in search results. Additionally, using backend search terms and product identifiers, such as brand names and service type, can further optimize a product’s listing for search engines.

Overall, understanding the importance of customer search terms and keywords on Amazon is crucial for any seller looking to succeed on the platform. By utilizing the right strategies and tools, such as the Amazon Keyword Planner and Helium 10, sellers can optimize their product listings for maximum visibility, discoverability, and sales success.

Keyword on Amazon

Definition

A keyword on Amazon is a word or phrase that a seller chooses to associate with their product listing. It helps Amazon understand what the product is about and when to show the product in search results. Keywords are used in various parts of a product listing, such as the title, bullet points, description, and backend search terms.

Examples

For example, if a seller is selling a magnetic wood poster hanger, they might use keywords like “poster hanger,” “wooden poster hanger,” and “magnetic poster hanger.” These keywords are relevant to the product and will help Amazon understand what the product is about.

Importance

Keywords are crucial for the success of an Amazon product listing. They help the product appear in relevant search results, which increases the visibility of the product to potential customers. The right keywords can also help improve the product’s organic ranking on Amazon, which can lead to more sales.

It is important to choose relevant and specific keywords that accurately describe the product. Using generic or irrelevant keywords can lead to low click-through rates, which can negatively affect the product’s organic ranking and sales.

In summary, keywords are an essential part of an Amazon product listing. They help the product appear in relevant search results, increase visibility, and improve organic ranking. Sellers should choose relevant and specific keywords to accurately describe their product and improve their chances of success on Amazon.