The competition in Amazon’s marketplace is fierce. More than 12 million products are listed for sale on the mega-retailer, so how do you make your listing stand out from the crowd? Amazon search engine optimization (SEO) is crucial for increasing the discoverability of your products compared to the competition, but Amazon is unlike other search engines.
Most search engines use external signals to determine the ranking of a listing. These include backlinks, website history, and more. However, Amazon uses only internal factors. This means that your product listing matters the most.
Amazon seeks to provide searchers with the product they are most likely to purchase, whereas Google focuses on answering their overarching question. To this effect, Amazon offers a more straightforward process to guide users to your product listings.
How SEO Affects Your Amazon Rankings
Why does Amazon product page SEO matter? Users are more likely to stumble across your listing if it is relevant to your product and ranks higher in the search results. This visibility can improve your click-thru rate and conversion rate, increasing your total purchases. In time, this will also increase your organic ranking through Amazon’s algorithm. Click-thru rates and conversion rates are just two of many ranking factors in Amazon’s proprietary algorithm, A10. Understanding the algorithm is crucial to successful SEO.
Amazon A10 Algorithm
First and foremost, Amazon A10 prioritizes relevance. That’s why it’s important to describe your products as accurately as possible. Keywords matter! Include a detailed description of the product with keywords that your customers are using to find your product and products like yours. Older strategies such as keyword stuffing with less relevant keywords might drive your products up in time, but if the categories are not relevant, CTR and conversion rate will drop, meaning a reduced rank in the long term
A10 also looks at seller authority and the number of reviews on your profile. Sellers who dedicate time to gathering 4 and 5 star product reviews will see their organic search results improve. It also factors in things like the length of time in business, return rate, and how you handle returns. Meaning, that how you conduct your business as a whole will affect the rank of your individual products.
Amazon Brand Stores that carry a wide variety of items that appeal to a broad range of people may also rank better. This scope demonstrates that your store will have what more buyers are searching for, making your store more relevant to Amazon shoppers. It is also important to make sure your stores are properly optimized and organized in order to increase the Search Rank of the products therein.
Amazon advertising also impacts where you fall in the results, with sponsored products ranking in the coveted top spots. Ads that result in purchases will positively impact search rank, meaning that lower-ranked products can have an early artificial boost into positions that will create
Why Backend Keywords Matter
Amazon rankings also depend heavily on backend keywords. These backend keywords are separate from what the customers see on your listing. IAmazon is the only party that views these important keywords and factors them into the rankings.
These backend keywords are indexed in the search engine, but they do not take up valuable real estate in your product listing. Successful uses of backend keywords include:
- Using relevant keywords that do not appear in your listing
- Using all lowercase letters
- Incorporating latent semantic indexing (LSI) keywords
- Searching for top keywords in your field through Ubersuggest, Google Keyword Planner, and other keyword research tools like Semrush and Ahrefs.
Read the Amazon Backend Keyword Guide for more valuable tips.
How To Write SEO-Optimized Amazon Listings
Before you start Amazon ads, it is best to ensure that your content is optimized for Amazon SEO, in order to increase conversion rate and reduce wasted spend. That starts with the title of your product, the first thing that buyers will see that determines if they will click through to view the rest of your product listing.
How To Write An Optimized Product Title On AMZ
Users view your title before anything else, so spend some time making sure it will have an impact on shoppers. This title structure is where some of your keyword research will come in handy, as you will need to make sure that your primary keywords are highlighted in this short title.
Writing an effective title for your products is as simple as knowing a few handy tips:
- Keep things short and sweet (under 200 characters)
- Use title casing
- Use common abbreviations and numbers
- Avoid promotional phrases
Think about the user experience. SEO on Amazon requires you to appeal to shoppers from the very start with your title. Readability is key, so plan on using something short and to the point about what you want them to gain from your product.
How To Writean Optimized Product Description On AMZ
How can you write a product description that captures attention in the marketplace? These Amazon SEO tips will help you form the meat of your retail advertising listing.
First, include keywords sprinkled throughout the listing. Consider what is most important to buyers about your product and incorporate those keywords into the listing. Do this by conducting research regarding what people are searching for online so that you can use exact phrasing.
Second, your product listings should be easy to read. Use bullet points to help shoppers find pertinent information more quickly. Use headings to organize themes in your product description.
