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In the world of online e-commerce, there is no bigger opportunity than Amazon. Whether you represent a large company or your independent brand, the opportunity to sell your products on Amazon can yield very lucrative, positive ROIs. While competition may be tough, people who are willing to put in the work can make a lot of money on Amazon. However, none of this matters if you cannot get exposure through Amazon SEO.
What is Amazon SEO?
Amazon SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, creates listings that rank very well for search terms on Amazon. The higher you are on what customers search for, the better your SEO is going. Amazon already has the authority; you need to know how to use it.
To determine what gets to the top, Amazon uses the A10 Algorithm.
How Does Amazon’s A10 Ranking Algorithm Work?
The A10 Algorithm is an AI-driven set of rules to determine how search engines find the best content. These rules are known as ranking factors, and they include the following topics:
- Sales Performance – The more products you have, the higher your ranking. The sales can come from anywhere (PPC, SEO, social links). Sales velocity, or the number of sales you get in short periods, will also impact whether you appear on the Movers & Shakers list.
- Listing Traffic – How many views does your product listing get compared to the average? This tracking method refers to your product description’s number of clicks and views.
- Keyword Relevancy – How close does your keyword get to describe your product? The closer you meet the buyer’s intent, the better your ranking.
- Positive Customer Reviews – What is the customer’s opinion of your product? A good user experience is crucial to getting more exposure. Getting five-star reviews is a reflection of this.
- Fulfillment By Amazon (FBA) – Sellers with FBA have a higher exposure chance. This fulfillment method gives Amazon a more significant cut of your earnings but targets a broader audience.
- Off-Site Traffic – Those with an off-site presence are higher-quality providers. Established audiences who transition to Amazon are more valuable to the platform. This is where hiring link-building services to establish your site’s authority can be helpful.
Amazon isn’t likely to give you the ranking based on a single ranking factor. Instead, it works on a combination of all aspects. Having strategies to boost all of these is crucial.
For Amazon SEO, new sellers need to put extra effort into finding the best products to sell. You want to sell profitable products that have long-term potential. That potential should ideally apply to Amazon and your eCommerce website.
Despite being a fantastic way to draw traffic and make sales, Amazon should not be your only option. Establishing an off-site presence is also necessary to stand out compared to other generic Amazon Sellers. These 7 SEO plugins you can use will help you gain a presence away from Amazon.
How to Rank Higher
Step One: Perform Keyword Research and Optimize Product Listings
Part of long-term success potential comes back to SEO keyword research. To find the right keywords, you need to know how to use a few major platforms:
- Google Trends – A way to search keywords and quickly find historical information. Works for personal sites and product listing pages.
- Google Keyword Planner – Another way to find keywords and their average search counts. Works for both your website and Amazon.
- Amazon PPC – Provides you traffic counts and Cost Per Click (CPC) data that is an indicator of competitiveness. Higher cost = more bidders = more competition.
- Amazon Trend Report – Offers overall trends of notably popular product categories.
- Social Media – Provides information on various trends that can sell well. You will need supplementing with data from other sources.
- Third-party Analytical Tools (like AMZScout) – A shortcut with behind-the-scenes data that helps you determine if a product will sell.
When using these tools, you need to understand your product’s solutions. For example, selling a back scratcher is nice, but an extendable back scratcher is better.
If you haven’t selected a product, keywords are a great way to find valuable products. Valuable products usually have around ten thousand sales, about three sellers, and have historically proven success.
It would be best if you also focused on long-tail keywords. These keywords have more content, increasing your chances of relevancy and decreasing competitiveness. The more detail you can provide, the higher your chance of making a sale, otherwise known as meeting the buyer’s intent.
Once you’ve got a long list of keywords, you’ll want to use them. This process involves the strategic placement of keywords on your product listing page. This process is better known as Listing Optimization.
Product Listing Optimization has the following process:
- Selecting your primary keyword (the most important keyword you want to rank for).
- Choosing your secondary keywords (other less vital keywords throughout the listing).
- Placing a list of backend keywords that are less important but still have competitive potential.
For a good example, take a look at this Security Camera from AIBOOSTPRO. Here is how they optimize different sections:
- This title contains a long-term keyword in the upfront position (Security Cameras Wireless Outdoor) and uses all the space available to describe notable features.
- The bullet points further explain features in the title with an easy-to-read format using brackets to provide focus with additional text around it.
- Product images include infographics and examples of the product in use. Pictures are an important topic we will revisit later.
- The detailed description uses high-quality images to list additional features and uses lists and bullet points for easy reading. They also mix up the format by different image types.
- Customer reviews are a combination of (mostly) four and five stars.
- The customer service team is active in the Q&A section.
Of course, there are some areas to improve on. For example, they have unusual spacing in the detail description and don’t include any related products. However, as a new product listing, it is an excellent example of what you need to do as a new seller on Amazon.
