What sellers need to know about Amazon SEO

If you’re an Amazon Seller, you know how difficult it can be to raise your product’s SEO ranking. Achieving a high rank on Amazon search results is vital for increasing sales, but it’s not an easy task. In order to do so, you have to understand how Amazon SEO works and how it differs from regular SEO.

There are many Amazon Sellers who have yet to master this ever-changing system. It requires continuous research and effort in order to keep up with the competition and stay on top of Amazon’s most recent algorithm. Once you have a thorough understanding of Amazon SEO and how it works, however, you’ll be able to optimize your listings and get your products ranking in no time.

In this blog:

• What is Amazon SEO?
• Why Is Amazon SEO Important?
• Amazon SEO Versus Traditional SEO
• How Does Amazon Search Work?
• The Amazon A9 Algorithm
• What Factors Influence Amazon’s A9 Algorithm?
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• How Can You Improve Your Amazon Product Ranking?

What Is Amazon SEO?

Amazon SEO is the process of assigning keywords and information to products in order to get them to appear higher up in Amazon’s search results. This requires optimizing various elements of your product listing, including product title, product features, backend keywords, and others.

When you get your product to rank higher in search results, you’ll get more store visits and subsequently, more sales. With thousands of similar brands and products listed on Amazon, it’s important that you put in the work to rank your product. This will ensure that customers see your product at the top (or at least near the top) of the search results and increase your chances of making a sale.

Why Is Amazon SEO Important?

Amazon SEO is important, first and foremost, because the majority of online shoppers start their search for products on Amazon. According to Jungle Scout’s Amazon Advertising Report, 63% of consumers start their product search on Amazon when looking to buy something online. That means that if you show up on Amazon’s search results, you’ll be able to reach a whole lot of potential customers who are ready to make a purchase.

These searchers don’t scroll through endless results, though. In fact, 70% of searchers on Amazon never click past page one of search results. Therefore, if you want clicks, you simply have to get your product listing on that first page. This makes Amazon SEO vital to every single Amazon Seller.

Amazon SEO Versus Traditional SEO

While both Amazon SEO and traditional SEO use keyword optimization to rank pages in search results, they have different end goals. Amazon SEO is designed to drive sales. Traditional SEO, as used by Google and Bing, is meant to provide a good search experience.

It may sound similar, but since Amazon has a different goal than search engines, it has to function differently. Therefore, it has a different algorithm in how it ranks product listings. Amazon sellers should therefore make sure to understand Amazon’s unique algorithm and ranking system in order to succeed on the platform.

How Does Amazon Search Work?

There are several factors involved in Amazon Search and which products show up when you search for a product. SEO is a huge part of this process, but there are other components involved, too.

Amazon’s goal is to give the customer the most relevant results for their search choice, so the customer finds what they’re looking for and makes a purchase. Customers don’t have much patience when they’re searching for the item they want, so Amazon developed an algorithm to ensure that the most relevant and buyable products end up on top.

This is what Amazon browsers see when they do a search on Amazon.

1. Amazon Search Results Page

When a buyer searches for an item on Amazon, there are two display types that are shown: List View, which is a list type that features between 15 – 16 products on every results page, and Gallery View, which has between 24-25 products on each results page. Knowing the number of results that a shopper sees on each page is important so you can categorize your product correctly, especially when filtering is involved.

2. Amazon Sponsored Products

Another essential category that shoppers see in Amazon search results is Sponsored Products. This is a form of PPC (pay per click) advertising on Amazon, in which sellers can bid on keywords to achieve a Sponsored Product placement.

Sponsored Products appear throughout the search results pages, as there are different kinds of sponsored advertisements involved, such as product, brand, and display. Sponsored Products ads are the most used type of Amazon ad, so it’s well worth your time and money to create them. With the right SEO optimization, your products can be seen at the top of the first page or even throughout the search results.

3.  Amazon Search Filters

Amazon search filters offer filter fields for the buyer. They allow the shopper to narrow their search results based on factors like product category, seller rating, shipment method, brand, item condition, and color.

You want your product to show up when a potential customer selects relevant filters, so it’s vital to add as much information to your product listing as possible. It may not show up when a filter is selected if the color or product category isn’t properly listed. There are a lot of little details to worry about, but it’s well worth the effort if it means that the customer will see your product.

The Amazon A9 Algorithm

Amazon uses an algorithm to rank products. This algorithm is called Amazon A9 and is responsible for which products appear when an online shopper searches for a product on Amazon.

The algorithm’s goal is to show shoppers products that they will actually want to purchase, and it does so by analyzing the relevance and performance of each listing.

Amazon A9 uses a number of factors to rank product listings including keywords and filters as well as the customer’s past purchases and shopping preferences. This strategy improves the shopper’s visit, and leads targeted customers your way.

Amazon A9 versus Amazon A10

Amazon is constantly working to improve the algorithm. There have been a number of changes to the algorithm over the last few years, including an update in 2020 that prompted some people to start calling it Amazon’s A10 algorithm.

The A10 algorithm is very similar to the A9 algorithm, but simply gives more importance to customer searches, instead of prioritizing seller promotions. This is intended to make sure the search results are highly relevant for the shopper.

