Boost B2C Strategies with Reverse ASIN Lookup (+ Free Tool)

With over 6 million total sellers worldwide in Amazon alone, there’s a need for these online businesses to use the right tools and implement smart strategies to keep up with the increasingly stiff competition. Competitive edge can effectively be gained by boosting keyword research through reverse ASIN lookup.

Today’s online marketplace is so vast that it’s no longer enough to have quality products, reasonable prices, and appealing promotions. Businesses have to make sure that their product offerings are ‘seen’ by their customers. Advertising alone will not bring customers closer to businesses at the right time and in the desired numbers. 

As an Amazon seller, you have the advantage of being able to use your ASIN or Amazon Standard Identification Number for reverse searching. This will bring in customers right when they’re looking for your products and are ready to purchase. A tool like the new Amazon Keyword Research Tool by Helium 10 is particularly helpful in putting this strategy into action.

Amazon Keyword Research
Input a seed keyword or ASIN to uncover thousands of competitive and relevant search terms

Boost B2C Strategies with Reverse ASIN Lookup + Free Tool:


Reverse ASIN Lookup

All products in Amazon are assigned their own ASIN. Through a reverse ASIN search, you can look up which keywords are ranking on top of Amazon’s search listings for your products as well as those of your competitors. You then gain useful and practical insights on which keywords to use in your content to make it more searchable.

Reverse ASIN lookup enables you to use your competitors’ product ASIN to identify the actual Amazon PPC keywords they use to bring in sales. You can take this information and target the same keywords to rank in the search listings. You can easily do this using Amazon’s brand analytics tool. This, however, would give you limited results. It would be worthwhile and more insightful to use a third-party Amazon seller software—available in free and paid versions.


The Value of Reverse ASIN Lookups

You can’t blindly use keywords and expect to be on top of the search listings. Keywords that are assigned arbitrarily or at random based simply on what you think sounds good would not necessarily prove to be effective. You can try to experiment and see how traffic and sales are affected by your choice of keywords. But such a strategy (or lack of one) would likely be a waste of your time, effort, and resources. 

Again, the competition is all about who gets to the customers first at a time when they’re highly likely to make a purchase. You want to get to the customer before your competitor does when your target customer is searching for your products. In all likelihood, they will be using specific keywords. Knowing what these keywords are and putting them to good use will land you right on top of the search results listings.

You can identify profitable keywords or what can be referred to as high-volume terms using reverse ASIN lookup tools like Helium 10 Cerebro. You can take your competitors’ ASIN and find out what keywords they rank for. You can then create and produce content around the same keywords to climb the rankings. You can even do a reverse lookup on your own ASIN, so you know what keywords you are ranking on. You then have a benchmark to base your future strategies on.

Additionally, reverse ASIN lookups will give you insights on search patterns. Remember that consumer behavior (including their online activities) changes over time. Shifts in the target market’s general characteristics could also result in changes in how they search for and make their online purchases. This is why you can’t rest on your keyword choices after you’ve done your first round of lookups. This strategy should be done regularly as part of your optimization efforts. 

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How to Do a Reverse ASIN Lookup

The right way to do a reverse ASIN lookup is by first identifying which products are in direct competition with what you are offering. It would also be more productive to take a look at high-volume keywords, as they present a higher potential for click-throughs and conversions. You can then take the ASINs of the products in your list and run a keyword search. This will likely yield you a list of relevant words. In the Amazon Brand Analytics tool, only the top three products are displayed per keyword.

You can also do a manual lookup by taking the keywords that you find and then typing them in the search box to see what products come up. If these products are indeed offering the kind of products you are selling, then these keywords are worth considering in your optimization efforts. Tedious as it may seem, you can run a keyword search again using the ASINs of the products that showed up in your manual lookup. Going back and forth will give you a solid list of keywords to use.


A More Strategic Option

There are third-party reverse lookup tools that you can use for more exhaustive results. A keyword search tool like Helium 10 Cerebro presents a more strategic option in doing a reverse ASIN search. With the insights you get from such a tool, you can maximize your online visibility and bring your business closer to your customers. Soon enough, you’ll have a thriving Amazon business. 

