How to Identify Competitors' Sponsored Keywords with Cerebro
If you're launching a new product on Amazon, running effective advertising campaigns from the start can be challenging. Rather than blindly launching ads and hoping for results, Helium 10’s Cerebro tool allows you to analyze competitor ad strategies, helping you save money and maximize your chances of success. By reverse-engineering competitors' sponsored keyword data, you can get insights into their most profitable keywords and advertising strategies. Here’s how to use Cerebro to uncover the keywords that Amazon products are advertising for and how they can benefit your campaigns.
Why Knowing Competitors’ Sponsored Keywords Matters
When it comes to Amazon advertising, understanding where your competitors are spending their ad dollars can give you a major advantage. With Cerebro, you can reveal which keywords competitors are bidding on and their ranking in Amazon’s sponsored product ads. By analyzing successful products in your niche, you can gain valuable insights into the keywords that likely generate conversions—without the guesswork of trial-and-error ad spend.
Step 1: Run a Cerebro Search
Begin by running a standard Cerebro search using your competitor’s ASIN (Amazon’s unique product identifier). If you’re new to this process, you can copy an ASIN from a competitor’s product page, paste it into the Cerebro search bar, and hit “Get Keywords.” In addition to the usual organic keywords that the product ranks for, you’ll also see a column labeled Sponsored Rank. This indicates the position of the product in sponsored results (advertisements) for each keyword at the last check.
Step 2: Filter for Top Sponsored Keywords
To hone in on keywords that are more likely to drive clicks, use the Sponsored Rank Filter at the top of the page. Set the filter to show only keywords where the product ranks within the top positions, such as the top 10. This will give you a list of keywords where the product appears prominently in sponsored results, maximizing visibility for those terms.
If you want to see all sponsored keywords (without position limits), skip this step. Alternatively, for more precision, you can use the Match Type Filter to display only advertised keywords by selecting "Sponsored Product." This filter allows you to see the exact keywords the product is advertising on, giving you a refined look at its advertising strategy.
Step 3: Analyze the Number of Sponsored Keywords
One quick trick for assessing your competitor’s advertising approach is to examine the total number of sponsored keywords. If a product has a large number of sponsored keywords (say 300 or more), this often indicates that it is running broad or auto campaigns. These campaign types generally result in a wide range of keywords appearing in ads, as Amazon automatically matches the product to numerous relevant keywords.
However, if you find that a competitor is only showing up for a handful of sponsored keywords—perhaps around 10 to 15—it suggests they are running an exact match campaign. Exact match campaigns are typically highly targeted, indicating that the seller is focusing on a select few keywords that are likely profitable. By identifying these specific keywords, you can gain insight into their best-performing keywords without running costly tests yourself.
Suggested PPC Bid Feature
Another valuable metric in Cerebro is the Suggested PPC Bid column. For keywords with sufficient data, Cerebro provides a bid range that offers the best chance of ranking within the top sponsored results on page one. This suggested bid takes into account Amazon’s bid recommendation, enhanced by Helium 10’s AI-based algorithms to provide a more accurate range tailored to the competitive landscape. By following this bid range, you can approach advertising bidding more strategically, optimizing costs while increasing visibility.
Applying Your Findings
Using these insights, you can apply a competitor’s sponsored keyword strategy to your own campaigns. Here are a few actionable steps to take:
1. Start with Proven Keywords: Rather than running a broad or auto campaign immediately, start with exact match campaigns focused on the high-impact keywords identified through Cerebro. This can help you achieve better results faster.
2. Optimize Bids with Suggested PPC Bids: Follow the bid recommendations provided in Cerebro’s Suggested PPC Bid column. Doing so can save you money by helping you avoid over-bidding while still competing effectively in the search results.
3. Experiment with Top Sponsored Keywords: Run your own campaigns using top sponsored keywords identified from competitors. Test their effectiveness, and adjust your bid or expand your keyword list based on the performance data you gather over time.
4. Refine Based on Ad Type: If your analysis shows that your competitor’s success relies heavily on exact match campaigns, you might want to replicate this approach. Exact match campaigns let you target a select few keywords, optimizing ad spend towards keywords that are most likely to drive sales.
Final Thoughts
Understanding and leveraging competitors’ advertising keywords is one of the most effective ways to make Amazon advertising campaigns profitable right from the start. With Helium 10 Cerebro, you gain insights into which keywords are driving conversions, helping you save time and ad spend. Whether you’re fine-tuning your ad campaigns or launching a new product, using Cerebro to reveal high-performing sponsored keywords can give you a strong competitive edge in the Amazon marketplace.
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