It's no secret that getting your product listings properly indexed on Amazon is crucial for visibility and sales. However, Amazon has recently made some significant changes to how sellers can input search terms and keywords.
Previously, there was a "keyword" field where sellers could enter up to 250 characters of search terms. The requirements were that terms had no repetitions, no brand names, no special characters including comma and stuck to that 250 character limit.
That field has now been removed entirely. In its place is a "generic keywords" section under the product details tab. At first, many sellers assumed the same rules applied - stick to unique keywords, avoid brands and repetition, and stay under that character count.
However, that assumption proved to be incorrect!
We can still use the traditional way of checking if a product is indexed or not via a keyword by searching "Amazon ASIN + keyword" if your product does not show then the listing is not indexed for that specific keyword or phrase.
To investigate further, tools like Helium 10's Index Checker revealed a startling reality - many common words and high-volume keywords were no longer indexed for many previously optimised listings.
So what's the “new” best practice for inputting generic keywords in 2024?
The format has changed significantly:
But how do you find those all-important high-volume, relevant keywords? Here's the new multi-step strategy:
7. In a word document, use the "Replace" function to replace all commas with semicolons so your keywords are separated by semicolons as Amazon now requires.
8. Copy the semi-colon separated keyword list from Frankenstein and paste it directly into the generic keywords field in your Amazon listing.
While more work is required now, following this process of comprehensive keyword research and reformatting with tools like Cerebro and Frankenstein should allow you to get your listings properly indexed for all the most important, highest-volume phrases your target customers are searching.
Keeping up with Amazon's ever-evolving policies is crucial for success on the platform. This new method for optimising generic keywords may seem like an extra hassle, but it ultimately allows sellers to have their products visible for a wider variety of highly relevant, high-value search terms.
Kangaroo UK provides Amazon Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) service to boost product visibility within the Amazon search results page. If you need help, boosting visibility online Contact Us and talk to one of our Amazon experts today.
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