Keywords Lists vs Tracked Keywords

Shelf Intelligence includes two keyword features that look similar but serve very different purposes. Keyword Lists are organizational collections with continuously updated research metrics, and Tracked Keywords are detailed Share of Voice records collected 12 times per day.

This article walks through what each one does, which metrics you get in each, and when to use which.

Not sure which to use?

If you're researching, organizing, or planning, use Keyword Lists. If you need to monitor competitive visibility for specific keywords over time, use Tracked Keywords. Most brands end up using both: research with Lists, then promote your top keywords to Tracked Keywords for ongoing monitoring.

Good to know
Both features require the Shelf Intelligence module. Keyword Lists and Tracked Keywords are part of Shelf Intelligence and need to be included in your Cobalt contract.
Keyword Lists are unlimited. You can create as many lists and add as many keywords as you want, with continuously updated research metrics.
Tracked Keywords are contract-limited. Each tracked keyword counts against your contractual limit. A unique keyword is defined as keyword text plus country, language, and platform combined.
Different marketplace coverage. Tracked Keywords supports more marketplaces than Keyword Lists. See each feature section below for the full list.
They're designed to work together. Use Keyword Lists to research and organize, then promote your most important keywords to Tracked Keywords for Share of Voice monitoring.

At-a-glance comparison

Use this table to pick the right feature at a glance. Detailed breakdowns follow below.

What it does
Keyword Lists
Research & organize
Tracked Keywords
Monitor SOV
Primary purpose Organize and research keywords Monitor Share of Voice over time
Data refresh Continuously updated research metrics Collected 12 times per day
Contract limit Unlimited keywords and lists Capped by your contract
Marketplace coverage 10 marketplaces 18 marketplaces, Desktop or Mobile
Brand SOV metrics Not included Equal Weighted, Position Weighted, Visibility Weighted

Visibility Weighted is the new methodology and is available for reporting periods on or after January 1, 2026.

Keyword Lists

For research & organization

Keyword Lists are collections you build for different strategic purposes. Think of them as your keyword library, always available with the latest research metrics whenever you need them. Use this to organize keywords by campaign, product line, or competitor.

A populated Keyword List in Cobalt showing research metric columns including search volume, ease-to-rank, competition, and trend data.

Why use Keyword Lists

Centralize your keyword strategy. Build specialized lists for product optimization, campaign planning, and competitor research without losing track of them across tools.

Access current metrics without re-running research. Each keyword in a list carries its own continuously updated research data, so you can pull insights whenever you need them.

Spot trends and plan campaigns. Use seasonality, rising/peak/falling week, and trend data to plan advertising campaigns and product launches around the right timing.

Marketplace availability

  • The Americas: United States (US), Canada (CA), Mexico (MX)
  • Europe: United Kingdom (UK), Germany (DE), France (FR), Italy (IT), Spain (ES)
  • Asia-Pacific: Japan (JP), India (IN)

Adding keywords to lists

  • Add directly from the Keyword Research module
  • Paste in your own keywords manually
  • See which keywords already exist in other lists to prevent duplication

Note: Keyword Lists doesn't currently support bulk file upload. Keywords need to be added manually or from Keyword Research.

Available metrics

Hover-style chips list the columns and signals you can pull on any keyword in a list:

KeywordDominant CategoryRelative Value ScoreEase-to-RankCompetitionEst. Search Results30-Day Search Volume (Exact)30-Day Search Volume (Broad)30-Day Trend90-Day TrendSeasonalityRising WeekPeak WeekFalling WeekSuggested Bid

With Amazon Advertising integration, you'll also see:

Ad Search Term PresenceAd Keyword Presence30-Day Ad Keyword Cost30-Day Ad Keyword Sales30-Day Ad Search Term Cost30-Day Ad Search Term Sales

Tracked Keywords

For Share of Voice monitoring

Tracked Keywords provide detailed Share of Voice monitoring for the keywords that matter most to your brand, with data collected 12 times per day. Use this when you need time-series data and competitive visibility analysis for specific search terms.

