In 2022, Amazon released the Search Query Performance Dashboard (SQPD). It was an instant hit, thanks to the powerful search analytics data it gave to sellers.
Primarily, the dashboard helps sellers (and advertisers) understand customer's search behavior to a greater extent. In other words, this dashboard gives you the most first-party data ever about Amazon search queries. It's one of Amazon's finest tools, and you'll see why in this post.
Key takeaways
- The Amazon Search Query Performance Dashboard shows sellers how customers search for their brands.
- From the dashboard, sellers can access key metrics such as search query performance, clicks, impressions, cart adds, and purchases.
- Sellers must be Amazon brand-registered sellers to access the Search Query Performance Dashboard.
- Amazon sellers can use the Search Query Performance Dashboard to improve keyword targeting, analyze share of voice, optimize the sales funnel, and find product ideas.
What is the Amazon Search Query Performance Dashboard?
The SQPD is a tool on Amazon where sellers can access information about how buyers search for their products. This data is inclusive of both organic search, and sponsored ad clicks.
The dashboard provides a comprehensive report showing various metrics such as impressions, purchases, and search query volume. However, it is worth noting that the sales data on the SQPD may not align with your sales reports' total count due to the inclusion of data from search results pages while excluding details pages and widgets.
Why is the Amazon Search Query Performance Dashboard so helpful?
This dashboard sheds more light on the search queries that lead to purchases, product demand, and the funnel stage(s) where you're losing potential buyers.
Amazon's SQPD can help you find answers to questions like:
- What's my market share for critical KPIs such as impressions, clicks, and sales?
- Which search terms lead to purchases?
- How can I improve my listings and advertising on Amazon?
The SQPD is Amazon's most detailed and only dashboard where you can view search queries' performance. The dashboard lets you access up to 1,000 search queries related to your brand and products. In addition, sellers can review data from up to two years prior to evaluate buyers' search queries.
Because this data comes directly from Amazon, it's accurate and ripe to use for ad and listing improvements.
Before the Search Query Performance Dashboard, getting detailed data about how well your products performed at the search level was tough. You basically had two options:
- You could get some data from the ad platform, but it didn't give you the full picture.
- Use a 3rd party tool to try and figure out what keywords your products were showing up for (by reverse-searching the ASIN), but there was always the risk of this 3rd party data not being up-to-date or inaccurate.
Amazon's SQPD now makes it easier to see exactly what's happening at the search level, giving you more control and insight into your product's performance.
Search query vs. keywords
As a seller, it is important to keep in mind that search queries and keywords are two different things.
- Search queries are the phrases buyers enter into search engines when looking for products. They reflect the immediate intent of the user.
- Contrarily, keywords are what you choose and bid on to target specific audiences with your ads.
For instance, consider a customer searching on Amazon for 'iPhone 15 Pro Max 128GB'. This detailed phrase represents their search query, indicating their specific requirement. If you're a retailer advertiser selling iPhone accessories, you might choose 'iPhone 15 Pro Max' as one of your keywords. When this keyword matches the customer's search query, your product listings or ads for iPhone accessories might appear in the search results. So, in some cases, search queries can be keywords, but not always.
Where is the Amazon Search Query Performance Dashboard?
Before accessing the SQPD, you must be a brand-registered seller. In addition, you need to be the primary Seller Central account administrator for that brand. If not, request the administrator to give you access.
Once you’ve met these credentials, the dashboard is accessible via Seller Central → Brands → Brand Analytics → Search Query Performance Dashboard. You can also access the dashboard through this link: Search Query Performance Dashboard as long as you are signed in.
Why do I need the Amazon Search Query Performance Dashboard?
If you want to understand how buyers are searching for your products on Amazon, you need the Amazon Search Query Dashboard.
Most importantly, you can use the data on the dashboard to understand whether most of your buyers discover you via advertising or organic search.
The SQPD is also a great place to find search terms and keywords for your product listings. Generally, this dashboard gives you the superpower to understand how customers refer to the products that you're selling when they want to make a purchase.
As you can imagine, such data is extremely important to improve your listings and Amazon ad campaigns. We'll look at more ways you can use this handy report below.
What metrics are in the Amazon Search Query Performance Dashboard?
This dashboard on Amazon gives sellers search query data related to:
- Search query performance (volume and score)
- Clicks
- Impressions
- Cart adds
- Purchases
The Amazon Search Query Performance Dashboard also shows you what share you hold, for instance, purchase share based on the market, your brand, and products.
Let's explore what each of these metrics entails:
1. Search query performance
Performance covers the volume and score of each search query.
Search Query Volume refers to the number of times customers searched on Amazon using that specific query. Amazon records each instance as part of the total query volume. It means that Amazon accounts for all occurrences of a particular search query, even if it's repeated multiple times by the same user during that day.
Additionally, clicking on the 'next page' of search results contributes to the search volume. In other words, when users move beyond the initial set of search results by navigating to the next page, Amazon considers this action an extension of the search activity, thus adding to the overall search volume for that specific query.
