How to Use Helium 10 for Amazon KDP? (Sales + Research)

By Adam Wood
Updated on February 28, 2024

You can use Helium 10 tools like Black Box, Xray, and Cerebro for effective Amazon KDP niche and keyword research .

For instance, you can review the best Amazon KDP niches to publish in using Black Box or let Xray help you find how current sellers in your preferred niche are doing.

I’ve researched and tested these Helium 10 tools for Amazon KDP for weeks and covered everything you need to know in this guide.

Key Takeaways

Use Helium 10 for Amazon KDP niche research, keyword research, competitor analysis, rank tracking, listing optimization, sales tracking, and review analysis.
Track your Amazon KDP business performance with Helium 10’s intuitive Profits dashboard.
Helium 10’s Adtomic tool will help you manage your PPC ads for KDP.

How to Set Up Your Helium 10 Account for Amazon KDP?

As an Amazon seller, I find Helium 10 tools invaluable, and KDP users are lucky enough to have them at their disposal. But you must set up your Helium 10 account to use these tools.

It’s super easy!

Go to the Helium 10 website to open a free account . Alternatively, use my discount link to grab some juicy savings.

Fill in your name and email address on the sign-up page, then create a strong password .

Check the box: “ I agree with the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use .”
Click “ Sign Up ” to complete your registration.
Now that you’ve set up an account, you can install the Helium 10 Chrome extension to make your work easier. Here’s a detailed guide to help you download and install it.

How to Use Helium 10 for Niche Research in Amazon KDP?

Niche research in Amazon KDP is all about identifying profitable book ideas , ideally those with high demand and low competition. Manually brainstorming will consume tons of hours you don’t have, but Helium 10 can help you figure out book trends to uncover less-explored niches worth entering.

For this, we’ll use Black Box from Helium 10 .

How Can Black Box Help With Amazon KDP?

Black Box uses powerful filters like keyword search volume , categories , price range , and review counts to help you find profitable books with low competition.

Here’s my step-by-step guide to using Black Box for niche research in Amazon KDP:

Get a Helium 10 account ( discounts here ) to start. I recommend the Platinum or Diamond plan for unrestricted Black Box usage.
Log in to your Helium 10 account.

On your Helium 10 dashboard, click “ Tools ,” then open “ Black Box .”

Click “ Niche ” under the “ Search For ” bar.

Enter the target phrase to look for. In this example, I’ve used “ cookbook .” Also, don’t forget to set your marketplace. By default, it’s www.amazon.com for the U.S.

You can set other filters like “ Categories ” and “ Monthly Revenue ” as you want. You can narrow your niche research further by applying “ ADVANCED FILTERS .”

Click “ Search ,” then wait for the spreadsheet to load.

In the box “ Sort by ,” you can change the options to see the most relevant results.

You’ll see the top-selling books in your chosen niche , how many sellers promote them , their monthly revenue , and other essential data . This way, you can judge which book with low competition will generate meaningful revenue.

How to Use Helium 10’s Cerebro for Amazon KDP Keyword Research?

Cerebro is handy when you want to launch new books successfully and bring more awareness to your work. It helps you use your competitors’ keyword ranking strategies to optimize your book listing , ensuring a healthy degree of success immediately.

Here’s how to find profitable keywords to target from your competitors’ book listings:

Don’t have a Helium 10 account? Sign up now ( discounts here ).
Log in to your Helium 10 account .

Go to “ Tools ,” then click “ Cerebro .”

Enter the competitor book identifier (ASIN) you want to re-engineer. You can enter up to 10 identifiers for bulk analyses.

Click “ Get Keywords ” and wait for the keywords page to load.
Set the basic filters as you want, then click “ Apply Filters .” If you’re looking for long-tail keywords, set a minimum word count between 3 – 5.

Scroll to the search results and click “ Customize .”

Uncheck the metrics you don’t want for your analysis.

Click anywhere on the main spreadsheet to apply the changes and return to the results.
Once you have a list of promising keywords, export them as a CSV or XLSX file .

