You can use SmartScout for keyword research to find the search terms an Amazon product ranks for, uncover gaps in your strategy, and compare your keyword coverage with competitors.
SmartScout does not rely on one standalone keyword tool. Instead, it offers several features that help you discover keywords, check their relevance and search volume, and monitor organic and sponsored rankings over time. In this guide, I’ll explain which SmartScout tools to use, how to build a simple keyword research workflow, and what limitations to keep in mind.
Key Takeaways
- SmartScout spreads keyword research across four tools that uncover competitor keywords, gaps, and ranking trends.
- Essentials covers core ASIN-based keyword research. Keyword Detective and Search Terms Relevancy need Business, one tier up.
- It works best when you already have an ASIN or a few close competitors to analyze.
Which SmartScout Tools Can You Use for Keyword Research?
SmartScout divides keyword research across four main tools. Each one answers a different question, so you will often use several of them in the same workflow.
Rank Maker does most of the heavy lifting for core keyword research. Keyword Detective and Search Terms Relevancy then compare products, find the gaps, and rank the strongest opportunities, and both of those sit on the Business plan.
Rank Maker
Rank Maker is the best place to start. Enter your own ASIN or a competitor’s ASIN to see which search terms the product ranks for and how those positions have changed over time. SmartScout attaches more than 20 data points to every keyword and keeps 12 to 18 months of visibility history.
This helps you find proven keywords, monitor organic rankings, and spot terms where competitors are gaining or losing visibility. SmartScout advertises rank tracking with no caps or throttling, so you can leave it switched on for every term worth watching.
Keyword Detective
Keyword Detective compares the search terms connected to different products. It highlights keywords competitors rank for that may be missing from your own listing, and it shows the overlap as a chart so you can see how much of a rival brand you already cover.
You can also use its relevancy and search-intent data to separate useful opportunities from keywords that only appear loosely related to the product.
Search Terms Relevancy
Search Terms Relevancy helps you find keywords that combine strong search volume with a close connection to your product. The Relevancy Quadrant plots every term on those two axes, so the target quadrant in the top right becomes your shortlist without any manual sorting.
This is useful when your initial keyword list is too broad and you need to decide which terms deserve priority.
Search Trends
Search Trends shows which Amazon searches are growing, declining, or following a seasonal pattern. You can use it to find emerging phrases before they become obvious, or to check whether interest in a keyword is likely to last. Views run from one month to two years.
How to Do Keyword Research With SmartScout
A good SmartScout keyword research process usually starts with products rather than a broad seed keyword. By looking at your own ASIN and its closest competitors, you can see which search terms already drive visibility in your niche.
Step 1: Start With Your Product in Rank Maker
Enter your ASIN in Rank Maker to see the keywords it currently ranks for organically and through sponsored ads.
Pay attention to:
- Your current rank
- Search volume
- Organic and sponsored visibility
- Historical ranking changes
- Keywords where your product appears close to page one
This gives you a baseline before you start looking at competitors. Rank Maker provides more than 20 data points for each keyword, including rank position, search volume, click share, and estimated PPC bids.
Step 2: Research Your Closest Competitors
Next, repeat the search with several competing ASINs. Focus on products that closely match yours in terms of use case, price, and target customer.
Look for keywords that:
- Appear across several competing products
- Generate meaningful search volume
- Are relevant to your listing
- Have weak or missing rankings for your ASIN
A keyword used successfully by several close competitors is usually more useful than one found on a loosely related bestseller. If you are not sure which rivals to shortlist, my SmartScout competitor analysis workflow covers how to pick the brands and ASINs worth studying.
Step 3: Find Keyword Gaps With Keyword Detective
Add your product and its competitors to Keyword Detective to see which search terms they share and which are unique to individual listings.
This makes it easier to identify keywords that competitors rank for but your product does not. You can then use the relevancy and search-intent data to remove terms that may have traffic but do not closely match what you sell.
Step 4: Prioritize the Best Opportunities
Do not choose keywords based on search volume alone. A smaller but highly relevant term may bring more qualified shoppers than a broad keyword with much higher traffic.
A practical shortlist should consider:
- Product relevance
- Search volume
- Buyer intent
- Competitor rankings
- Your current position
- Whether interest is growing, stable, or seasonal
You can use Search Trends to check how demand for a term has changed over time and avoid building your strategy around a temporary spike.
Step 5: Apply and Track Your Keywords
Once you have a focused list, decide where each keyword fits best. The strongest terms may belong in your title or bullet points, while additional relevant phrases can be used in the product description, backend search terms, or PPC campaigns.
After making changes, return to Rank Maker to monitor how your positions develop. Keyword research is not a one-time task, so review your rankings regularly and adjust the list as new competitors and search trends appear.
What Keyword Data Does SmartScout Provide?
SmartScout shows more than a list of keywords. Depending on the tool you use, you can review several types of data for each search term.