What about the search query score?
Search queries are listed on Amazon from best to worst. Amazon uses clicks, impressions, cart adds, and purchases to calculate the score and rank the search terms.
2. Impressions
Impressions refer to the total count of products that are displayed on the Amazon search results page when a shopper enters a specific search term or query.
Essentially, it's the quantity of products that show up as search results in response to a customer's search. This count comprises both regular product listings (organic) and paid advertisements (sponsored products) in Amazon search results.
However, the report does not include products featured in special sections like 'Top Rated' or 'Highly Rated.'
These are the three categories you'll see for impressions:
- Total Count: The overall count of product impressions a search query receives on the Amazon search page.
- Brand Count: The count of product impressions specifically attributed to your brand on the Amazon search page.
- Brand Share: The percentage representing the proportion of brand count in relation to the total count for the query.
3. Clicks
This metric shows how many times customers click on a result after using a particular search query. You'll also find the market, brand, and product share, similar to how impressions are organized.
You'll also have access to:
- The click rate
- The average price of products listed at the time of the search
- How many times a product is clicked when same-day shipping is offered for the search
- How often a product with 'one-day shipping' is clicked for the search
- Times a product with a 'two-day shipping' option is clicked in response to the search
4. Cart adds
This metric reflects the number of times a shopper added a product to their shopping cart on Amazon after conducting a search using a specific query. The Search Query Performance Dashboard also shows you the cart add rate. This rate details how often customers 'added to cart' after clicking on a product in the search results.
5. Purchases
The purchases metric indicates how many times shoppers bought a product after searching with a certain search term. You'll also have the option to view the purchase rate.
Use cases of the Amazon Search Query Performance Dashboard
You're likely already beaming with ideas of how you can use Amazon’s SQPD to help your business get a leg up on this marketplace. Here are our favorite ideas for a quick head start:
Identifying keywords
Remember our explanation of search query vs. keywords?
Imagine you come across a search term like 'voice-controlled home assistant.' It's getting a lot of searches, many people are seeing it, as you can tell via impressions, and lots of those people are adding it to their carts and even following through with a purchase.
This situation is a golden opportunity for your brand. You can take this popular search term and use it as a keyword in your next advertising campaign. Plus, you can improve how you describe your products using this keyword. This way, you'll be more visible to potential customers who are actively searching for what you offer.
Product ideas
The Amazon Search Query Performance Dashboard is indispensable in not only revealing products that pique the interest of your target audience, but also revealing the extent to which customers are actively making purchases.
By exploring search query volumes and the clicks generated by these searches, you can gain valuable insights into the products that truly resonate with your audience and hold the potential for substantial sales.
Let's break it down.
- Product ideas from the keywords: SQPD provides a wealth of data about how customers search for products on Amazon. By analyzing search queries with high search volume but lower competition, you can identify product ideas that are in demand but less saturated in the market.
- Related search queries: SQPD often reveals related search queries that customers use when searching for a particular product. These related queries can spark ideas for complementary or related products you might consider adding to your inventory.
- Customer feedback: Sometimes, customers express specific needs or preferences in their search queries. Analyzing these queries can help you uncover pain points or desires that your products could address.
Amazon’s SQPD is a gold mine of insights that can guide sellers in discovering new product ideas, optimizing existing listings, and capitalizing on emerging trends.
Seasonal planning
The SQPD allows sellers to dive into historical data and uncover customer interests for each season. For instance, let's consider the example of a seller specializing in 'outdoor camping gear.' By examining SQPD data from the previous summer, they noticed that search queries related to 'portable camping stoves' and 'waterproof tents' experienced a significant surge in impressions, clicks, and purchases during that period. With this insight, they can proactively stock up on these items and optimize their campaigns for the upcoming summer season.
Building on this example, the seller can go a step further. They can optimize their product listings with relevant front-end or back-end keywords by analyzing which search terms led to the most clicks and conversions. For instance, if they find that a 'compact camping stove' generates high click-through rates, they can ensure their product listings prominently feature this term. This boosts visibility and aligns their offerings with what customers are actively searching for in that particular season.
Sellers can also identify emerging search terms and keywords via the SQPD as a new season approaches. Continuing with our camping gear example, the seller could create targeted ad campaigns around this trend if the search query reports indicate a growing interest in 'solar-powered camping gadgets' as summer nears. This proactive approach ensures they're ready to capitalize on emerging seasonal demand.
Share of voice analysis
If you want to win over customers on Amazon, you must ensure that your brand appears whenever customers use search terms related to what you sell.
The Amazon Search Query Performance Dashboard is a great way to understand how much noise your brand is making on search results.
Keep in mind the SQPD shows the number of impressions that resulted from a search query, but the report also goes a step further to let you know the count of product impressions specifically attributed to your brand on the Amazon search page.