Amazon Ads For Increased Visibility
Sellers who want to maximize their sales should consider signing up for Amazon ads once their shop and their products have been optimized for search. Amazon ads help your products reach more shoppers. The main method for using ads on Amazon is through their onsite sponsored ads.
Sponsored ads promote your listing, into search and product page positions it would would not normally reach when buyers are shopping for a product that contains targeted keywords or products. This increase in visibility makes it more likely that shoppers will find you – and buy your products! Purchases made through ads will boost your algorithmic rank in the same way that organic purchases would, further improving your ranking. Spondsored ads are pay-per-click. This means you pay only for the clicks your ad receives. So long as your conversion rate remains reasonably high, this makes your product more likely to appear in future search results because it shows your authority as a seller.
At Search Nurture, we manage Amazon PPC ads on behalf of our clients and also help optimize product listings for more organic sales. Managing both the paid and organic side of Amazon has its benefits. Our team can share valuable learnings to maximize representation in Amazon search results..
Other Factors That Impact Your Ranking In Amazon Search Results
While a good title and product description play a major role in determining your placement in the Amazon search results, other aspects of your listing also play a factor. Other components of your listing, such as photos, reviews and price, make a difference to the A10 algorithm.
How To Take Great Product Photos For AMZ
Many Amazon shoppers look at the picture of a given product even before they skim the title to see if it meets their criteria. Listings with poor photos often get passed over in favor of a product that is well represented in a clear picture with good lighting.
- Use a simple white background or edit the background on the computer
- Find the best lighting to represent your product
- Take pictures of the product from multiple angles
- Use a tripod to keep the camera from shaking while taking pictures
- Keep the photo simple — no distracting or competing items
Of course, all of these tips are only going to be helpful if you upload a high-resolution image to the product listing. This type of image signals to buyers that your product is high quality, whereas low-resolution images make it hard to determine what the product looks like and whether it will meet shopper expectations.
How To Win Customer Reviews On AMZ
Amazon search results prioritize items that have plenty of positive reviews. These signal to the A10 algorithm that the product is high quality and meets the needs of the buyers who purchase it. Because reviews enhance your rankings, every Amazon SEO strategy should include a review-gathering component.
How can you score more of these important reviews?
It can be as simple as sending a follow-up email to customers who purchase your products. Give them some time (a week or two) to receive their item and use it for the first time. Then, send an email and politely ask them for a review. A personalized message stands out from the more generic one sent directly from Amazon. Another way to gather more reviews is to prompt customers with an insert in the packaging of your product. Create a colorful insert that asks people to kindly leave a product review if they are satisfied with the quality of their product. Be sure check if these in box inserts are compliant with Amazon’s policies. Inserts that are not compliant can lead to penalties
Use The Amazon Vine Program
Amazon Vine is a program through which reviewers who have earned a trusted status and ranking on Amazon are invited to become “Vine Voices.” These participants can receive free products from retailers who participate in the program in return for posting honest reviews.
Because these reviewers have shown the ability to create honest, detailed reviews, shoppers are more likely to value their opinions when it comes to choosing products to purchase.
How Does Pricing Impact AMZ SEO?
Many sellers start with a lower initial price until they gather more reviews.Once theproduct is more established, you can raise the prices to compete with other similar items
Selling your product at a higher price is easier when you can demonstrate why your product is better than other competing products. In addition to winning product reviews, sellers can further communicate value by writing a killer product description and taking a high-quality product photo.
When you aren’t sure how to price your product, try setting up an A/B test. This test involves setting two different prices on your product for set periods. For example, you may run one price for a full week and then a new price the next week. This approach gives you hard data on how to price products effectively.
Powerful Solutions For Amazon Advertising
Creating a powerful product listing that shows up in the search results requires a solid Amazon SEO strategy. These Amazon SEO tips will help you create a listing that captures attention from first glance with your high-resolution photo and catchy title, earning you valuable screen time for your product description.
Knowing the latest Amazon A10 algorithm updates enhances your ability to implement new strategies that improve your rankings and help your business thrive. Sustain success on Amazon is the product of high-touch Amazon Ads and SEO strategies. If this sounds like a lot of work, it’s because it is. The most successful Amazon merchants have dedicated teams managing their Amazon SEO and Amazon ads. Contact our team of Amazon experts to see what a partnership could look like.
