7 Common Mistakes by Amazon FBA Sellers

Mastering Amazon keyword research is pivotal for a successful selling strategy. It’s the difference between positioning your product effectively in front of the right audience and languishing in obscurity, even with an outstanding product.

Why is Amazon keyword research crucial?

Despite not being mandatory for product launches or Amazon PPC campaigns, skipping keyword research is akin to financial and time waste. A staggering 70% of Amazon shoppers don’t venture beyond the first page, and 35% click on the very first search result. Without proper keyword research, you risk invisibility to your potential customers and inefficiency in Amazon ads, leading to wasted clicks and missed opportunities.

Top 7 Mistakes in Amazon FBA Keyword Research

1. Ignoring Keyword Research Tools:

• Issue: Beginners often skip these tools to save money, leading to inefficiency. They spend hours manually researching, missing valuable insights and high-potential keywords.

• Solution: Utilize keyword research tools specifically designed for Amazon. These tools help you uncover niche-specific keywords with high search volume and lower competition. They also allow you to organize vast amounts of keyword data effectively, filtering out irrelevant or negative keywords that could harm your PPC campaigns.

2. Using Inappropriate Keyword Research Tools:

• Issue: Some sellers mistakenly use Google SEO tools for Amazon keyword research. While Google SEO tools are beneficial for driving external traffic to your website, they don’t account for the specific search nuances of the Amazon platform.
• Solution: Employ Amazon-specific keyword research tools. These tools are built to understand how people search within Amazon and provide data on relevant keywords, search volume, and competition within the Amazon marketplace.

3. Choosing the Wrong Marketplace for Research:

• Issue: Overlooking marketplace-specific keyword variations can hinder your reach. Keyword effectiveness can vary significantly across different regions.
• Solution: Tailor your keyword research to the specific Amazon marketplace you’re targeting. Search habits and product preferences can differ between the US, UK, and other regions. Using the right marketplace for research ensures you’re targeting the relevant keywords for your audience.

4. Neglecting Manual Research

• Issue: Relying solely on automated tools can lead to a narrow understanding of your target audience and their search behavior. Tools can miss out on valuable insights and hidden opportunities.
• Solution: Supplement tool-generated data with manual research to get a more comprehensive picture. Here’s how:
• Analyze competitor listings: Look at the keywords your top competitors are ranking for. Use this as a starting point to identify relevant keywords you might have missed.
• Read customer reviews: Reviews often contain keywords and phrases that customers use to describe products like yours. Analyze these reviews to understand how real people search for similar products.
• Amazon organic search bar: Start typing a seed keyword related to your product and see what Amazon’s autosuggest feature recommends. This can reveal long-tail keywords with decent search volume but lower competition.

5. Focusing on Short-Tail Keywords

• Issue: Targeting overly broad, high-competition keywords like “running shoes” is a recipe for invisibility. These keywords might have high search volume, but the competition is fierce, making it difficult for your product to stand out.
• Solution: Optimize for long-tail keywords. These are more specific phrases with lower competition but still have enough search volume to be relevant. Examples include “waterproof running shoes for women” or “minimalist running shoes for men.” Long-tail keywords ensure your product reaches the right audience, actively searching for products similar to yours.

6. Overlooking Negative Keywords

• Issue: Broad match terms in your PPC campaigns can attract irrelevant traffic, wasting your ad budget on clicks that won’t convert. For example, if you sell athletic wear, the keyword “yoga pants” might also capture searches for “yoga mats” which isn’t relevant to your product.
• Solution: Actively identify and exclude negative keywords. Amazon PPC allows you to create negative keyword lists to prevent your ads from showing for irrelevant searches. This improves the relevance of your ads, increases your return on investment (ROI), and ensures you’re reaching the right audience.

7. Incorporating Irrelevant Keywords

• Issue: Keyword stuffing, the practice of cramming unrelated keywords into your product listing in an attempt to game the system, can actually hurt your ranking. Amazon prioritizes relevance and can penalize listings that appear to be manipulating search results.
• Solution: Carefully vet and choose keywords for relevancy and potential impact. Focus on keyword variations that directly align with your product and the benefits it offers. A well-optimized product listing with relevant keywords will naturally rank higher in search results.

Conclusion

Even seasoned Amazon sellers can fall prey to these common keyword research mistakes. Recognizing and rectifying these errors can significantly enhance your Amazon FBA strategy, leading to better visibility, higher click-through rates, and improved sales conversions.

Additional Resources:

• Ecomstal Blog: https://blog.ecomstal.com
• AMZ Scout Help Center: https://amzscout.net
• Helium 10 Knowledge Base: https://kb.helium10.com/hc/en-us
• Jungle Scout Help Center: https://www.junglescout.com
• SellerApp Help Center: https://www.sellerapp.com/help
• Nazmul Shishir: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nazmul-shishir/

I hope this comprehensive guide empowers you to make informed decisions and embark on a successful journey in the exciting world of Amazon FBA!