Marketing Q: Keyword Research VS Proper Marketing

5 replies
Hey folks. I realized there's a HUGE discrepancy between what ebay, amazon, shopping.com etc say is popular, and what the keyword research tools (Google's tool, market samurai etc) say people are searching for.

Which is more reliable? I'll often find a product that's the best selling for years on amazon, but showing next to no searches on google's keyword tool and market samurai. But the keyword tools will suggest very popular keywords that are nowhere to be found on the 'popular' list on shopping.com, ebay or amazon.

How do YOU do market research?
#keyword #marketing #proper #research
  • Profile picture of the author Rob Hall
    The main tools I use for market research are:

    Google External Keyword Tool
    Google Trends
    Compete.com

    I'm always skeptical over other best seller list as it's not really the internet as awhole, you've got to remember amazon are cross-selling, upselling packages etc, so there's a lot of different factors coming in to play that keyword tool such as the google external keyword tool simply cannot measure.
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    • Profile picture of the author abo28
      One possible reason: people don't look for those products at Google and other SEs, but directly at Amazon or Ebay. They know exactly the place where they find what they want, so they go directly there.

      Your post is very interesting - it invites to some reflection. If you could give some actual examples of products that seem to sell well on the Net without having a lot of searches at Google, maybe I could comment more.
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      • Profile picture of the author Snow_Predator
        Originally Posted by abo28 View Post

        One possible reason: people don't look for those products at Google and other SEs, but directly at Amazon or Ebay. They know exactly the place where they find what they want, so they go directly there.

        Your post is very interesting - it invites to some reflection. If you could give some actual examples of products that seem to sell well on the Net without having a lot of searches at Google, maybe I could comment more.
        abo28 my friend, examples are abundant. Here's one:

        Amazon.com: Televisions & Video: Samsung, Sony, Panasonic, HDTVs, Video and Blu-ray Disc Players

        Top selling televisions on amazon. You'll see on the right if you scroll down a little, number 1 on the bestsellers list is Panasonic VIERA S1 Series TC-L37S1 37-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV. Bung a segment of that name (e.g. "Panasonic VIERA S1 Series", or "TC-L37S1" into google keywords tool, and the number of monthly searches is minimal compared to some other tvs such as the "panasonic th 50phd8uk", which is no-where to be seen on the amazon bestsellers.

        Rob Hall - you have a point :p
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  • Profile picture of the author LivingCovers
    I'd like to know more about this too. Please Warriors share your
    views regarding this matter. I'm about to go into marketing
    Amazon products so this thread sh'ld be useful.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kurt
    Abo makes good points.

    Also, Google stats are for searches, not purchases. These are two entirely different concepts.

    Search queries are very "psychographic", meaning they are what a person is thinking at an exact moment in time. Think of a search as something you add to your shopping list to buy at the grocery store.

    However, Amazon is the actual store you go shopping at. Just because something is on your list, it doesn't mean that you will buy it, or that you won't buy something else.

    You may well go to Amazon with a specific TV model in mind, but start browsing, which is like actually walking down the aisle at a store, and see something else that catches your attention. Once you browse at Amazon, you may come across a TV model you never heard of, or one that Amazon is selling at a great price, so you change your mind.

    In order to search using Google, I need to know the make and model of a TV, if I am searching for a specific make/model. At Amazon (or eBay, Walmart etc) I can shop for "TVs".

    Also, I'd bet most people searching for particular TV models in Google already own the TV and are looking for more info, such as support, a warranty, or "how to". Who else knows these TV make and model numbers?

    In this specific example, I'd choose Amazon, as their stats are for BUYERS, not searchers. And I assume you are looking for buyers.
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