Understanding Amazon Search Volume

5 min. readlast update: 10.17.2023

Keyword research is one of the most important parts of creating a sales strategy on Amazon KDP. Selecting relevant and appropriate keywords for your listings will result in your products ranking higher in search results. Ultimately, this will lead to a boost in traffic and a higher chance of landing sales. 

When choosing the right keywords to use, one of the fundamental metrics to take into consideration is Amazon search volume. It’s a vital metric that gives you insights into how many buyers have searched for a specific keyword, and are therefore interested in.

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Here is everything you need to know about Amazon Search volume and how you can use it to your advantage.

What is Amazon search volume?

Amazon search volume is a metric used to determine how popular a specific keyword is on Amazon. In a nutshell, it represents a monthly average of how many times users on Amazon have typed in a keyword to perform their product search. But let’s go back a step and examine how Amazon works in order to offer a more detailed explanation.

Once a user lands on Amazon, they have three options. The first is to choose products from the recommendation section on the home page. If the user is browsing from their personal device and is logged in, chances are that Amazon will be able to recommend relevant products based on other searches. The second option is to hover over the category section, choose a specific category, like electronics or pet supplies, and browse products from the recommended items.

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However, the third and most popular option is to use the search box to type in a word related to the product they’re after. Similarly to Google, Amazon has its own search engine, which is designed to help users quickly and effortlessly discover items they’re looking for. And this is precisely where keyword importance and search volume come in. 

Why is Amazon search volume important for you as a seller?

As mentioned earlier, the search volume of a keyword reveals how many times buyers have used it to run a search on Amazon. In other words, the higher the search volume, the more popular a keyword is. For example, let’s say the keyword ‘jigsaw puzzle’ has a monthly average search volume of 300,000, while the keyword ‘word search puzzle’ only has a search volume of 50,000. This would indicate that selling jigsaw puzzles instead of word search puzzles is likely to be the more profitable option. 

In the event that you have already created a jigsaw puzzle or intend to do so, it is therefore advisable to optimize your listing with this keyword, as it will increase traffic to your listing significantly. 

Search volume enables you to understand buyer intent without wasting time with fruitless experiments. It empowers you to utilize the level of interest in your category or niche and use it to your advantage to secure more sales . Amazon searches are mostly performed by users who intend to buy. This is why search volume is a key insight that can help you shape your strategy as a seller. 

How to choose keywords based on search volume

So how can you take advantage of this metric and adapt it to your listings?

The majority of sellers head down the most straightforward route. They choose to create products or market their listings according to the keywords with the highest search volume. There’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, it is one of the most intuitive ways to claim a stake in your target market or to improve your visibility. 

However, there are two important factors that are worth keeping in mind when translating Amazon search volume data into action. 

The first one has to do with competition. Oftentimes, highly searched for keywords will go hand in hand with high competition. Why? Because other sellers’ mission is exactly the same as yours - more traffic and more sales. If you come across a keyword that has a high search volume, make sure to do extra research. Using Book Bolt’s Keyword tool, check how competitive the keyword is. The higher the competition, the harder it will be to outrank other, more experienced sellers in the niche. 

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If you’re just starting off on Amazon KDP, it may be prudent to opt for the keywords that have a substantial amount of search volume, yet are not as popular among sellers. They are likely to have less competition, enabling you to get your products seen by buyers searching for these keywords. 

The second thing you need to consider is seasonality. Monthly search volume changes all the time. It’s important to think about whether seasonal occasions or holidays have impacted the results you’re analyzing. For example, it’s completely natural that towards the end of the year, keywords related to ‘Christmas’, ‘Santa’, or ‘Christmas tree’ will have a higher monthly search volume than in spring. When performing your keyword research, make sure that you correctly interpret the results. This will allow you to make informed decisions that reward you with profitability throughout the whole year. 

In conclusion

Amazon search volume is one of the main components defining the success of a given keyword. It’s an essential part of your keyword research and strategy as a seller. Search volume reveals how popular a keyword is among buyers. It’s a metric that you can use to your advantage to choose the most suitable keywords for your listings and increase their visibility.

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