The Tracked Keywords list view in Cobalt showing keywords being monitored with platform, country, and state columns visible.

Why use Tracked Keywords

See visibility changes throughout the day. With 12 data collections per day, you can spot intraday shifts in rank, sponsored placements, and competitor movement.

Measure Share of Voice three different ways. Equal Weighted, Position Weighted, and Visibility Weighted give you different views of how your brand is positioned on the page.

Benchmark against specific competitors. Use the Featured Brand selector to swap between your brand and competitor brands for keyword-by-keyword comparison.

Platform and marketplace availability

Tracked Keywords is available on Desktop or Mobile across these marketplaces:

  • The Americas: United States (US), Canada (CA), Mexico (MX), Brazil (BR)
  • Europe: United Kingdom (UK), Germany (DE), France (FR), Italy (IT), Spain (ES), Netherlands (NL), Poland (PL), Sweden (SE), Turkey (TR)
  • Asia-Pacific: Japan (JP), India (IN), Australia (AU)
  • Middle East: United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia (SA)

Note: Mobile tracking reflects mobile browser search results only, not data from the Amazon mobile app.

Available metrics

Keyword information

Keyword PlatformKeyword CountryKeyword LanguageSubscription StateLabels Created

Brand performance metrics

Brand: SOV % (Equal Weighted)Brand: SOV % - PW (Position Weighted)Brand: SOV % - VW (Visibility Weighted)Brand: Sponsored CountBrand: Sponsored Products CountBrand: Sponsored Products SOV %Brand: Sponsored Brands CountBrand: Sponsored Brands SOV %Brand: All Sponsored SOV %Brand CountBrand: Organic CountBrand: Organic SOV %Brand: Best SellerBrand: Best Seller %Brand: Amazon's ChoiceBrand: Amazon's Choice %

General keyword metrics

CostImpressionsEst. Cost of All SponsoredSearch Results CountAmazon's Choice %Amazon's Choice CountAvg RankAvg Rank - RTBest SellersBest Seller %Avg Review StarsAll Sponsored CountSponsored Products CountSponsored Brands CountOrganic CountEst. Search Volume

Metrics comparison

A side-by-side view of which metrics live in each feature, plus the small overlap.

Exclusive to Keyword Lists
Available in both
Exclusive to Tracked Keywords
Dominant Category
Relative Value Score
Ease-to-Rank
Competition
30-Day Search Volume (Exact and Broad)
30-Day and 90-Day Trend
Seasonality
Rising, Peak, and Falling Week
Suggested Bid
Ad presence metrics (with Amazon Advertising integration)
Est. Search Volume
Search Results Count
Brand SOV metrics (Equal Weighted, Position Weighted, Visibility Weighted)
Brand-specific performance metrics
Sponsored content analysis
Amazon's Choice and Best Seller metrics
Average rank data
Average review stars

When to use each feature

Pick the feature that matches what you're trying to accomplish. Many brands use both.

Use it when
Keyword Lists
✓  Organize keywords by strategic purpose
✓  Monitor general keyword performance metrics
✓  Analyze trends and seasonality
✓  Plan advertising campaigns
✓  Optimize product listings
✓  Track competitor keywords at a research level
Use it when
Tracked Keywords
✓  You need detailed Share of Voice analysis
✓  You want competitive intelligence on specific keywords
✓  You need time-series data with multiple daily checks
✓  You want in-depth sponsored content metrics
✓  You need brand-specific performance analysis
✓  You want to benchmark against competitor brands

The most common pattern: Use Keyword Lists to research and organize the universe of keywords in your category, then promote the most strategic ones to Tracked Keywords for ongoing competitive monitoring.

Getting started

Once Shelf Intelligence is included in your contract, both features are accessible from the left-hand navigation in Cobalt.

For more detail on each, see:

To add Shelf Intelligence to your account or expand your tracked keyword allocation, contact your Customer Success Manager.

We're always here to help! If you have questions, please reach out to us at cobaltsupport@junglescout.com.

Was this article helpful?
0 out of 0 found this helpful