I recommend reviewing these keywords under your chosen metrics (Step 8) to find the best ones. You can use these keywords in your listing title , description , hidden listing keywords , or the Amazon PPC campaigns for your launched book.

How to Use Cerebro for Analyzing Your Own Book Rankings?

If you already have an Amazon KDP listing, Cerebro can help you measure how you stack up to your top competitors. This will help you determine where to improve your listing and drive more sales.

But first, you need to identify your top competitors and have a list of their book ASINs.

It’s super easy! Here’s how:

You’ll need Helium 10 account access. Use these discounts to save on your first account.
Log in to your Helium 10 account , then open “ Cerebro .”

Enter your book ASIN in the search bar, then click “ Get Competitors .”

Select relevant competitor ASINs, up to nine of them. Then, click “ Add Competitors .”

Now, click “ Get Keywords ” and wait for the results to load.

Set the filters depending on your niche. Below are some example metrics I used:
1. Search Volume – 500 (minimum).
2. Competitor Rank – 1 (minimum) and 40 (maximum).
3. Ranking Competitors (count) – 5.

Click “ Apply Filters ,” then wait for the results to load.
You’ll see your book rankings under the “ Position Rank ” and “ Relative Rank ” columns for each keyword phrase.

The goal is to get your Relative Rank up as it tells you how well your competitors stack against you. So, if three competitors rank better than you, your Relative Rank will be 4, and you should get it up to 2 or 1.

How to Optimize Amazon KDP Listings With Listing Builder?

While Helium 10’s interface doesn’t sync with Kindle, it still works great for building a top-performing listing.

With the Listing Builder , you can receive keyword suggestions and discover the best ways to boost traffic to your publications. You can sync your current book listings to this tool to improve it or create one from scratch. Here’s how:

Log in to your Helium 10 account.

Go to “ Tools ,” then open “ Listing Builder .”

Click “ Add a Listing ” at the top-right corner.

Choose “ Get Started ” if creating a new listing. Or click “ Start Optimizing ” to improve an existing Amazon KDP listing. I’ll create a new listing from scratch for this example.

On the next page, click “ Start Building .”

You now have three options to quickly build a keyword bank.

Add From My List : Choose this option if you want to use keyword lists you’ve created using other tools like Cerebro.
Get Keyword Suggestions : Enter up to 10 top-competitor ASINs to get promising keyword suggestions.
Manually Add Keywords : Use this option to enter your keywords manually.

Once satisfied with your keyword bank, click “ Next .”

Build your listing with words and phrases from your keyword bank, which you’ll see on the left side. You don’t need to add all the words, only the relevant ones.

Go to the “ Listing Analysis ” section for your listing quality score and the generated search volume. You want to get these as high as possible while your listing sounds natural.

Look at the “ Best Practices ” section to ensure your listing meets the minimum requirements to be competitive.

Click “ Finish ” to complete the process.

How to Use Xray for Market Research in Amazon KDP?

Xray gives a quick overview of how products and competitors in your preferred Amazon KDP niche are faring. Hence, you can better avoid an oversaturated market or quickly launch into an untapped niche from the actionable data you get via Xray.

Here’s how to use Xray for market research in Amazon KDP:

Download and set up the Helium 10 Chrome extension . You can follow the Helium 10-KDP setup guide above to do this.
Open Amazon on Google Chrome, then search for a keyword related to the book niche you need market insights on.
Use Xray on the Amazon search page for a general market overview, or click a product to get more granular with your research. I’ll open a product for this demo.

Click the Helium 10 extension icon .

Select Xray — Amazon Product Research . Wait for the results to load.

You’ll see the search volume, Best Seller Rank, and other important market data to know if this niche is worth entering.

Go to “ Customize ,” then uncheck the metrics you don’t want for this analysis.

Click anywhere on the main spreadsheet to save the changes and return to the results.
After gathering enough market data, export it as a CSV or XLSX file for reference.

The data from Xray gives you a solid overview of what volume of sales and competition to expect in the niche you’re entering. Likewise, it helps you decide better what to price your products, ensuring you’re not selling your books at an off-putting price or undercutting yourself .

How Can I Track My KDP Book Sales With Helium 10?

