Proven strategies to optimize Amazon product listings

Creating a good Amazon listing is one of the core aspects of successful online selling. The presentation of your listings is one of the biggest influences on whether shoppers end up clicking ‘buy’ or not, often more than the actual quality of the product. It should be beautiful, informative, and engaging, but many sellers forget about important aspects like keyword research and how to appeal to Amazon’s algorithms. Each aspect of a listing, from the title to the composition of images, needs to be strategized in depth so that its impact can be maximized. In this article, we will break down the best ways to optimize your Amazon listings.

Amazon’s A9 Algorithm

When selling on Amazon, it is important to build an understanding of the company’s A9 algorithm. It dictates how store products will be ranked and how prominently they will be displayed on the Amazon website. Additionally, it seeks to rank them by the likelihood of leading to a sales conversion. All available data is factored in, to give customers the most relevant and engaging store experience. For sellers, this means that some products that are favored by the algorithm can rise in popularity very quickly. Of course, that also means interest in them might not take off meaningfully.

Amazon’s A9 algorithm gives preference to products according to the following criteria:

• Optimal text-match relevance
• Pricing competitivity
• High sales velocity
• Positive ratings and reviews
• Stock availability
• High-resolution images
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• Brand and manufacturer info
• Products with multiple options such as size or color

The algorithm adapts to customers’ behavior patterns constantly. It is important to stay relevant as trends change. To rank higher in relevant search queries, it is essential to optimize your listing with the right SEO keywords and refresh them when interests shift.

Create the Perfect Amazon Listing

The content and presentation of your Amazon listing will have a major impact on customer conversions. It should offer a quick overview to learn everything they need to know about your product. Additionally, it is important that each listing is SEO-optimized, to appear in relevant searches and reach the right shoppers.

Using data-based strategies and guidelines to enhance your listings for SEO, you can increase the visibility of your products and maximize your conversions. Here are some tips to optimize your listings’ performance:

Understand your product

Before diving into keyword research, it’s crucial to have a clear understanding of your product, including its features, benefits, and potential uses. For example, yoga mats can also be used for sports like pilates or working out. Make sure that you are using all keywords that might draw a consumer to your listing. Building a deeper understanding of your product will help you identify better keywords.

Keyword research

SEO keyword research is the first and most important step to get your listings to the top of search results. It is crucial to identify what type of keywords can bring the most people to your page. One of the best ways to start this process is by looking at the listings of your competitors. Note the keywords they use in their titles, bullet points, and product descriptions. This can provide insights into what keywords are effective in your niche.

If you don’t have a lot of experience with keyword research, there are specific tools designed for this process. Helium 10, Jungle Scout, and AMZScout are great resources for developing a better understanding of customer searches on Amazon. They will provide detailed keyword data like search volume, competition level, and relevancy.

Another low-cost method for finding effective keywords is simply typing words that are related to your product into Amazon’s search bar. Keep track of the auto-suggestions provided by Amazon, which are based on popular search terms used by customers. You can then use these terms in your listing to reach more shoppers.

Product title

Your product title is the first thing that customers (and the A9 algorithm) will see. It should be clear and descriptive. You have up to 200 characters to describe your product, but make sure your most important keywords go at the beginning. Here is an example of a good product title:

It has the brand name and model followed by the name of the product and its top features. This title is highly descriptive, but still comes in at just under 150 characters – some experts recommend limiting your title to this size to improve user experience. It is clear, informational, and objective – it doesn’t make use of subjective wording like “best” or “awesome.” It uses a dash (-) and commas to break up the keywords, improving readability. The first letter of each word is capitalized, and numeric values (1) are used, rather than spelling out the word (one). Finally, this listing does a great job of addressing the user’s intent by naming some different possible uses for the product (Home Yoga, Pilates, Stretching, Floor & Fitness Workouts).

If relevant, remember to also include the model number, series, color, and quantity of your product if it’s a multi-pack. Also, it can benefit your ranking to spell out size measurements.

Bullet points

After perfecting your listing title, bullet points are the next place customers will go to learn more about the product. You can include up to five bullet points in your listing, and we recommend using all of them – this space provides you with an opportunity to talk about your product’s key features and include relevant keywords. Take this opportunity to intrigue shoppers with additional details about the product.

