Ahrefs is a highly celebrated tool renowned in the SEO world for its ability to perform comprehensive backlink tracking, competitive analysis, and general SEO audits. It’s a one-stop shop for content marketers striving to dominate Google’s search results. However, when it comes to serving as an Amazon keyword tool, Ahrefs tends to fall flat on its promise of comprehensive data analysis.
Google SEO and Amazon SEO are two different beasts. They require specific tools optimized to handle their unique needs. Ahrefs Amazon Keyword Tool isn’t really tailored towards Amazon’s special algorithm. This makes it less useful for working on Amazon’s SEO or studying products.
The tool is more of a traffic and lead generator for Ahrefs than a useful tool for Amazon sellers and affiliate marketers. If you’re serious about making money on Amazon, it isn’t worth kicking the tires on Ahrefs Keyword Tool.
In the Amazon keyword research world, you need a tool designed just for Amazon. Ahrefs may be a pro with Google, but for Amazon, it’s missing some crucial data. Let’s see why Ahrefs isn’t quite up to the task for Amazon.
Limited Keywords
The free version of their tool only shows the top 100 keywords related to your search. Whether you’re a new business or an established seller, this isn’t enough. You need a complete picture of your keyword research to beat your rivals.
If you’re a new business or a seasoned vendor, it’s essential to have insights that go beyond the basic first 100. This restriction hampers extensive keyword research.
You might think, “Okay, so I pay for their premium program and get the whole shebang, right?” Here’s the thing: It won’t.
Poor Quality Data
Now, you might wonder, “Ahrefs, an industry-leading SEO tool, relies on old data? How can it be?” Yes, you heard it right – Ahrefs, a tool known for its accurate and real-time data analytics, surprisingly presents Amazon search volume data that’s five years old.
It might come as a shock, considering the standards they set in the world of SEO analytics. But it’s the hard truth. Would you want to build your Amazon business on this outdated data? As you can see, Bluetooth speakers are not trending as much as they used to 5 years ago.
- Ahrefs says 331K searches per month
- Helium 10 says roughly 12K
- That’s like 27X higher
Relying on such outdated information can make your strategy falter in the competitive Amazon marketplace, where trends and preferences change at breakneck speed.
A serious drawback you need to consider is where Ahrefs gets its Amazon keyword data. Unlike other tools, it’s not sourced straight from Amazon. Instead, it’s mixed with Google Keyword Planner. What does this mean for you? Simply put, your Amazon SEO strategy could be based on inaccurate info, leading to poor keyword selection and potentially lower visibility for your product on Amazon.
Choose a tool that offers up-to-the-minute data directly from Amazon. With this, you can bolster your Amazon SEO efforts effectively. You’ll be able to fine-tune your product listings with the most suitable, high-traffic keywords, boosting your chances of earning high rankings and selling more products.
Missing Critical Features For Amazon Sellers
The keyword data provided by Ahrefs is outdated and lacks critical features. Beyond showing the monthly Amazon searches from five years ago, it offers little to no help.
| Company | Keyword Research | Product Research | Competitor Insights | Rank Tracking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helium 10 | ||||
| Jungle Scout | ||||
| Viral Launch | ||||
| SixLeaf | ||||
| MerchantWords | ||||
| SellerApp | ||||
| ASINSIGHT | ||||
| AMZ Scout | ||||
| SellerSprite | ||||
| Ahrefs Amazon Keyword Tool | ||||
| Keyword Tool | ||||
| Keyword Dominator |
Amazon Keyword Research
Indeed, when it comes to the Ahrefs keyword tool, you get what you see, which, unfortunately, is not much beyond search volume. This means that while you can ascertain the numbers associated with a particular keyword, the tool does not extend its abilities to provide further insights, such as keyword difficulty or competitiveness on Amazon. This is problematic for several reasons.
Amazon’s algorithm, A9, differs from what you find in Google. Here, relevance and precise buyer intent are paramount; common SEO strategies often don’t cut it. The keyword gap analysis tool from Ahrefs is designed with the Google algorithm in mind, not Amazon’s, which can lead to misinformed strategies and poor outcomes for Amazon sellers.
What’s worse is that the tool won’t give you profitable long-tail keywords—search terms with lower traffic but higher conversion rates. These are golden opportunities for Amazon sellers since they can lead to high-quality, conversion-ready traffic. Unfortunately, by focusing only on high-volume keywords, you might miss out on these potential sales boosters.