Data | What It Shows |
|---|---|
Search demand | Estimated 30-day search volume and whether interest is rising or falling |
Rankings | Current organic rank, paid visibility, and historical ranking changes |
Competition | Number of competing products and sponsored listings |
Opportunity | Opportunity Score and estimated sales velocity needed to rank |
Shopper behavior | Click share and conversion share |
PPC data | Estimated bids, plus ACoS, ROAS, CTR, and conversion rate when an advertising account is connected |
Keyword Detective also adds product relevancy and search intent. This helps you distinguish between keywords that simply generate traffic and those that closely match what shoppers expect to find.
For most sellers, search volume, relevance, competitor coverage, and current rank will be the most useful starting points. The additional metrics can then help you decide which opportunities deserve the most attention.
Which SmartScout Plan Is Best for Keyword Research?
Essentials is the best starting point for core SmartScout keyword research. It includes Rank Maker, the Search Terms Database, the Search Trends Explorer, and keyword rank tracking, which is enough to research your own ASIN and work through competitors one at a time. Steps 3 and 4 of this guide need Business, because that is where Keyword Detective and Search Terms Relevancy unlock.
Plan | Price from | Keyword research you get |
|---|---|---|
Basic | $25/mo | Brand and product databases, sales estimator, FBA calculator. No Search Terms Database. |
Essentials | $75/mo | Search Terms Database, Rank Maker, Search Trends Explorer, rank tracking, competitor keywords. |
Business | $158/mo | Adds Keyword Detective, the Relevancy Quadrant, Relevant Products, and exports. |
Enterprise | Custom | Adds competitor ad-spend data and API access. |
Prices in the table are the annual-billing rate. Paid monthly, Essentials is $97 and Business is $187. There is no free trial on any tier, only a 7-day money-back guarantee.
For a full feature-by-feature breakdown, see the SmartScout pricing guide. Whichever tier you pick, my 25% discount applies to the first three months.
What Are the Main Limitations of SmartScout Keyword Research?
SmartScout provides plenty of useful keyword data, but there are a few limitations to keep in mind:
- The workflow is mainly ASIN-based. Rank Maker is ideal for researching your product and its competitors, but it is less direct if you simply want to enter a broad seed keyword and generate a large list of suggestions.
- Search volume is estimated. Amazon does not publish exact keyword search volumes, so SmartScout and other third-party tools calculate estimates from available data. These figures are better for comparing demand than predicting an exact number of searches.
- Some advertising metrics require an account connection. You need to connect your Amazon Advertising account to view data such as ACoS, ROAS, CTR, and conversion rate.
Overall, SmartScout works best when you already have an ASIN and a shortlist of relevant competitors to research.
Is SmartScout Good for Keyword Research?
Yes, especially if you already have a product or a few competitors in mind. SmartScout makes it easy to see which keywords other ASINs rank for, spot gaps, and decide which terms are worth targeting.
It is less suited to broad seed-keyword research, but for competitor-based keyword research, I think it works very well.
Get SmartScout with 25% off and see how its keyword tools work with your own products and competitors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does SmartScout have a keyword research tool?
Yes, but it is split across four tools rather than one keyword generator. Rank Maker returns every search term an ASIN ranks for, Keyword Detective compares terms across products, the Relevancy Quadrant scores relevance against volume, and Search Trends tracks demand over time.
Which SmartScout plan do I need for keyword research?
Essentials, at $97 per month or $75 with annual billing. It unlocks the Search Terms Database, Rank Maker, the Search Trends Explorer, and keyword rank tracking. Keyword Detective and the Relevancy Quadrant require the $187 Business plan.
Can SmartScout find my competitors’ keywords?
Yes. Paste a competitor’s ASIN into Rank Maker. You get their full ranking keyword list, organic and sponsored positions, and how those positions moved. Business adds Keyword Detective, which compares several ASINs at once and highlights the terms only they rank for.
How many keywords can I track in SmartScout?
SmartScout advertises unlimited rank tracking with no caps or throttling. Every tracked term gets a sparkline of its rank history, and the visibility score chart covers 12 to 18 months.
Is SmartScout keyword search volume accurate?
It is a 30-day estimate, not an official Amazon figure. Amazon does not publish exact search volumes, so every third-party tool models its own numbers. Use them to rank keywords against each other rather than as a literal search count.
Can I do keyword research in SmartScout without an ASIN?
Only partly. The Search Terms Database lets you search and filter terms directly, and Search Trends surfaces rising queries. The deeper workflow, including gap analysis and relevancy scoring, is built around products, so an ASIN makes it far more useful.
Does SmartScout show PPC data for keywords?
Yes, including an estimated bid on every keyword row. Connect your Amazon Advertising account and Rank Maker also reports ACoS, ROAS, click-through rate, and conversion rate, plus 7-day and 30-day ad click and revenue data.
Is SmartScout better than Helium 10 for keyword research?
Not for seed-keyword research. Helium 10’s Cerebro and Magnet are built to expand one term into thousands. SmartScout is the stronger pick when you start from an ASIN and want competitor coverage, keyword gaps, and relevancy scoring.