You can track your KDP book sales with the Profits tool on Helium 10.

The tool shows you the broader picture regarding your KDP business’s financial health.

So, you’ll determine which books are succeeding and which are performing poorly in the current market.

Profits tie into the Helium 10 dashboard, making it convenient to access all your sales analytics from one point. It also allows you to go deeper into specific finance-influencing sections like Expenses , Net Profits and Gross Revenue , and Product Performance .

I recommend exploring our in-depth Helium 10 Profits guide to learn more about using the tool to track your KDP book sales effectively.

How Can Helium 10 Help With PPC Ad Management for KDP?

Helium 10 can give you unparalleled insights into your organic and paid sales.

That way, you can better strategize your PPC campaigns and run the most efficient Amazon KDP advertising .

You’ll need the Helium 10 Adtomic tool, a paid add-on for every plan, to manage your KDP ads. Adtomic can help you realize higher returns on ad spend , lower ACOS , and a smaller yet effective advertising budget .

The tool also gathers data from your PPC advertising on Amazon and sums it up for easy readability. Then, with its inbuilt metrics and your checkpoints, its AI engine will tell you where to improve.

I recommend exploring our detailed Adtomic guide to learn more about how to set up and manage a successful Amazon KDP ad campaign.

How to Handle Amazon KDP Reviews With Helium 10

Helium 10’s Review Insights helps you understand what your book’s customers, or those purchasing from competitors, feel about their purchase.

You can use these review insights from competitor listings to improve the information in your book or find positive comments to know exactly what your audience loves.

Here’s a quick guide to using Helium 10 Review Insights for Amazon KDP:

You’ll need a Helium 10 account if you don’t have one yet ( get discounts ).
Download and install the Chrome extension.
Go to Amazon.
Search for a book or a broad keyword to bring up books in a niche. You can also search for your book.
Open the Helium 10 Chrome extension, then click “ Review Insights .” Wait for the results to load.

Go to the section under “ All Product Reviews ” to see precisely what readers are saying. Don’t skip the negative reviews. You need them to see what people are complaining about so that you can make adjustments.

Sort the reviews by “ Most Helpful ” or “ Most Recent ,” depending on what you’re looking for. You may also group them based on Keywords or Variations.

Click the “ Top Phrases ” option to see what readers are searching for the most.

Click “ Export Table ” to save the entire table for your reference. The valuable insights you get from it will help you craft a better book that readers love and sells more.

One of my research into cookbooks helped me group what disappointed readers, and I optimized against that in my book. I even used these pain points in my listing to help users looking for a better book than the one that disappointed them!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Does Using Helium 10 for Amazon KDP Improve My Sales?

Using Helium 10 for Amazon KDP can significantly improve your book sales.

Helium 10 tools like the Listing Builder, Xray, and Cerebro will help you effectively research current market trends to know your audience better. You can then publish a well-crafted book that meets your reader’s expectations to enjoy more sales.

Can I Set Up Helium 10’s Alerts for Amazon KDP?

No, you can’t set up the Alerts tool for Amazon KDP. It is one of the few tools that require programmatic access to the Seller Central API, making it unavailable to non-FBA accounts like Kindle Direct Publishers.

Grow Your Amazon KDP Business With Helium 10

As an author or publisher, using Helium 10 for your KDP business can be a game-changer.

It’s a powerful strategy to discover profitable niches , gain valuable review insights , and unlock new markets and book-selling opportunities .

Sounds like a deal? Sign up for Helium 10 today ( real discounts here ) to uncover the hidden gems for boosting your KDP business. I recommend its Platinum plan over the Starter plan to get the best access to Helium 10 research tools.

Try Helium 10 Risk-FREE!

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Adam Wood

Adam Wood is a seasoned E-commerce Strategist and SaaS Analyst, acclaimed for empowering Amazon sellers with actionable strategies and advanced analytics insight. His expertise in leveraging technology for market success makes him a pivotal resource for both budding entrepreneurs and established online merchants. Adam's approach combines rigorous data analysis with a deep understanding of the nuances of e-commerce, positioning him as a leading authority in the Amazon FBA sphere.