Product Research
To begin with, conducting product research is essentially impracticable. Having a successful Amazon business doesn’t solely rely on finding the right keywords. It’s also crucial to know which products are popular, which ones have the chance to grow, and the market gaps you can take advantage of. Lacking this information may weaken your strategy from the start.
Similarly, sales data, another crucial component of an Amazon business strategy, is also absent from what the Ahrefs tool offers. Sales data can provide invaluable insights into patterns and trends, helping you optimize pricing and sales volumes and even guide inventory decisions. Unfortunately, these insights are unavailable when using the Ahrefs keyword tool.
Competitive Analysis
Moving onto competitor insights, this lack of information can be a significant handicap. Comprehensive competitor analysis lets you understand how your contenders are performing, where they are succeeding and failing, and how their keyword strategies may impact your potential customers. It’s all part of the competitive landscape, and understanding it thoroughly can provide key strategic advantages. Again, these insights are not available with the Ahrefs tool.
Rank Tracking
Lastly, the tool does not provide rank tracking. As an Amazon seller, tracking your ranking for specific keywords is vital in assessing your product’s visibility and success. It’s an essential piece of the puzzle in any effective SEO strategy, and its absence in the Ahrefs tool is certainly a concern.
For a thriving Amazon business, choosing a comprehensive tool suite is paramount. Among the leading options in the market, Jungle Scout and Helium 10 have gained considerable traction. These platforms go beyond simple keyword identification, providing a versatile range of features including product research, sales data, competitor analysis, and rank tracking, thus becoming a cornerstone for Amazon’s business success.
Absolutely No Amazon Marketing Features
If you dig a little deeper, it’s clear that Ahrefs lacks meaningful tools for promoting your Amazon business. If you’re looking for things like listing enhancement, Pay-Per-Click (PPC) features, or any review creation, you’re likely to be disappointed.
The limited, often inaccurate, keyword data already noted is the glaring extent of their offering. Its inadequacy in addressing the diverse needs of an Amazon seller like yourself couldn’t be more stark. This forces you to question whether they should promote themselves as a dedicated Amazon tool.
As you can see, in the ever-competitive arena of Amazon sales, Ahrefs falls far short. Without vital marketing features, you can’t succeed in the fiercely competitive landscape of Amazon.
| Company | Listing Optimization | PPC Management | Review Generation | Inventory Management | AI Assistance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helium 10 | |||||
| Jungle Scout | |||||
| Viral Launch | |||||
| SixLeaf | |||||
| MerchantWords | |||||
| SellerApp | |||||
| ASINSIGHT | |||||
| AMZ Scout | |||||
| SellerSprite | |||||
| Ahrefs Amazon Keyword Tool | |||||
| Keyword Tool | |||||
| Keyword Dominator |
Amazon SEO
When it comes to Amazon Search Engine Optimization (SEO), a tool that can truly decipher Amazon’s A9 algorithm is crucial. Unfortunately, Ahrefs does not quite hit the target for Amazon SEO. This falls back to the software’s inherent design – originally developed for general SEO, not specifically for Amazon’s unique and nuanced algorithm.
The A9 algorithm looks at product relevance and customer satisfaction to rank products. This means the importance of structured data, customer feedback, and sales velocity can’t be overemphasized. Yet, these are areas where the Ahrefs keyword tool falls short. It does not provide any insights or analytics related to these key components of Amazon SEO. This leaves sellers in the dark, unable to fully optimize your product listings for Amazon’s search engine.
Ahrefs doesn’t match Amazon’s A9 algorithm, so its users may fall behind competitors who use better-suited Amazon tools. In Amazon’s tough battleground, the right tools can be your ticket to winning or losing.
PPC Management
PPC advertising is a vital part of Amazon selling, and managing these campaigns well can make or break your success.
An effective Amazon keyword tool should include features to help control your ads efficiently. Features such as auto-adjusting keyword bids based on performance, scheduling ads, and detailed performance reports are key to enhance your ads and beat your competitors on Amazon.
Amazon-dedicated tools like Helium 10, Jungle Scout, AMZScout, and Viral Launch provide better PPC campaign management. These tools, designed for Amazon sellers, offer a broader range of PPC management features that Ahrefs doesn’t have.
What Ahrefs Is Good For
While Ahrefs may not be the ideal tool for Amazon keyword research, it still shines in many other areas. It’s important to highlight that Ahrefs is a comprehensive SEO toolkit created to empower website owners and digital marketers to build a robust online presence.
