Half of Xiaohongshu’s profits are hidden in search traffic

With its unique community atmosphere and rich content, Xiaohongshu has become an important platform for consumers to obtain information and share experiences. This article explores the importance of Xiaohongshu's search function and the commercial value behind it, and reveals how to attract and influence potential consumers on this platform by optimizing keyword strategies and content creation.

Planting grass is the most distinctive label of Xiaohongshu, but it is not only for planting grass

The "experience of ordinary people and perspective of veterans" of the Xiaohongshu community makes it more valuable to users while also having extremely considerable commercial value.

Today, behind the endless debate on consumption upgrading and consumption downgrading, there is one thing that is beyond doubt: consumers are more rational in making decisions. Rationality means that they will do their homework, compare, and consider again and again. Search is the last and most critical link in their decision-making. Whoever can influence consumer decisions has commercial value that cannot be ignored.

The value of traffic is different from that of traffic. Traffic close to consumer decisions naturally has an irreplaceable leverage effect. In this sense, Xiaohongshu's search traffic is an underestimated commercial gold mine.

1. Xiaohongshu’s search field is still a blue ocean

Xiaohongshu’s strongest mindset is actually “search”

In the past, Chinese users’ mindsets about search were Baidu. Just search Baidu and you will know.

But starting from the post-90s generation, Baidu is too old-fashioned and the content is too inaccurate. The mindset of searching has gradually shifted to Xiaohongshu, your guide to life.

Xiaohongshu has benefited from the window switching in the Internet era, and to a certain extent has inherited some of the crowd scenarios of life platforms such as Baidu, Meituan, Dianping, Ctrip, and Mafengwo.

Xiaohongshu has a structural advantage in search. Other platforms are powerless in this regard. Only on Xiaohongshu can you see the "real experiences" posted by "living people"

Although its size is not as good as Baidu and Meituan, users who have been hurt, exploited, received a bad experience, and left for various reasons will never come back, just like the users who moved from portals to Toutiao and never came back.

Xiaohongshu is a dimensional blow to them

Therefore, I have always emphasized that search-based, real reputation management is the basic skill for merchants on Xiaohongshu and the most important defensive battle!

Many businesses do not pay enough attention to search, but they do not know that Xiaohongshu’s search field is still a blue ocean.

2. Understand the search mechanism of Xiaohongshu

In Xiaohongshu, users can search for content they are interested in by keywords. The ranking of search results is determined by Xiaohongshu's algorithm, which is determined by a combination of multiple factors.

After the user searches, the algorithm will match the search terms and display all the results. If the keyword is a relatively large term in the relevant category, you will see some special label terms in the upper half of the interface that provide classification and filtering functions. This method will provide a better experience for users who search aimlessly. At the same time, the most popular notes are ranked first. The purpose of this display format and filtering conditions of search results is to narrow the selection range and help users quickly choose.

The matching between search results and needs is mainly the matching degree between core keywords and queries. The specific content displayed in the search results is to find the information that best meets user needs by analyzing user needs.

The keywords in a note title are of utmost importance, and the official also clearly reminds you: "Fill in the title to get more likes"

It can be seen that the title is an important option used by Xiaohongshu to identify content attributes. If you want your notes to be more visible, the most basic work is to optimize the title.

We should make good use of search keywords, hot word recommendations, etc. to help us find the core words of the notes so that the system can recognize and recommend them to the corresponding users.

3. Xiaohongshu Funnel Search

The search method of Xiaohongshu users is more like a "funnel". They will gradually narrow the scope of the query through a general search and then a detailed search to obtain accurate search results.

For example, when those who stay up late want to learn about skin care products, they will first search for "staying up late to work overtime skin care" in general. After a preliminary understanding of the situation, they will further search for specific brands or products (such as a certain brand of essence) to supplement the information content.

In terms of delivery, search marketing actually has a very long history. Although Xiaohongshu Direct Search has its own characteristics in terms of product innovation and effectiveness, it still follows the core principle of search marketing in terms of specific delivery methods - optimizing around search keywords.

In fact, on search advertising platforms like Google, a medium-sized brand merchant can easily reach millions of keywords when launching ads. Therefore, brand merchants that launch Xiaohongshu search direct can also choose the appropriate strategy according to their own stage.

For example, a combination of precise search and general search

In the basic stage, you can start with core must-buy keywords such as brand words and product words to directly hit the most core accurate traffic. In the advanced stage, you can expand the keyword coverage by purchasing customized strategies such as industry word packages, blue ocean word packages, and custom word packages. You can also combine the discovery field + search field, coordinate with other commercial products in the Xiaohongshu system, use dual-scene linkage to seize the user's mind, and create a 1+1>2 synergy effect.

