In the highly competitive world of Amazon selling, standing out in search results is crucial. While many sellers focus on visible keywords in product titles and descriptions, Amazon backend keywords are an equally important, yet often overlooked part of your Amazon SEO strategy. These hidden search terms play a pivotal role in ensuring your product reaches the right audience. This guide will help Amazon sellers understand what backend keywords are, why they matter, and how to optimize them to improve product visibility and boost sales. Let’s dive into the details and discover how to master Amazon Backend Search Terms.
Amazon backend keywords are hidden search terms that sellers input into their product listing’s backend. Unlike visible keywords in titles or bullet points, backend keywords are not displayed to customers, but are indexed by the Amazon A9 algorithm to determine product relevance.
Backend vs. Front-Facing Keywords
Front-facing keywords: Appear directly on your product page and contribute to readability. Backend keywords: Hidden and work behind the scenes to enhance search coverage by targeting additional search terms, synonyms, and variations without cluttering your listing with repetitive or unnecessary words.
Examples of Backend Keywords
Backend keywords can include a list of relevant terms that are likely used by shoppers by products similar to yours. Do not forget these type of keywords:
Synonyms (e.g., “running shoes” for “sneakers”)
Misspellings (e.g., “backpak” for “backpack”)
Foreign language terms (e.g., “zapatos” for a product targeting Spanish-speaking customers)
These keywords expand your product’s discoverability by capturing diverse search queries.
Why Are Amazon Backend Search Terms so Important?
Boost Product Visibility
Backend keywords help your product appear in search results for terms that may not fit naturally into your visible content. By strategically including alternative keywords, you can reach a broader audience.
Avoid Keyword Clutter
Using backend keywords prevents keyword stuffing in your product titles and descriptions, maintaining a clean and professional appearance for your listing.
Target Alternative Search Terms
Backend keywords let you include variations, misspellings, and secondary languages, to ensure your product is discoverable by different segments of your target audience. For example, a single product can rank for both “diaper bag” and “nappy bag” using backend keywords. For sellers looking to fine-tune this process, Amazon Search Term Optimization can help identify untapped opportunities to boost discoverability.
How to Find the Right Amazon Backend Keywords
Popular Backend Keyword Research Tools
Use Amazon SEO Tools like Helium 10, Jungle Scout, or MerchantWords to generate keyword ideas. These tools provide data on search volume, competition, and relevance.
Competitor Analysis: Amazon Sellers that Compete in the same Space
Study your competitors’ listings to identify high-performing keywords they are using. Pay attention to their descriptions, bullet points, and customer reviews.
Gain Insights from Amazon Customer Reviews and Q&A Sections
Analyze reviews and Q&A sections to discover terms that customers frequently use to describe your product. These can offer valuable insights into user intent. You can also use Reverse ASIN Lookup Tools like Helium10’s Cerebro to reverse keyword search Amazon to find out what keywords your potential competitors in your category are ranking for. Follow these simple steps to narrow down your search term volume:
Focus on Top Results: Look at the first 3 organic searches, and sort results by high search volume and high relevancy, such as the Cerebro IQ score from Helium 10.
Apply Basic Filters: Set filters like a minimum search volume of 1000, a maximum rank of 20, and word count of 2
Export and Organize: Export the data as an excel sheet. Filter by search volume in descending order, then filter by ranks, and exclude any ‘null’ values, and sort it in ascending orders
Refine Keywords: Keep the first 100 keywords, remove duplicates, common words or phrases you want to remove, and convert them to lowercase. Amazon Keywords Processor tools like Helium 10’s Frankenstein will be handy here when combining and cleaning up backend keywords.
Final Selection: Remove any brand names and/or repetitive words and reduce the search terms to 505 characters max before inputting them into your backend search term box. Please note: the maximum limit for adding backend keywords used to be 250 bytes or around 250 characters, but in early 2024 Amazon extended this limit to 500 characters!
Types of Keywords to Include
Synonyms: Capture alternative ways customers might search for your product.
Misspellings: Include common typos that customers might enter.
Long-Tail Keywords: Use specific, multi-word phrases to target niche search intents (e.g., “waterproof hiking backpack for women”).
Foreign Language Terms: Incorporate keywords in other languages, particularly for products sold in multilingual markets.
Amazon’s Guidelines for Backend Keywords
Amazon sets specific rules for backend keywords to ensure they enhance search performance without misuse:
Limit backend keywords to 500 characters maximum per listing
Avoid prohibited terms like offensive words, competitor names, or trademarks
Do not repeat words already present in visible content
Stay Relevant: Focus on terms directly related to your product. Irrelevant keywords can hurt your indexing and credibility.
Avoid Duplication: Exclude terms already used in titles, bullet points, or descriptions.
Logical Combinations: Group related keywords logically to maximize search coverage without exceeding character limits. Customers are more likely to search for “big stuffed teddy bears” than for “teddy stuffed bears.”
Use Spaces Only: Separate keywords with single space, avoiding commas or other punctuation.
Exclude Temporarily True Statements: Avoid terms like “new”, “on sale” or “available now”.
Avoid Subjective Claims: Skip words like “amazing” or “good quality”.
No Common Misspellings: Amazon’s algorithm accounts for common misspellings, capitalization and pluralization automatically.
Include Alternate Names: Include abbreviations or alternate product names, tops and key characters (for books and movies) to capture different search queries.
Quick Guide: How to Add Backend Keywords on Amazon Seller Central
Log into Seller Central: Access your account and navigate to the product listing you want to optimize.
