When managing your Amazon PPC campaigns, it’s essential to grasp the distinction between “keywords” and “search terms.” While these terms are often used interchangeably, they serve different purposes in the Amazon advertising ecosystem.
What Are Keywords?
Keywords are the words or phrases that you, as an advertiser, choose to target in your PPC campaigns. They represent the terms you believe customers will use when searching for products like yours. In Amazon PPC, keywords are:
- Manually selected by you when setting up your campaigns
- Associated with specific bids that you set
- Categorized into match types (broad, phrase, or exact)
- The foundation of your advertising strategy
For example, if you’re selling running shoes, you might choose keywords like “men’s running shoes,” “lightweight running sneakers,” or “marathon training shoes.”
What Are Search Terms?
Search terms, on the other hand, are the actual words or phrases that customers type into Amazon’s search bar. These are the queries that trigger your ads to appear in search results. Search terms:
- Are generated by actual customer behavior
- May or may not match your chosen keywords exactly
- Provide insight into how customers are finding your products
- Can reveal new keyword opportunities or areas for optimization
Using the running shoes example, a customer’s search term might be “best shoes for long-distance running” or “cushioned running shoes for flat feet.”
Key Differences
- Origin: Keywords are chosen by advertisers; search terms are generated by customers.
- Control: You have direct control over your keywords but not over search terms.
- Visibility: Keywords are visible in your campaign structure from the start; search terms only become visible after your ads have been triggered and clicked.
- Specificity: Keywords can be broad; search terms show exactly what customers are searching for.
- Optimization: You optimize your campaigns by adjusting keywords; search term data informs these optimizations.
How They Work Together
Amazon’s algorithm matches your keywords to relevant search terms based on your chosen match types:
- A broad match keyword “running shoes” might match with search terms like “men’s jogging sneakers” or “women’s trail running footwear.”
- A phrase match keyword “lightweight running shoes” could match “best lightweight running shoes for men” but not “running shoes lightweight material.”
- An exact match keyword “[blue running shoes]” will only match the search term “blue running shoes” or very close variations.
Leveraging Both for Campaign Success
Understanding the relationship between keywords and search terms is crucial for PPC success:
- Keyword Research: Use search term data to discover new, high-performing keywords to add to your campaigns.
- Negative Keywords: Identify irrelevant search terms and add them as negative keywords to prevent wasted ad spend.
- Match Type Optimization: Analyze which search terms are converting best and adjust your keyword match types accordingly.
- Ad Copy Refinement: Use popular search terms to inform your product titles and ad copy, improving relevance and click-through rates.
By mastering the interplay between keywords and search terms, you can create more targeted, efficient, and successful Amazon PPC campaigns. Remember, effective PPC management involves continuously monitoring search term performance and refining your keyword strategy based on real customer behavior.