4. How to find the core words for general search?

1. General Search

As the name implies, it means that users have not yet clearly defined their needs and are searching for relatively broader and larger words. Broad search terms include several aspects: grayed-out keywords in the search box, historical searches displayed on the page, and hot search terms.

1) Default prompt word

Before you click on the search and enter the search term, the platform will recommend default prompt words based on the user's tags. There is a certain amount of search traffic in the default prompt words

2) Search discovery (hot searches)

Hot searches display the words that have been searched the most recently, to guide users to see some recent popular content and topics with high user search volume, which are related to the user's search volume and recent hot topics.

3) Supplement associative keywords

Supplementing associative keywords means that the user inputs part of the content, and then the system associates the complete content based on the content, automatically completes the keywords, and increases the user's choices by matching keywords instantly and displaying them. I searched for "slimming" and the platform recommended several keywords related to "slimming" to me.

2. There are a few points worth noting about the selection of general search keywords:

1) Xiaohongshu’s hot search recommendations are indicators of the platform’s short-term traffic content; search prompt keywords and popular screening are sources of long-term traffic, which are derived from Xiaohongshu’s real user data analysis and summary.

2) Before you do a general search, you should first do a fine search to avoid the situation where users cannot find anything to search after switching from a general search to a fine search.

3) Reasonable layout of keywords in the title, text, topic, comments, etc. of the note will help the note to be included and accurately recommended. Avoid keyword stacking, which will be judged as advertising by the system. If you do this for a long time, your account will be downgraded by the system.

5. How to find the core words for precise search?

When choosing keywords for precise search, you need to consider the user's search habits and needs and choose representative keywords. At the same time, the choice of keywords should be related to the theme of the content, so as to improve the matching degree and quality.

When choosing keywords, you can classify them in the following ways: brand words, competitive words, core words, major category words, crowd scene related words

1. Brand product words

Different from searching for brand words on Taobao, when users search for "brand/product words" on Xiaohongshu, they are most likely not familiar with the brand and hope to search on Xiaohongshu to understand the brand's core selling points, user reputation, and overall strength.

In the through train, the conversion rate of people searching for brand words is 20 times that of category words. This core group of new customers must be captured.

Therefore, please consider Xiaohongshu as the first step in brand keyword optimization. No matter what channel a user sees a brand and becomes interested in it, as long as she is not familiar with the brand, she will most likely search for it on Xiaohongshu.

To grasp this most accurate new customer group, the brand should continuously educate and convey the information that the brand wants to convey in the way that users can easily absorb - popular notes about the brand.

In addition to the brand's popular notes, we should also pay attention to the public opinion of the brand-related content. In layman's terms, we should see whether the brand's current voice is positive or negative.

If a brand has already accumulated some positive traffic on Xiaohongshu, then in subsequent campaigns it may focus more on guiding conversions.

But if the voice is directed in a negative direction, it will undoubtedly be a disaster for the brand.

On this platform that has the greatest influence on users’ consumption decisions, any negative impact is likely to affect the brand’s sales across all channels.

Through different IP accounts, we conduct comprehensive self-examination under brand words, track all negative content + after-sales, negotiate if possible, delete posts if possible, report malicious content with one click, complain and warn, and kill every little flame of negative public opinion in the cradle

2. Core efficacy words

Functional words are usually the words with the highest conversion rate. The core of Xiaohongshu's content marketing is to provide information and value to users who search for the word. For the layout of the core word function, it is necessary to do a good job of content matching and occupying the first place. Functional words should be planned and embedded in the notes before the notes are created, and the search terms should be set and expanded according to the plan.

For core efficacy words, please be sure to use "exact match". After the core words are accurately matched, you can then use "phrase match" to supplement them. You can bid a little lower and optimize long-tail words based on the results.

3. Industry/category terms

Brands need to understand the needs of users in each channel in order to market most efficiently.

When users search for "industry/category words" on Xiaohongshu, 90% of them already have vague needs. They hope to search and understand what is popular, what is recommended, and what is fresh and interesting under these categories/demand points. To cater to users' needs for information, in other words, use "highly praised notes" to capture target customers instead of forcing crude product selling points.

(Tips: When you see that there are no hot notes in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd positions of your core word search results, congratulations, you have found a bright and beautiful path, please be sure to take it decisively)

4. Competitive Keywords

Choose different competitive product settings according to different product lines/selling points/effects: for example, if the competitor of brand W in meal replacement milkshakes is S, then when purchasing the brand word "S", you should choose the high-heat meal replacement milkshake notes; if the competitor of brand W in probiotics is F, then when purchasing the brand word "F", you should choose the high-heat probiotic notes.

6. Final Thoughts

In the decentralized Xiaohongshu space, search is the only aggregation space.

Xiaohongshu search is an important part of product promotion. Without search, there will be no conversion. Xiaohongshu search is the basic skill and defense of merchants. Merchant friends must pay attention to keyword search!