How many keywords per product should you track? The right keyword set for otto.de

More is not better

Track 30 keywords per product and every week you see 30 numbers, 25 of which move a few places without meaning anything. Positions on otto.de fluctuate by nature because Otto re-sorts results and rotates ads. The more terms, the more noise, and the easier it is to miss the one change that counts.

A good keyword set is small enough that you know every number, and broad enough to cover the different ways shoppers find your product.

The four building blocks of a keyword set

• Head terms (1–2): the name of the product type as shoppers type it: "box spring bed", "pushchair", "cordless drill". Here you compete with the whole assortment. The position is usually poor and moves slowly, but it is the most honest yardstick.
• Feature terms (2–3): product type plus the most important buying criterion: "box spring bed 180x200", "pushchair 3 in 1", "cordless drill 18v". Titles and attributes have the strongest effect here.
• Long tail (1–2): three or four words that describe your product exactly: "box spring bed 180x200 with storage grey". Page 1 is realistic, search volume is small, but shoppers are decided.
• Control (1): a term with your brand or model name. It should always sit at the front; if not, something is broken.

How to find the candidates

Type the head term into the search box on otto.de and read the suggestions: these are terms shoppers actually type. For each suggestion, check whether your product meets the expectation. "Box spring bed with motor" is not a keyword for a bed without a motor, even if it has volume.

Then look at the products on page 1 for your head term: which features do their titles name? Those are your feature terms, provided your product has them.

When more keywords make sense

For a product that carries a large share of your revenue, a broader set of ten to fifteen terms pays off: additional features (colour, size, material), synonyms ("sofa" and "couch") and seasonal variants ("gift for …"). For a product that sells ten units a month, five are enough.

Around a planned listing change it is also worth watching more terms temporarily to see the effect broadly. Afterwards you can shrink the set again.

Maintaining the set

1. Review quarterly: drop terms that have shown "not found" for months and where the product does not fit anyway.
2. Add winners: if your product suddenly appears for a term from Otto's suggestions, take it in.
3. Adjust for the season: gift terms come in before Christmas and go out in January.
4. Stay consistent: use the same structure for similar products so you can compare them.

What a finished set looks like

For a grey box spring bed 180x200 with storage:

• Head term: "box spring bed"
• Features: "box spring bed 180x200", "box spring bed with storage", "box spring bed grey"
• Long tail: "box spring bed 180x200 with storage grey"
• Control: "brand box spring bed"

Six terms, checked weekly. The head term shows the long trend, the feature terms react to listing work, the long-tail term shows whether page 1 is reachable, and the control raises the alarm when the listing disappears.

Frequently asked questions