You Can’t Run Great Amazon Ads without Great Keyword Research

All right, everyone. If you thought Amazon ads were just about pressing a few buttons and hoping for the best, let me stop you right there. 

In Ads Academy Module 1, we laid the groundwork; why Amazon advertising matters, how it works, and the different ad types you’ll be using. Now in Module 2, we’re rolling up our sleeves and getting into something that affects literally everything about your Amazon business: 

👉 Keyword research, customer targeting, and listing optimization. 

Yes, these are the things that separate the top 1% of sellers from the ones just throwing spaghetti at the wall. 

Meet Your Instructors: Destaney & Bradley 

You’re in expert hands. Destaney is one of the most recognized thought leaders in Amazon advertising today, managing over $500 million in annual ad spend across brands of every size. Alongside her is Bradley, Helium 10’s own Amazon expert, managing hundreds of campaigns himself. 

First Up: Keyword Research That Actually Works 

Let’s face it; there’s a lot of noise out there about keyword research. Some folks think it’s just about finding 500 keywords and dumping them into a listing. Nope. 

I’m going to show you how I personally build my keyword strategy using: 

• Amazon’s free tools (yes, even before Helium 10) 

• Cerebro to reverse-engineer what your competitors are getting sales from 

• Historical data to find keywords that spike seasonally (you do not want to miss those) 

• Opportunity keywords most people ignore but that can get you cheap clicks and easy wins 

There’s even a strategy I call the “Bali Blast” if you’re into exotic-sounding stuff that drives real traffic. 🏖️ 

Then We Flip the Script: Amazon Keyword Research for Real People 

Now here’s where most sellers mess up: they optimize their listing for the Amazon algorithm… but forget about the actual humans clicking on their product. 

Destiny and I will walk you through how to: 

• Use review insights to figure out what your customers really care about 

• Build listings that not only rank but convert 

• Stand out with images, headlines, and benefits that resonate (yes, coffee-loving collagen buyers, I’m talking to you) 

We even talk about Amazon’s AI shopping assistant (Rufus) and how you can sneak in keywords and answers that show up before your customer even asks the question. 

Next Step: Building a Listing That Ranks AND Converts 

This part is fun. We’re going to show you how to take all your hard-earned keyword research and actually build a listing that: 

• Sends relevancy signals to Amazon (so you get indexed and ranked) 

• Speaks to your ideal customer 

• Sets you up perfectly for launch and ads 

Pro tip: the way you place your keywords (especially in your title) can directly affect your ability to advertise later. I’ve tested this myself across hundreds of listings. We’re not guessing here. 

Finally: Advertising Keyword Research (Yes, It’s Different) 

Here’s something most sellers overlook: your listing keyword strategy is different from your ad keyword strategy. 

In ads, you can go broader. You can go niche. You can even bid on your competitor’s brand name (carefully). We’ll show you: 

• How to spot expensive keywords and avoid wasting ad spend 

• How to use ASIN targeting and refinements to beat out your competition 

• Why the cheapest clicks often come from less obvious keywords that still drive serious traffic 

Bottom Line? 

If you’re running ads without understanding keyword strategy, you’re basically playing darts in the dark. 

Helium 10 Ads Academy Module 2 gives you the blueprint; from finding the right keywords, to making sure your listing is ready, to targeting your ads with sniper precision. 

Ready to start making data-backed decisions? Let’s dive into Module 2 of Ads Academy now.