High-Level Keyword Strategy and Striking Distance Rankings

by Steven pope

lunch with norm blog image

Objective: Ensure that Organic Phrases are “hit” with Strikezone keywords (ranks 20-50) with the goal to get them to rank 1-19.

Strikezone Strategy Goals/Tasks:

  • Redo current backend Search Terms for mature listings
  • Ensure that Organic Phrases are “hit” with Strikezone keywords (ranks 20-50) with the goal to get them to rank 1-19.
  • This strategy is only for mature listings that index for 800+ organic keywords
  • Rotate keywords every 3 months (set a recurring Asana task for this)
  • Only do this when you have already applied Pink Terms Optimization (SEO Phase 2)
  • This is not a total keyword rework, such as SEO Phase 1

Starting Instructions:

1. Create a spreadsheet using this sheet as a template:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rmjPdPDkGAiHaFhR4tYeAM1o5maiqBw6v23I xa2Gv1I/edit#gid=0

The purpose of this spreadsheet will be to:

  1. Make it easy to see what keywords we are currently hitting and tracking
  2. Plan future keyword rotations easily
  3. Demonstrate process and progress to the client if they need/want to follow

Create the first table. This table should include three columns:

  • Keyword
  • Organic Search Ranking
  • Search Volume
keyword

Below the table add two cells:

  • “Indexed for”
  • “total # ORGANIC Keywords” (shown at the top when generating the keywords using Helium 10)
indexed for

 

To make the current ASIN easy to find, below this include:

  • ASIN
  • Listing URL
  • Title
lunch with norm blog image

To the right of the first table create the second table for tracking the keywords. This will be checked and updated every 3 months (creating a new Tracking table to the right so we can track history). It should be empty when the spreadsheet is first created. This table should look like the following:

lunch with norm blog image

 

The Date should be the day that the update/check took place. The Updated By box should be the name of the person performing the check/update, so if there are any questions about the research or tracking it is easy to figure out who worked on this.

If there are multiple ASINs for a client that have Strikezone keywords that we’re tracking please make a different sheet for each ASIN and label the sheet. This makes it easy to track keywords across multiple ASIN’s.

lunch with norm blog image
2. Login to Helium10 and choose the Cerebro tool (reverse ASIN lookup)
3. Input your ASIN and click “Get Keywords”
    1. If the ASIN has fewer than 800 organic keywords that it indexes for, this strategy will not work for it. Update the Asana task and move on to the next ASIN.
lunch with norm blog image
4. Filter by Organic Rank 20 – 50
    1. Organic keywords ranked 20 – 50 are the Strikezone keywords that we’re looking for
lunch with norm blog image
5. Sort Search Volume by highest to lowest.
    1. This will help you choose the best Strikezone keywords to focus on
lunch with norm blog image
6. Now that you have your keywords add them to the excel sheet you made
    1. Click “Export” in the top right corner, then “Excel”
lunch with norm blog image
  • Once the excel file has downloaded open it.
  • Copy and paste the information in the excel spreadsheet into the Google Sheet that you made earlier. (Should be pasted below the information already there. See example doc).

Make sure to freeze the row up to the top row of the table you’ve pasted in.

lunch with norm blog image

 

Filling out this spreadsheet correctly is crucial to tracking Strikezone keywords correctly,  and will be part of the doc that is delivered directly to the client.

More info about Strikezone Keywords:

  • Keywords Organically Ranked Between 20-50 are called Strikezone Keywords
  • These keywords give us an opportunity to get further sales
  • We are already indexing for these keywords
  • The goal of this strategy is to start ranking higher for these keywords, increasing listing traffic
  • Every 3 months we rotate the keywords we’re “striking” using keyword ranking we pull from Helium 10
7. Implement your keywords into the associated listing
  1. For this example, you can add the occasions on Subject Matter, target
    demographic on Target Audience, product features on Other Attributes. See
    below.
lunch with norm blog image
 

Note: If you still have some bytes left on your backend KWs, just add them. NEVER delete existing KWs.