Edit Product Listing: Click “Edit” next to the product and go to the “Keywords” tab in the backend.
Enter Backend Keywords: Add search terms in the “Search Terms” field, separated by spaces.
Save Changes: Click “Save and Finish” to update your listing.
Tips for Organizing and Prioritizing Backend Keywords
Prioritize high-impact keywords first and group keywords by themes or categories to cover various search intents. Bonus Tip: Input additional search terms in “Subject Matter” and “Other Attributes” for better results. As for the “Intended Use” and “Target Audience” fields, we recommend leaving it blank so it doesn’t limit the search exposure of your product listing.
Keyword Indexing: The Basics
Examples of Backend Keywords
Keyword indexing refers to the process by which Amazon’s algorithm recognizes the relevance of your keywords and includes them in its search results. If a keyword is not indexed, your product will not appear in search results for that term.
Factors Impacting Keyword Indexing
Relevance: Keywords must align with your product’s category and attributes.
Avoid Duplication: Repeating keywords in both backend and visible content can waste space without improving indexing.
Prohibited Terms: Using banned keywords can result in non-indexing or listing penalties.
How to Check Whether Keywords Are Indexed
Search terms deemed relevant may change over time as Amazon gathers data. Regular Amazon listing audit help identify areas for improvement to maximize the potentials of your backend keywords.
Manual Method
Search for your product using its ASIN and a specific keyword in Amazon’s search bar (e.g., “ASIN + keyword”). If your product appears in the results, the keyword is indexed.
Checking via 3rd Party Tools
Use tools like Helium 10’s Index Checker or AMZ One Step provide automated ways to verify whether your backend keywords are indexed.
Troubleshooting Non-Indexed Keywords
There are a few things you can do to try and resolve backend keyword indexing issues. We suggest starting with:
Replace non-indexed keywords with more relevant alternatives
Ensure your backend keywords follow Amazon’s guidelines
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Optimizing Backend Keywords
Overloading the Backend with Irrelevant or hard-to-rank for Keywords
Adding unrelated terms can confuse Amazon’s algorithm and hurt your ranking. Focus on relevance and avoid repeating keywords already present in titles or bullet points to maximize the use of your character limit.
Ignoring Amazon’s Restrictions
Using prohibited terms or exceeding character limits can result in penalties or non-indexing.
Recap: Level Up Your Amazon Backend Keywords Strategy
Amazon backend keywords are a powerful tool for enhancing product visibility and driving sales, and is as important as Amazon SEO and PPC. By understanding their importance, researching effectively, and following best practices, you can ensure your products reach the right audience.
Start optimizing your backend keywords today for maximum discoverability and success on Amazon!
What are Amazon backend keywords?
Amazon backend keywords are hidden search terms that sellers can input into their product listings. These keywords do not appear on the product page but help improve search visibility on Amazon by targeting relevant search queries.
How do backend keywords impact my product’s Amazon ranking?
Backend keywords expand your product’s discoverability by including search terms that aren’t in the visible content of your listing. Amazon’s search algorithm uses these terms to match your product with shopper queries, increasing visibility and sales potential.
What are the character limits for Amazon backend keywords?
As of 2024 the limit for backend keywords is 500 characters (it used to be 249 bytes).
Can I use duplicate keywords in my backend keywords?
No, duplication is unnecessary and wastes valuable space. Amazon’s algorithm ignores repeated words. Instead, focus on unique, relevant terms to maximize the effectiveness of this field.
Should I include misspelled words in my backend keywords?
Yes, including common misspellings or regional spelling variations can help capture search traffic from users who input incorrect spellings in their queries.
How do I research backend keywords effectively?
Use tools like Helium 10, Jungle Scout, or Amazon’s own search term report to identify high-volume and relevant keywords. Competitor analysis can also reveal keywords they are targeting that you may have missed.
What’s the difference between backend keywords and visible keywords?
Visible keywords appear in product titles, bullet points, and descriptions, while backend keywords are hidden. Both contribute to your product’s search ranking, but backend keywords focus on enhancing discoverability without cluttering your listing.
Do backend keywords influence PPC campaigns?
No, backend keywords do not directly impact your Amazon PPC campaigns. However, they can improve organic rankings, which in turn may lower your PPC costs by increasing conversions.
How often should I update my backend keywords?
Regularly review and optimize backend keywords, especially after: New product launches in your category, Seasonal changes, Running PPC campaigns (use search term reports for insights), Competitor analysis revealing trending search terms.
Should I include long-tail keywords in the backend field?
Yes, long-tail keywords are valuable as they capture specific search intents. They often have lower competition and higher conversion rates.
What tools can I use to audit my backend keywords?
Tools like Helium 10, Jungle Scout, and Search Query Performance Reports can help analyze the effectiveness of your backend keywords and identify gaps or redundant terms.
Can I use competitor brand names in backend keywords?
No, using competitor brand names violates Amazon’s policies and can lead to listing suspension or penalties.
Do backend keywords need to follow proper grammar?
No, backend keywords do not need to follow proper grammar, capitalization, or punctuation. Focus on including all relevant terms concisely.
Can I include foreign language keywords in backend fields?
Yes, including foreign language keywords, especially if targeting international audiences, can help improve discoverability in different regions. Ensure the terms are relevant and adhere to Amazon’s policies.
How do backend keywords affect product indexing?
Backend keywords help Amazon index your product for more search terms, making it more likely to appear in relevant search results. Proper indexing can significantly boost your product’s visibility and sales.