- Site Audit Feature: This is one of Ahrefs’ strongest suits. The Site Audit tool lets you dig into the depths of your website to find any on-page SEO issues that may hamper your website’s performance. The tool not only identifies the issues but also suggests actionable solutions.
- Backlink Analysis: Ahrefs has a powerful backlink analysis tool that helps you to understand who’s linking to your site, what pages they’re linking to, and how strong these referring domains are. This makes it easier to devise an effective link-building strategy.
- Content Explorer: Another feature that sets Ahrefs apart is its Content Explorer tool. This tool lets you uncover any topic or niche’s most popular content. It’s perfect for studying your competition and developing content ideas that resonate with your audience.
- Keyword Explorer: While it’s not especially helpful for Amazon sellers, the Keyword Explorer tool is ideal for broader SEO efforts. It gives you access to a vast pool of keyword ideas, with search volumes and ranking difficulty levels.
So, while Ahrefs may fall short in the Amazon marketplace department, it certainly has much to offer in SEO. Its range of tools can provide insight that could propel your SEO efforts to new heights. If your goal is to grow organic traffic to your website, Ahrefs is one of the best tools for that.
Ahrefs Pricing
I will say that it’s not right to discuss Ahref’s pricing regarding their Amazon offering. I wouldn’t ever pay for Ahrefs for any Amazon marketing. For a free tool, you’re better off using other Amazon tools, be they their trials or free versions.
Ahrefs offers four pricing tiers: Lite, Standard, Advanced, and Agency. The Lite plan is priced at $99 per month, followed by the Standard plan at $179 monthly. For more demanding needs, there’s the Advanced plan for $399 per month and the hefty Agency plan at $999 per month.
One feature that has sparked frustration among some Ahrefs users is their credit system. This system limits the amount of data and features users can access within their SEO toolset, depending on their subscription level.
Check out this thread for a closer look at users’ opinions on the Ahrefs credit system. Many complain about the constraints it places on their usage, making the tool less effective for their SEO needs. However, some users see it as a fair trade-off for gaining high-quality SEO tools.
It’s also worth noting that Ahrefs does not offer any free or trial version of their product, making it an even bigger leap of faith for an Amazon seller to commit their hard-earned resources to a tool not designed for their specific needs.
Ahrefs Customer Support
I will say that Ahrefs customer support is fast and helpful. It’s disappointing when customer service representatives don’t have a good understanding of their product or basic SEO. Even though they’re eager to help, they often point you to their blog or training resources instead of directly answering your questions.
Overall, I would say that Ahrefs customer support is one of the best out of all the SaaS companies I’ve worked with. But again, none of that comes with their free Amazon keyword tool.
Alternative Amazon Keyword Tools
You’d agree that finding the right keywords is pivotal to your Amazon marketing strategy. Now, if Ahrefs isn’t cutting it for you, don’t worry; there are numerous alternatives that you can explore. Let’s delve into some of them to help you select your new keyword research tool.
Helium 10
Known for its advanced keyword tracking and research capabilities, Helium 10 helps you discover relevant keywords in minutes. It includes features like reverse ASIN lookup and exact and broad match search volumes, immensely benefiting your Amazon SEO strategy.
Jungle Scout
Jungle Scout is another remarkable alternative. The software provides various features that an Amazon seller would find indispensable. This includes product tracking for accurate sales estimates, an opportunity finder for discovering profitable niche products, and its signature feature, the Jungle Scout Chrome Extension.
AMZScout
AMZScout, with its robust package of tools, gives sellers an edge in product research. It is heavily equipped with features such as a product tracker, sales estimator, keyword explorer, etc. AMZScout specializes in providing deep insights into market trends and competition.
Viral Launch
Don’t overlook Viral Launch, a tool known for its comprehensive set of Amazon seller solutions. From product discovery and market intelligence to keyword research and listing optimization, Viral Launch covers every aspect of your Amazon FBA business in a neat suite of tools.
What’s Your Experience with Ahrefs Amazon Keyword Tool?
Looking closely at Ahref’s Amazon keyword tool, it’s clear that it doesn’t quite fulfil Amazon sellers’ needs. Its lack of tailored Amazon marketing features and the standard of data it offers indicate there’s room for better performance. When compared to other options like Helium 10, Jungle Scout, AMZScout, and Viral Launch, it doesn’t stack up.
Now, it’s your turn. Do you agree that Ahrefs isn’t the best tool for Amazon sellers? Head to their site, run a test, and share your findings with us. Your reviews and insights are invaluable in shaping our future comparisons and keeping this community informed. We value your opinions and experiences, so let’s deepen this conversation together!