8. Have someone (Dustin or Katrina) check your spreadsheet and keywords after implementing
  1. This will minimalize errors made across the task. Implementing this strategy is more complex than the first two Phases, and everyone will likely make mistakes as they perform this task.
9. Create a recurring Asana task to track progress
  1. Once you’ve checked off your work make a recurring Asana task for checking the progress of the Strikezone keywords.
  2. Set the task to recur every 90 days (three months) and include a link to the spreadsheet you made in the task description.
  3. Assign the task to yourself unless otherwise directed.
10. Check on the Strikezone keywords every 90 days
      1. When checking on the progress of Strikezone keywords, first duplicate the green “reporting” table in the spreadsheet you made.
      2. Using Helium 10’s Cerebro tool, look up the ASIN. Make a note of the following:
        1. The number of organic terms the ASIN indexes for
        2. The current rank of the organic terms recorded in the blue table on your spreadsheet
        3. Include your name in the green table in the appropriate cell so anyone with questions knows where to go
      3. Check each keyword’s current organic rank against the rank when you first made the spreadsheet.
        1. If the current organic rank is higher performing, report it to the client.
        2. If the current organic rank is the same, rotate that keyword out and replace it with another keyword from your list (with that keywords organic rank). Then report to the client.
        3. If the current organic rank is lower performing, rotate that keyword out and replace it with another keyword from your list (with that keywords organic rank). Then report to the client.
      4. Finally, if a Strikezone keyword now has a ranking of 1-19, notify the client and rotate that keyword out as well. This is considered a success and is the whole point of this SEO strategy.
      5. When done make sure that an account manager is aware of the progress/report.

Note: When rotating out keywords for any reason, make sure that you also go change it in the listing backend or A+ content. Only changing it in the spreadsheet does not update the listing.

Other Strikezone Notes and Resources:

Adding KWs on A+ Content:
You can add your KW results to your title and bullets (if possible). You may utilize them as well to further optimize your A+ Content. Caution: Do NOT use any Trademark or Trademark Terms as KWs as alt-texts. This will cause listing yanking.
Steps:
    1. Inspect your A+ Content by right clicking the image, and click inspect. You should see something like this:
lunch with norm blog image

 

  1.  Add the striking distance KWs to the alt-text by going to Advertising  > A+ Content
lunch with norm blog image

 

  1. Input your ASIN to find the EBC and click the EBC with the content status “Approved”
lunch with norm blog image

 

  1. Click Edit.
lunch with norm blog image

 

  1. Click Edit, again
lunch with norm blog image

 

  1. Paste your Keywords here:
lunch with norm blog image

 

  1. Do the same for the rest of the images.
  2. Click “Next:Apply ASINs”
lunch with norm blog image

 

  1.  Finally, click “Review & Submit”
lunch with norm blog image

 

After least 90 days while tracking the process of your updated keywords
through Helium 10. The easiest way to do this is by setting up the Keyword
Tracker tool on Helium 10. Once 90 days have passed we evaluate and
repeat the process as needed to maintain optimal rankings.

About The Author

steven pope headshot

Steven Pope is the founder of My Amazon Guy. He started his career as a TV reporter in Idaho, then was an eCommerce Director for 10 years for brands ranging from Gold & Silver Coins to Women’s Plus Size Clothing. After dozens of requests to side hustle consult for Amazon clients he started the agency to make it easier to growth hack the platform. Steven owns MAG, My Refund Guy – a clawback FBA service, and Momstir – a Private Label FBA Wine Glass brand. He has more than 300 tutorial videos on YouTube showing how to handle ANY problem faced on Amazon. Steven also hosts a podcast with interviews from other Amazon experts.

Recent Posts

Follow Us

Sign up for our Newsletter

Get notified with new podcast episodes every week! Plus, actionable and practical eCommerce tips straight to your inbox.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.