What Factors Influence Amazon’s Algorithm?

Amazon isn’t keen on sharing their top-secret A9 algorithm, so the details aren’t known. However, if you’re aware of which factors influence your rank and how to optimize for Amazon SEO, you’ll be able to take the steps needed to improve your rank and increase your sales.

When ranking your listing, Amazon’s algorithm considers relevance, performance, and customer experience.

Here are some of the factors that influence A9’s search rankings.

• Price: You want your prices to be competitive. If your prices are much higher or lower than your rival brands’ prices, this can hurt your search engine results.
• Stock Supply: Amazon’s goal is to sell goods, so if your product is out of stock or on backorder this can move you to the bottom of the list. It doesn’t matter how many sales you’ve made before or how great your SEO is, if your product is out of stock your ranking will suffer.
• Text Relevance: Have you ever noticed that Amazon product titles tend to be long and informative? Product descriptions are also quite detailed. There’s a reason for this. The more information and the more relevant keywords you include in your listing, the higher your chances of beating filters and gaining visitors. After all, Amazon can’t rank you for keywords you don’t include.
• Sales History: The more products you sell, the higher your ranking will be. Amazon’s algorithm wants shoppers to make a purchase, so if your product has a strong sales history, the algorithm assumes searchers are likely to buy your product as well.
• Amazon Sales Rank: Amazon Sales Rank, also known as Best Sellers Rank or BSR, highlights the 100 best selling products in each category. Amazon’s algorithm factors in your BSR when ranking products in search results.
• Customer Reviews: Reviews play an important role in convincing potential customers to make a purchase. They are also indicative of customer satisfaction. Therefore, Amazon weighs customer reviews in their rankings.
• Click-through rate: Your click-through rate, or CTR is the percentage of times shoppers who view your product actually click on it. Amazon wants consumers to click on the products displayed in search results, so your CTR is an important factor. In addition, the Amazon algorithm also considers your conversion rate.

How Can You Improve Product Rankings On Amazon?

Once you know a bit about how the Amazon algorithm ranks products and how Amazon SEO works, you can start improving your product rankings.

Here are some tips.

1. Optimize your Amazon product title

Your product title is the first thing potential customers see, so it’s of the utmost importance. The title has a limit of 150-200 characters depending on the category, but Amazon recommends 80 characters maximum. When writing your title, include the product name, the most relevant keywords, brand, material, quantity, and color.

2. Do your keyword research

It’s crucial to pick the right keywords for the products you’re selling. You can start out by taking a look at competitors who are ranking well. There are also a number of tools out there to help you select the right keywords for your product. Amazon also has a free keyword research tool you can use. Research is time consuming, but the effort will pay off.

3. Choose your price carefully

In order to rank well, you need to price your products similarly to the competition. Big price gaps are suspicious to both the Amazon algorithm and online shoppers. Before setting your price, check out other listings in your category. Then choose a comparable price for your product. Just make sure it covers your costs, too.

4. Polish your product images

Never underestimate the power of your product images. Since customers can’t actually touch or see your product in person, they rely heavily on your images. To start, be sure to follow Amazon’s image guidelines. You want your images to be high quality and show your product from multiple angles. Your featured image should be against  white background and be well lit and clear. Including an infographic is a great way to share important information with your customers, too.

5. Improve your product description

Customers want clear, concise, and detailed information. Highlight the best aspects of your product with bullet points or even italics. Use clear, positive wording that will attract them. A well-organized and aesthetic description will go a long way to winning them over.

6. Upgrade your product key features bullet points

This is where you should highlight the main features of your product. Amazon recommends using a maximum of 1,000 characters to write at least five bullet points. Include any information you think your customers will want to know, as well as relevant keywords. Make sure to use complete sentences and good grammar, too.

7. Manage your product stock availability

Inventory management is essential. If your product goes out of stock, it will harm your ranking no matter how much effort you put into your Amazon SEO. Maintain good relationships with your suppliers, predict demand, and plan ahead to ensure you have enough product in stock. When you’re running low on a product, you might want to increase the price or change your advertising strategy until your next batch arrives.

8. Put effort into your product’s backend search keywords

Backend search terms are not visible to customers, but Amazon uses them to categorize and rank your listing. This can have a positive impact on your search results. You should include keywords or terms that you weren’t able to fit in with the product’s title or description. It’s also a good idea to include common misspellings, synonyms and even translations in your backend, too.

9. Pay attention to your product reviews and ratings

Product reviews and ratings make a huge difference not only to your potential customers, but to Amazon SEO as well. The more positive reviews and ratings you have, the higher the value given to your product. This increases your ranking and brings more people to your storefront. Encourage customers to leave reviews, and be sure to address any negative reviews you receive.

10. Become an Amazon Prime Seller and use FBA

When you become an Amazon Prime Seller, you get to put a Prime badge on your listings and offer fast, free shipping. These features are  included when you enroll in FBA, or Fulfillment by Amazon. The Prime badge and shipping terms that go with it tend to attract more customers, which helps raise your ranking, too.