- Let's say you sell premium headphones on Amazon. To stand out, your brand must be highly visible whenever potential customers search for terms like 'wireless headphones' or 'noise-canceling earphones.'
- The Amazon Search Query Performance Dashboard will easily give you the number of impressions generated by relevant search queries. Based on the information you’re reviewing, you discover that the term 'high-quality wireless headphones' garnered 3,000 impressions last month.
- The SQPD also reveals that your brand's headphones were seen 1,000 times in search results for that particular query. In this case, your brand's share of voice would be 33%, which is also indicated on the search query performance report. Of course, such a high share of voice shows that you're focused on the right keywords, and it's paying off.
But what if that share of voice is not as high as you'd like it to be? Consider this strategy if you feel it needs a boost:
- Optimize product listings: When your brand is underperforming in the share of voice, you can fine-tune your product listings. If you find that your 'noise-canceling earphones' aren't getting as much visibility as your competitors, you can ensure your product titles, descriptions, and bullet points are rich with relevant keywords.
- Strategically target ads: Suppose you notice a high share of voice for your brand in organic search results but room for improvement in sponsored ads. In that case, you can allocate more advertising budget to campaigns targeting those specific keywords.
Pro Tip: You can also use an Amazon keyword tool to keep tabs on how the Amazon A9 Algorithm is positioning your keywords on the SERPs.
Competitor analysis
While SQPD doesn't provide specific competitor names, it offers a comprehensive view of the competitive landscape. It allows you to identify products that compete for the same search queries as yours.
The dashboard also empowers you with pricing insights. Studying how top-performing brands price their products can help you make informed pricing adjustments. For instance, if you sell premium headphones and observe that a leading brand (one with the largest impression, click, and purchase share) charges a higher price for similar models, you can strategically adjust your prices to remain competitive.
The above information is on the ASIN level dashboard within the Search Query Performance Dashboard.
Funnel optimization
The sales funnel is the journey that potential customers follow, starting with their initial search and culminating in a purchase. The SQPD provides crucial insights into various stages of this funnel.
Suppose you're an Amazon seller offering a variety of smart home devices. You've successfully driven traffic to your product listings, but you've noticed that the conversion rates aren't quite meeting your expectations. Here's how Amazon search analytics can help optimize your sales funnel:
- Using the SQPD, you can evaluate the search queries that bring users to your products. For example, you might discover that the term 'voice-controlled smart speakers' generates a substantial number of clicks but surprisingly low conversions.
- This disparity between clicks and conversions points to a potential drop-off point in your funnel. It indicates that while customers are intrigued enough to click on your products, they aren't finding sufficient motivation to complete the purchase. SQPD should be your guide in identifying these critical moments.
- With these insights in hand, you're well-equipped to take action. You can optimize your product listings to better align with customer expectations for 'voice-controlled smart speakers.' This could involve refining product descriptions, highlighting unique features, or offering compelling deals to boost conversions.
Consider another scenario where your brand consistently scores low for impressions in search results. This indicates that your products aren't getting the visibility they deserve when customers search for related terms.
For example, let's say you sell premium cookware, and your brand often lags behind competitors for the search term 'high-quality non-stick pans.' Upon closer examination via the SQPD, you discover that your competitors dominate the impressions share for this key search term.
With this insight in hand, you can formulate a strategy to enhance your brand's visibility. You might decide to allocate an additional budget to advertising campaigns specifically targeting the 'high-quality non-stick pans' query. You could also try to incorporate this query in your listings to boost impressions and clicks.
Assume you've made the changes, and impressions and clicks have increased. However, an analysis of your SQPD data reveals that users searching for 'non-stick pans with long-lasting coating' are clicking on your products but not proceeding to cart additions and purchases. This means that the descriptions and prices are not persuasive enough to warrant a purchase. It will obviously prompt you to refine your product descriptions or perhaps run targeted promotions to incentivize cart additions.
A/B testing
Winning over buyers on Amazon often requires making subtle tweaks to your keyword targeting, product listings, and ad strategies. But how can you be sure these changes are effective?
That's where the Search Query Performance Reports come in. After refining your approach, monitor your brand and market share over time using the SQPD. This will help you gauge the impact of your alterations.
For instance, if you've adjusted your product listings to improve relevance to your target audience, SQPD can reveal whether these changes have increased your brand's visibility and Amazon product performance.
Evaluating your A/B Testing with SQPD empowers you to fine-tune your strategies systematically. It ensures that every tweak contributes positively to your brand's success in the Amazon marketplace. You can also use an Amazon keyword tool to monitor the changes after these tests.
Final thoughts on the Amazon Search Query Performance Dashboard
The Amazon Search Query Performance Dashboard can help you discover keywords that can turbocharge your listings, spot hot product ideas, and uncover trends for upcoming seasons. It isn't just a dashboard. It's your ticket to Amazon domination and a must-use tool for sellers looking to boost their revenue and visibility.
Are you ready to elevate your Amazon store's performance?
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