There’s no doubt that Amazon’s influence in the ecommerce sphere is perpetually on the rise.
With so many sellers vying for their products to be seen, desired, and bought, Amazon sellers need to leverage every aspect of their product listings to attract potential buyers.
One highly effective way of doing this is by using Amazon SEO. This involves optimizing product listings from “top to tail” to get your product ranking higher in Amazon search results than your competitors.
What Is Amazon SEO?
Just like traditional SEO, Amazon SEO is the process of optimizing your Amazon product listings to rank higher in search results for relevant products and brands via keywords and keyphrases. However, instead of ranking for general search results (like in local or geographical-based SEO), you’re specifically ranking for Amazon search results.
Why Is Amazon SEO Important?
Organic Amazon rankings are still one of the most effective ways to sell your product.
Unfortunately, very few Amazon customers stick around to view products past page one or two. Combine this with the fact that there are over 2.5 million sellers on Amazon, and the competition on the platform is exceptionally high.
For your product to rank anywhere near the top of potential customers’ search results, you need to take advantage of all the Amazon SEO tricks in the book.
By mastering Amazon SEO, you’ll also be attracting way more sales as people are more likely to buy a product if it aligns with their search, which is what Amazon SEO enables you to do.
How Is Amazon SEO Different From Regular SEO?
Here’s the biggest difference between standard SEO and Amazon SEO:
– Regular search engines (Google, Bing, etc.) want to answer questions
– Amazon wants to sell products
Standard SEO wants to give you the most concise, informative answer to the question it assumes you are asking, like “what is the best computer for designers?” Amazon SEO wants to offer you the product as close to your search entry as possible, like “13-inch graphic design laptop.”
Understanding How Amazon Search Works
When it comes to understanding and taking advantage of Amazon search, there are three points to consider:
1. Amazon’s Search Result Page
This is where keywords are key. Keywords are the terms (or combination of terms) a customer uses in the Amazon search bar to find a product. Using the right keywords will tell the Amazon search engine that your product is the best fit for the person searching for it, landing you higher up on the search results.
Keywords can be incorporated into product titles, bullet points in the product features, and product descriptions.
Besides keywords, high-quality product images of at least 1,000 x 1,000 pixels are recommended as better pictures lead to more conversions, which Amazon sees as better business. Because as we all know—it is not just about getting the clicks, it is about getting the conversions.
2. Amazon SEO Sponsored Products
Another way to “hack” the Amazon SEO system is by leveraging the platform’s sponsored ad service, which gives you dedicated space in the “related shopping” and “product pages” results.
While it is true—paying for sponsored placement on Amazon isn’t really SEO, the branding push sponsored advertising provides may be enough to drive brand recognition which can add fuel to your organic Amazon SEO.
However, you will still need to target keywords and have a descriptive product listing to turn the increase in views into an increase in sales.
Truth be told, the majority of high-growth brands on Amazon use a combination of organic SEO and sponsored product or brand advertising.
3. Amazon’s Search Filters
Anyone who’s used Amazon before knows how useful the search filters can be. Buyers can narrow their search by category, price, delivery method, brand, star rating, and many other properties.
To appear in these specific search results, you need to make sure you describe your product in as much detail as possible. Not only should you include the properties of your product in the filter information, but you should also add it to the product description so Amazon’s algorithm can pick it up too.
Learn About Amazon Search Engine Ranking
Amazon has a unique algorithm that creates the search result hierarchy based on your SEO strategies. It is known as the A9 algorithm.
What Is the Amazon A9/A10 Algorithm?
Amazon’s A9 algorithm decides which products best match a customer’s search and displays these product listings in order of relevancy and overall performance. This allows the algorithm to rank products by how likely they are to be converted into a sale.
Remember, Amazon’s goal is to sell products—this algorithm is designed not only to provide the best match to product searches but also to provide the best match that has the highest likelihood of selling.
How Does It Work?
Before ranking a product in a search, the Amazon A9 algorithm considers a listing’s relevancy and performance based on several factors discussed below. To rank higher, your listing needs to outperform its competitors regarding these factors.
Amazon’s Relevancy Ranking Factors
– Product Title: This is where keywords matter most. Your product title should contain the most relevant keywords without sounding repetitive or unappealing. Spammy-looking titles won’t convince customers to even click on your listing, regardless of how high it ranks.
– Long-tail keywords: These are the backbone of good Amazon SEO. Do you search for “women’s sweater” or “women’s knee-length, red, winter sweater?” These “long-tail,” more descriptive key phrases are far more likely to attract higher-quality consumer traffic.
– Brand Name: If you’re selling from a personal brand, make sure to write your brand name the same every time. It appears right below your listing title and is used to connect your products if customers are looking for more of what you’re selling.
– Product Description: The product description is how Amazon determines what you sell and who to show your listing to, try to include as much detail as possible while using relevant keywords.
– Product Features: These are the bullet points that help Amazon further determine what you’re selling. Being descriptive and using keywords is equally crucial as in the product description.
Performance-Related Amazon Ranking Factors
This is where the A9 algorithm accounts for how well it expects your products to sell and adjusts your ranking accordingly. Factors taken into account include:
– Click-Through Rate: Your product may receive more clicks for specific searches, including particular keywords. Depending on the search your product receives more clicks for, Amazon adjusts how high you rank in subsequent searches.
– Conversion Rate: Your conversion rate refers to the percentage of clicks that turned into sales. The higher your conversion rate, the better your product will rank.
– Product Price: If you’re charging too much, you might not have as many sales and a lower conversion rate, pushing your product lower in the search results.
– Product Images: Clear images that encourage customers to buy your product will result in higher conversion rates, improving your rank in the search results.
– Product Reviews & Star Ratings: The better your reviews, the more likely customers are to trust your product. This leads to more sales, higher conversion rates, and better ranking.
Final Thoughts
Amazon SEO can feel overwhelming, especially if your passion is your product and not necessarily its marketing.
Our team at National Positions has vast experience in dealing with the nuances of Amazon SEO and offers award-winning digital marketing strategies for individuals who want to take their business’s online presence and sales to the next level.
National Positions offers clients customized digital strategies to suit their preferences, maximize sales, Amazon exposure, and your business’s ability to reach the right customer demographic for every search.
If you are interested in leveraging your Amazon account and listings to reach new customers and improve your performance, drop us a line on our contact page or call (818) 918-5188 to talk to one of our team members and unlock your business and products’ full potential.