After reading your bullet points, customers should clearly understand:

• Why they need your product
• What your product can offer them
• What is the size and material of the product they will receive
• How they can use this product in their life

Here are the bullet points from the yoga mat listing:

The first point talks about the thickness of the mat – this is the product’s main feature. While it was mentioned in the title, the bullet point follows up with a more detailed description of the mat’s measurements and the benefits of using this extra-thick mat. This section is great because is showcases the mat’s best features, provides useful information about how to use it, and show how it will solve the customer’s problems.

Product description

Located further down on your listing’s detail page, the product description section gives you an additional 2,000 characters to sell undecided shoppers on your product. It is important to fill out this part – it gives you that much more space to add relevant keywords to your listing and show shoppers why they need your product.

Here, you can fill in any gaps in information that customers may have about your product. However, there is another section for you to add additional technical details about the product further down. The product description should tell the story of your product. Expand on the features you discussed in your bullet points. Show the reader once again, in more detail, how your product can improve their life. You may also add images to your product description. Include text in your images to add more detail. You can also use these images to show your product in action.

If you are enrolled in the Brand Registry program, we recommend creating an Amazon A+ Content Description, which may contain even larger images and will replace your current description.

Photos

Photos are without a doubt one of the most important factors in listing optimization. All of your product photos should be information-rich, attractive, and high-quality. We recommend using photos of 1600 pixels or more. Your product should take center stage in every single photo.

Not to be taken lightly, your main product image is what will convince shoppers to click on your listing. It should make it plainly clear what you are selling – choose a clean and clear image without distractions from the product. Feel free to test different pictures for your main image. You can analyze your sales results with the alternate images to determine which one was most effective.

In addition to your main image, you may have six others, one of which can be a video, which is also recommended. You should fill all of these spaces. Be sure to show the product from different angles, and include lifestyle shots of your product in action. You can also add text to your images and create infographics to highlight special features, as was done in this listing for yoga blocks.

In addition to attractive infographics and text overlays, you can make a collage of images to maximize the space you are allowed. For example, the seller of this yoga block effectively used one available photo slot to showcase four lifestyle shots of their product.

Product ratings and reviews

Your ratings and reviews go hand in hand – they also have a major impact on the success of your listing. In order to ensure a high rating, you’ll have to provide not only products of good quality but also a great customer experience and service.

If your rating is four out of five stars or higher, your products are already performing well. However, there is always room for improvement in regard to your Amazon ratings. You can raise your average rating by improving your products and your service. Respond to messages from customers as soon as possible – within at least 24 hours. If there are any noticeable patterns in your negative reviews, find out what the problem is, and address it. You can also request the removal of negative reviews that are not seller-related (e.g. customers complaining about shipping problems).

The data shows that having a high number of reviews will improve your product’s performance, even if it lowers your average rating. Use the Amazon Reviewer program to get your first few reviews, then opt into Request a Review to encourage your customers to leave a review after they’ve had a chance to try out the product.

Add relevant search terms

The Search Terms section of your listing is not visible to shoppers. It’s simply a space for you to include some additional keywords that you weren’t able to include in your listing, but which you would like the A9 algorithm to associate with your product.

You have a total of 250 characters – that’s about 40 keywords. As with the rest of your listing, there’s no need to repeat keywords you’ve already used. Once is enough. Instead, you can include additional secondary keywords as well as abbreviations. Add as many as you can – but only as long as they are clearly relevant.

Advertise

No matter how good your listing is, in order to attract customers you need to run ads. This will give your products the engagement to help them go up in terms of search ranking. Findability is one of the most important factors that influences the A9 algorithm. Since findability comprises both organic results and advertising presence, a good marketing campaign can give your Amazon ranking a major boost.

The A9 algorithm also favors listings with high sales velocity. The increase in traffic and sales brought in by a good ad campaign, even an inexpensive one, can have a significant impact on your ranking improvement.

Conclusion

The Amazon marketplace is incredibly competitive, with millions of sellers fighting for customers. In order to stand out properly you have to ensure that your listings are as enticing as possible. The goal is to stand out and quickly convince shoppers that your product is the right choice.

While creating an engaging product, copy, and images is fundamental, good keyword research will elevate any listing and broaden your audience. Understanding and leveraging good SEO will ultimately decide whether you can rise up in search rankings and build long-term sales success. Looking up your competitors and their practices and using keyword research services is a surefire way to advance. Successfully optimizing your Amazon listings will help you grow your sales and build a deeper understanding of SEO best practices.