Amazon Backend Keywords: What They Are and How to Use Them
Amazon gives sellers a hidden field called "backend search terms" where you can add keywords that customers never see but that Amazon uses for search ranking. Used correctly, backend keywords can significantly expand which searches your product appears in.
What Are Backend Search Terms?
In Amazon Seller Central, each product listing has a "Search Terms" field (under Offer → Keywords). This field accepts up to 250 bytes of text. Keywords placed here are indexed by Amazon's search algorithm but are invisible to shoppers.
Think of it as your keyword overflow area — a place to put relevant terms that don't fit naturally in your title, bullets, or description.
Best Practices
- Don't repeat keywords: If a keyword already appears in your title or bullet points, don't add it again in backend terms. Amazon indexes all fields together.
- Use single words, not phrases: "cotton blue large bedsheet" is better written as individual words: "cotton blue large bedsheet". Amazon combines them into phrases automatically.
- Include synonyms and spelling variations: Add common misspellings, Hindi/Hinglish terms, and synonyms that customers might use.
- Don't use commas: Spaces are the only separator needed. Commas waste byte space.
- Stay under 250 bytes: Keywords beyond the limit are ignored entirely (not partially — the whole field may be dropped).
- No brand names: Don't include competitor brand names. This violates Amazon's policies and can get your listing suppressed.
What to Include
- Synonyms (e.g., "bedsheet" → "bed cover", "bed linen")
- Hinglish terms (e.g., "bistar ka cover", "chaadar")
- Common misspellings (e.g., "beedsheet", "bedsheat")
- Use cases (e.g., "gift wedding housewarming")
- Materials and attributes not in your title (e.g., "hypoallergenic breathable")
What NOT to Include
- ASINs or product identifiers
- Competitor brand names
- Subjective claims ("best", "cheapest")
- Temporary phrases ("new launch", "sale")
For a broader keyword strategy, read our complete Amazon India keyword research guide. And check out our free tools to streamline the rest of your Amazon operations.