The reverse ASIN search is one of the best keyword research methods you can use to find good keywords to use for your products. It’s such an awesome research method because it shows you what keywords your competitors are already successfully using. You can get top search placement on Amazon faster, plus, you don’t have to spend more than the time it takes to slap the information into your keyword tool.
When you do standard keyword research, you are relying only on your own imagination to come up with your base keywords. Then you have to look into projections that may not even be accurate, then test these keywords and possibly waste a lot of ad spend trying to figure out what the best ones are.
The reverse ASIN search is one of the best keyword research methods you can use to find good keywords to use for your products. It’s such an awesome research method because it shows you what keywords your competitors are already successfully using. You can get top search placement on Amazon faster, plus, you don’t have to spend more than the time it takes to slap the information into your keyword tool.
When you do standard keyword research, you are relying only on your own imagination to come up with your base keywords. Then you have to look into projections that may not even be accurate, then test these keywords and possibly waste a lot of ad spend trying to figure out what the best ones are.
With a reverse ASIN search, you are using keywords that are already proven successful.
Basically, a reverse ASIN search tool gives you the keywords that a competitor’s product is currently ranking for just by entering that product’s ASIN. This is so important because you can skip all the trial and error and get right to the keywords that are already working for similar products. Then you just need a bit of time and savvy to craft your optimization and PPC strategies based on the suggestions that you get.
It’s a much faster and more effective way to find the keywords that attract more shoppers and convert better.
ASIN Basics
Here’s some basic information about ASINs that you should know if you’re new to Amazon or haven’t taken the leap yet.
What is an ASIN?
ASIN is an acronym that stands for “Amazon Standard Identification Number”. It’s a unique identifier composed of a combination of numbers and letters. Every product on Amazon gets an ASIN as soon as its listing is approved. It’s basically the Amazon version of a seller SKU.
To find the ASIN of any product on Amazon, just look for the ten-digit alphanumeric identifier in the product page URL. You can also scroll down the listing until you get to the description and find it listed there. (You can also see the ASINs of the products you already sell on your Inventory page in Seller Central.)
Why is an ASIN important?
Being unique to Amazon, you must have an ASIN to sell on the marketplace. An ASIN also makes identifying products easier on the marketplace, especially when many sellers sell the same product.
An ASIN is also important because it allows you to do a reverse ASIN search.
Let’s look into what that is and how it’s done.
Reverse ASIN Search
Simply put, a reverse ASIN search is using a product’s ASIN to show you what keywords the product is currently ranking for – keywords that your competitors are using to crush sales. To do a reverse ASIN search, you need an Amazon keyword research tool like Helium 10’s Cerebro or Jungle Scout’s Keyword Scout – more on these tools below.
Reverse ASIN Search Advantages
Performing a reverse ASIN search on a competitor’s ASIN returns valuable keyword information fast. You can always see the main phrases that any listing uses – they’re right there in the product title, bullet points, and description. But spotting and collecting them is a time-consuming manual process.
Moreover, deciphering which keywords on a listing are the winners requires Amazon-specific SEO experience, and more research and testing. Using a reverse ASIN search tool makes the process as easy as copying an ASIN, pasting it, and clicking a button. The results are also pre-formatted for your convenience. Plus, if you use a quality tool, you’ll get accurate results almost immediately with little room for error – not so true for manual work.
With this information at your fingertips, you can use your time to go straight to crafting your PPC strategy complete with supporting optimized product copy.
The problem that many sellers have with reverse ASIN search tools is that they are expensive. But really, they’re not. The time that you save from the research phase all the way to getting your desired rankings more than makes up for the monthly payments. The more visibility you have and the faster you convert, the more sales you can bring in to cover this expense, and more.
Reverse ASIN Search Tool Samples
As promised, here’s a rundown of two top reverse ASIN search tools on the market today.
Cerebro
Cerebro is a tool in the Helium 10 suite specifically for reverse ASIN searches. It focuses on giving you fast and accurate results, and it’s very easy to use.
The free version allows 2 ASIN searches per day, while the $97 monthly Platinum plan gives you 300 searches – that’s 32 cents per search if you only use this one tool in the entire suite. You get the Cerebro IQ Score function, too, which gives you data on the ratio of a keyword’s search volume to total competing products. That’s vital information for optimizing any ranking strategy.
If you just want Cerebro, you can also go à la carte for $37 a month.
Keyword Scout
This tool is also really easy to use. You’ll need to subscribe to the Jungle Scout Web App to use it, though. The good news is that Keyword Scout is available on the $25 per month Start-Up plan.
To do a reverse ASIN search on either of these tools, all you need to do is enter the ASIN into the search bar and click the button. You can then save the data to use later. It’s that simple.
Final Thoughts
Not many Amazon sellers are taking advantage of reverse ASIN searches. This gives you an added incentive to start doing your keyword research this way. But remember to use a quality tool so you get accurate data – anything less is just betting your sales on a guess. The better the tool, that faster you can make more sales.
