---
title: "What to use for keyword research before first launch"
canonical_url: "https://flapen.com/blog/what-to-use-for-keyword-research-before-first-launch"
last_updated: "2026-09-04T16:34:23Z"
locale: en
meta:
  description: "Build the pre-launch keyword list from three sources and group it into rank-for, cover, and buy-only. Replace it with your own search term data at 90 days."
  "og:description": "Build the pre-launch keyword list from three sources and group it into rank-for, cover, and buy-only. Replace it with your own search term data at 90 days."
  "og:title": "What to use for keyword research before first launch"
---

``

# **What to use for keyword research before first launch**

Build the pre-launch keyword list from three sources and group it into rank-for, cover, and buy-only. Replace it with your own search term data at 90 days.

September 4, 2026·5 min read

Keyword StrategyProduct ResearchCompetitor AnalysisListing Setup

![Joel Turcotte Gaucher](https://flapen.com/_vercel/image?url=%2Fimages%2Fteam%2Fjoel-turcotte-gaucher-avatar.webp&w=64&q=100)

**Joel Turcotte Gaucher**

Founder

![Flapen cover for What to use for keyword research before first launch: a client watching the Flapen photographer frame a product in the studio](https://flapen.com/_vercel/image?url=%2Fimages%2Fblog%2Fclusters%2Fhiring-an-agency-05.jpg&w=1536&q=100) Before launch you have no data of your own, so use three substitutes: competitor termextraction from a research tool, Amazon autocomplete for real phrasing, and competitorreviews for vocabulary. Treat the whole list as a hypothesis you will replace within 90 daysof selling. ## The short version - **You have no data yet.** Everything pre-launch is an estimate. - **Three sources:** competitor terms, autocomplete, competitor reviews. - **Group into rank-for, cover, and buy-only.** A flat list is not a strategy. - **Plan to replace it** with your own search term data after 90 days. - **Do not over-invest in pre-launch keyword work.** It has a short shelf life. ## The three pre-launch sources I run Flapen with 50 operators managing about 70 brands. Pre-launch keyword work isharder than post-launch, because the best source does not exist yet. | Source | What it gives you | Limitation |
| --- | --- | --- | | Competitor term extraction | A broad candidate list quickly | Estimated volume, no intent signal | | Amazon autocomplete | Real phrasing buyers type | No volume data | | Competitor reviews | Vocabulary and unmet needs | No volume data | | Brand Analytics | Real search frequency rank | Needs Registry, limited pre-launch use | Autocomplete is the most underrated of the three and it costs nothing. Type your category intothe Amazon search bar and watch what completes. Those are live, real phrasings, unfiltered byanyone's volume model. ## Why the pre-launch list is a hypothesis Estimated search volume is a model of what buyers might type. Your search term report, onceyou are selling, is a record of what they did type and then buy. The gap between those two is routinely large. Terms that look excellent by volume convertpoorly for your specific product. Terms nobody predicted turn out to carry your bestconversion rate. Neither outcome is knowable in advance. Which is why pre-launch keyword work should be good enough rather than exhaustive. Aspreadsheet of 2,000 terms with volume estimates takes days to build and gets replaced withina quarter. Spend that time on the primary image instead, which caps every click your listingwill ever receive. ## Grouping matters more than list length Split candidates into three sets before writing anything.**Rank-for.** A small number of terms you can realistically achieve organic position on. Thesedrive the title and the first bullet.**Cover.** Terms worth being indexed for but unlikely to rank on early. These go in bullets,description, and backend search terms.**Buy-only.** Terms you will reach through advertising and probably never rank on organically,usually the broadest and most competitive. Most beginners produce a flat list and then stuff the title, which reads badly and convertsworse. The grouping is the strategy. ## Reading competitor reviews for keywords Underused because it looks like qualitative work rather than keyword research. Read fifty negative reviews on the top competing products. You are looking for two things: thewords buyers use for the product and its features, which often differ from industryvocabulary, and the recurring complaints, which are the objections your listing mustpre-empt and frequently contain search-relevant phrasing. This also feeds differentiation. The market states where it wants something