How to Track Historical Keyword Trends and Use Them to Outrank Competitors on Amazon

Why Historical Keyword Trends Matter

Amazon’s marketplace is dynamic, with keyword rankings constantly shifting based on seasonality, competitor strategies, and market trends. Understanding the historical performance of a product’s organic and sponsored keywords can give you powerful insights to plan your strategy and boost sales.

By analyzing past trends, you can:

• Identify seasonal opportunities and challenges.
• Predict competitor behavior and adjust your campaigns accordingly.
• Focus on high-impact keywords that drive conversions.

Enter Helium 10’s “Historical Trends” Feature

This tool, available in Cerebro, lets you take a deep dive into a product’s keyword performance over time. Think of it as a time machine for tracking keyword data. Here's how you can leverage it:

How to Access Historical Keyword Data

1. Open Cerebro: Start by analyzing a product.
2. Click “Show Historical Trend” located in the Keyword Distribution section. This will display historical data for the past two years (if available).
   
3. View Organic and Sponsored Trends: The tool shows the number of keywords a product ranked for organically and through sponsored ads, represented in different colors.

Why This Data is Crucial

• Seasonal Niche Insights:
  Let’s say you’re analyzing a beach ball product. If it’s December, the keywords driving traffic will likely differ from peak summer months like June or July. Tracking these fluctuations helps you:

  • Plan for upcoming seasons.
  • Focus ad spend during high-traffic months.

• Competitor Strategy Analysis:
  Look at your competitors’ trends. For example:

  • If a competitor increases their ad spend during November and December but cuts back in January, you can:
    • Ramp up your spend in January to capture market share.
    • Dial back in November/December if it’s too costly to compete.

• Identifying Keyword Focus:

  • If a competitor’s sales are rising but their total keyword count is shrinking, they might be laser-focused on high-performing keywords.
  • Use this insight to adjust your own campaigns and focus on those profitable terms.

How to Interpret the Data

• Sales and Keyword Trends:
  If a competitor’s sales are increasing, check their keyword count:

  • More Keywords: They’re casting a wider net with ads.
  • Fewer Keywords: They’re focusing on fewer, high-impact keywords.

• Adjust Your Campaigns:

  • Expand your keyword targeting when competitors are inactive.
  • Focus on high-converting keywords if your competitors are doing the same.

How Historical Trends Can Make You Money

• Stay Ahead of Competitors: By predicting their strategies, you can time your campaigns to dominate when they pull back.
• Optimize Ad Spend: Focus your advertising efforts where they’ll have the greatest impact, reducing wasteful spending.
• Leverage Seasonality: Prepare for high-demand periods and avoid costly competition during off-seasons.

Final Thoughts

Helium 10’s Historical Trends is a game-changing tool that gives you visibility into the long-term keyword performance of your listings and competitors. Use it to uncover patterns, plan your strategy, and make data-driven decisions to maximize profitability.

Start tracking today, and take control of your Amazon success! 🚀