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Here’s a short list of benefits that a third-party reverse ASIN lookup tool should be able to offer you:

  • Greater visibility

Get the right keywords from the right tools to get seen by the right customers at the right time. Your priority is for customers to find you, so they can buy from you.

  • Better product ranking

You are not the only one that offers the kind of products you are selling. You want the Amazon algorithm to rank your products for the most profitable search terms. No matter how long or short the list of all these similar products is, you want your product to rank high or be on top of the list.

  • More effective PPC campaigns

The lifeblood of any PPC is the keyword. With various keyword opportunities presented by your lookup tool, you can run more effective PPC campaigns.

  • Boosted sales velocity

When you have the right keywords from a reverse ASIN lookup tool, you can optimize your page to appear organically on top of the search results pages. With more visibility, you get more traffic, and (if you have good content) you consequently increase your sales substantially.

  • More relevant keywords for product searches

A reverse ASIN lookup tool should be able to give you relevant keywords that will give you enough traffic to boost your sales. These keywords should come from real customers’ most recent searches to assure you that you stay updated and relevant.


The Practicality of Using a Lookup Tool

There are a lot more misses than hits when you do your keyword search the manual way. You are likely to miss keywords because of the limited indexing. Or you might hand-pick ineffective keywords. The already tedious process can be unproductive, inefficient, and time-consuming. It could also cause you to miss a sizable revenue.

A reverse ASIN lookup tool that targets multiple listings provides more than enough information for an Amazon seller to make informed decisions. It also lets you:

  • Get keywords that effectively bring in the volume in traffic and the revenues from sales. You can even get information on where your competitors rank using specific keywords.
  • Discover and cross-reference new products similar to yours. You can use the keywords from your lookup results to do your own product search. Then, you can do a reverse ASIN lookup for these products to find out what keywords they are ranking for.
  • Keep your page content updated and relevant, so your customers are likely to get the exact information they need to convince them to buy your products.

While a reverse ASIN search tool is primarily meant to help you identify which keywords to use in optimizing your site, you can actually take it further and use it to gain competitive advantage. Aside from Amazon’s own brand analytics tool, there are more reverse ASIN lookup tools available online today. One of the best options is Helium 10’s Cerebro, a free tool for your keyword research needs. It offers more advanced features and additional information than most free tools.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is ASIN the same as UPC?

No. ASIN stands for Amazon Standard Identification Number. It’s a 10-digit number assigned to products sold only within the Amazon platform. It serves as a product identifier and is issued without fees. A UPC or Universal Product Code, on the other hand, is a 12-digit code that sellers purchase for use on their specific products. These codes are used in and out of Amazon for inventory storage, management, and tracking.

Why should we do a reverse ASIN lookup?

Reverse ASIN lookup is a convenient, efficient, and effective way to get the right keywords faster. These are keywords that rank higher and earn the most revenues. These also include keywords that have been proven to work for similar products from competitors.

How do you use Helium 10 Cerebro?

It’s not complicated at all to use Helium 10 Cerebro. You simply have to download the tool, and it’s ready to use. Just enter the ASIN into the search box, and Cerebro will return with valuable information related to the ASIN, such as long-tail keywords that the product is ranking for, the search volume for each keyword, and how many products are competing for that keyword.

What is Helium 10 Cerebro used for?

Helium 10 Cerebro is a research tool specifically designed to do reverse ASIN searches. The in-depth information it provides can help sellers come up with more relevant content and more strategic marketing and PPC campaigns. It’s a good tool to use to check out the competitive landscape as well.

About the Author
Geri Mileva, an experienced IP network engineer and distinguished writer at Influencer Marketing Hub, specializes in the realms of the Creator Economy, AI, blockchain, and the Metaverse. Her articles, featured in The Huffington Post, Ravishly, and various other respected newspapers and magazines, offer in-depth analysis and insights into these cutting-edge technology domains. Geri's technological background enriches her writing, providing a unique perspective that bridges complex technical concepts with accessible, engaging content for diverse audiences.