better, andinnovating only where it is asking is more reliable than invention. ## What to do at 90 days Replace the whole thing. Pull your search term report, sort by conversion rate rather than by spend, and rebuild thetitle, bullets, and backend terms around what actually converted. Most sellers never do this,which is why a listing built on pre-launch estimates is still running on them a year later. Set the calendar reminder now, while you are doing the pre-launch work, because nobodyremembers to revisit a job they consider finished. ## What most agencies will not tell you Pre-launch keyword research is one of the easiest deliverables to make look substantial. Along spreadsheet with volume columns and color coding takes little time and is largelyunusable, because the hard part is prioritization rather than collection. Ask a provider which few terms they think you can realistically rank for, and why those. Thatjudgment is the deliverable. The list is raw material. The second thing: the shelf life is short and nobody mentions it, because a researchdeliverable that expires in ninety days is harder to sell than one presented as a foundation.Ask explicitly what happens to the keyword strategy once your own data exists. ## Related answers - [What products to use for Amazon keyword research](https://flapen.com/blog/what-products-to-use-for-amazon-keyword-research) - [What to use for listing optimization on Amazon](https://flapen.com/blog/what-to-use-for-listing-optimization-on-amazon) - [How to launch first product on Amazon](https://flapen.com/blog/how-to-launch-first-product-on-amazon) - [Amazon listing optimization agency checklist](https://flapen.com/blog/amazon-listing-optimization-agency-checklist) - [Hiring an Amazon agency: the complete guide](https://flapen.com/blog/hiring-an-agency) Set the 90-day reminder to rebuild from your own data. We do it for clients at [Flapen](https://flapen.com/amazon-consulting). ## Keep learning - [Compare Amazon business models](https://flapen.com/guides/business-models) - [Value your Amazon business](https://flapen.com/tools/business-value-calculator) ## **Frequently Asked Questions**What is the best free pre-launch source?How long is pre-launch keyword research valid?How many keywords do I need?Should I pay for a keyword tool before launching?What does the 90-day rebuild involve? ## About the Author![Joel Turcotte Gaucher](https://flapen.com/_vercel/image?url=%2Fimages%2Fteam%2Fjoel-turcotte-gaucher-avatar.webp&w=64&q=100) [**Joel Turcotte Gaucher**](https://flapen.com/blog/author/joel-turcotte-gaucher) Founder & CEO at Flapen Joel has spent 10 years in Amazon and ecommerce, running data and technology at BRANDED and Moonshot Brands, two of the largest Amazon aggregators, where he audited and scaled 60+ acquired brands. He co-founded Flapen to give sellers the data-driven tools and insights they need to compete. His expertise spans product research, listing optimization, PPC advertising, and international expansion. [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/joel-turcotte/) [X](https://x.com/JoelTGaucher) [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@JoelTGaucher) [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/JoelTGaucher) [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/joeltgaucher) [Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/user/JoelTGaucher/) [More in Working with Agencies ](https://flapen.com/blog/category/working-with-agencies) [**Amazon brand management tiers: the complete guide**Sep 4, 2026](https://flapen.com/blog/brand-tiers) [**Done-for-you Amazon management: the complete guide**Sep 4, 2026](https://flapen.com/blog/done-for-you-management) [**Build vs buy for your Amazon channel: the complete guide**Sep 4, 2026](https://flapen.com/blog/build-vs-buy) [Latest ](https://flapen.com/blog) [**Amazon brand management tiers: the complete guide**Sep 4, 2026](https://flapen.com/blog/brand-tiers) [**Amazon marketplaces by geography: the complete guide**Sep 4, 2026](https://flapen.com/blog/geography-and-marketplaces) [**Amazon account measurement and audits: the complete guide**Sep 4, 2026](https://flapen.com/blog/measurement-and-audit)![The Flapen Weekly Product Research report, an Amazon niche shortlist scored 0–100 with its score radar on the cover](https://flapen.com/_vercel/image?url=%2Fimages%2Fhomepage%2Famazon-product-research-report-dark.webp&w=640&q=100) The weekly niche report ## Product research, in your inbox Every niche that cleared the bar this week: what it sells for, what it costs to enter, and why it passed. When we get one wrong, we publish the correction.**First name****Last name****Email****Get product research**