Step Two: Encourage Positive Product Reviews
More than 90% of customers will read online reviews before buying a product. However, those same customers are also not likely to leave helpful customer reviews.
The only exception is a negative customer service experience, which can sink your product quickly.
Amazon also has strict rules about asking for reviews, only allowing you to use buyer-seller messaging requests within 5 and 30 days after the purchase. Despite this, asking more than once can lead to penalties.
Amazon also doesn’t approve any manipulative language requests asking for positive reviews or discouraging negative reviews. For example, saying “contact me if you have a problem” is manipulative language based on Amazon’s Terms of Service.
To avoid the most significant problems, here are some tips you can use to encourage positive reviews:
- Thank customers for their purchase using product inserts. A little card saying thank you goes a long way.
- Provide detailed steps on using your product to reduce your defect rate.
- Be responsive to adverse customer service reports. A willingness to assist attitude in all situations will help you out.
- Perform product testing to be sure your product meets quality demands.
- If you are a small seller, avoid selling products with small, mechanical parts that are easily breakable.
As your product gains popularity, you won’t avoid negative customer reviews. But be sure your product is high quality, and your customer service strategy is ready. Doing both will avoid most negative reviews, as customers usually want resolution over complaints.
Step Three: Use High-Quality Images
Using high-quality images is part of the optimization process. Amazon has standard requirements for all photos, which we will list below:
- Must be TFF, JPEG, GIF, or PNG file format.
- Pixel dimension must be 1000 px or higher (width or height).
- Must be in RGB or CMYK color modes.
- File names must include the product identifier (Typically an ASIN).
The primary product image must have a white background (or 255,255,255 in RGB) and a picture of the product by itself. No accessories or additional items can be part of the main image.
Books, movies, and video games must have a primary image of 100% cover art. Most other products must fill in 85% of the image space.
Adult clothing requires a model with the entire product in plain view. Packs should not include models, and children’s clothing is not allowed to have models. Paying attention to how competitors take pictures will give you some ideas.
Ideally, you will have one picture in each of these categories:
- Product image (with the white background).
- Infographic.
- In use photographs.
- Product video .
Be sure not to mislead people by including products you aren’t selling on this listing. Adding a product accessory when it isn’t part of the deal almost always ends badly.
Step Four: Price Your Products Competitively
Looking at this OXO Good Grips Swivel Peeler, you’ll notice a good deal of competitiveness. There are ten sellers, and (almost) all of them are within thirty cents of each other.
A few holdouts are hoping that the other nine sellers will run out of stock, but that’s not likely to happen. Instead, many of these sellers should look at repricing their products.
You’ll (almost) always find that the top sellers in shared listings like this are close on pricing. Part of Amazon’s high customer service priority involves competitive pricing. So the lowest price typically gets the top slot. This top slot, known as the buy box, results in a significant boost in conversion rates.
Amazon buyers rarely look at the other sellers beneath the buy box. It is much more convenient to click the “add to cart” button and move on.
Low order defect rates, good customer reviews, and quick shipping also affect where you are on this list. But keeping your prices just below others and setting up a buy-box tracker is necessary to ensure you remain on top.
Step Five: Use Amazon PPC to Rank Higher for Organic Results
Other blogs you see on Amazon PPC tell you that the sales you get through it have little impact on your ranking. While this is true, the “Yes, but…” situation tells us that having more sales results in more potential for product reviews, good customer experiences, and more exposure.
So despite what you hear, Amazon PPC still impacts organic results. Solid PPC campaigns increase your exposure, hitting the top of keywords. There is even some argument for paying for the top keyword slot even if you appear number one for SEO rankings. Owning the top places of a keyword gives you a solid bit of exposure.
Amazon’s PPC platform will enable you to set a daily budget. Ideally, your daily budget should be about 5% of your total budget, which comes from your earnings.
If you are a new seller, you’ll have to play with this number a bit. Ideally, you’ll want to target keywords that are around $1 per click. This rate ensures a good deal of exposure but not so much of a payout that it destroys your bank account. Always be sure that your advertising budget is below what you earn.
Step Six: Increase Clicks and Reduce Bounce Rate
The optimization process mentioned earlier is an active effort for this section. Increasing your clicks focuses on creating the most engaging title. Meanwhile, reducing bounce rate keeps people on your page for scrolling and additional product details.
To create an engaging title, study what your competitors do to make their titles. Often, there is a standard formula used amongst other title creators that goes something like this:
“Brand” + “Primary Keyword” + “Additional Features People Search For”
Some people like to bury it in the title if you don’t have a recognizable brand. But that might not be great, as a brand owner’s goal should be to get some recognition. However, adding features and product benefits can be a great way to gain exposure as a new product holder. But old brands should avoid doing this, as they are already known for quality.
You should look at how competitors structure their product descriptions to reduce bounce rates. Ask yourself and other people what would keep them looking at your page?
For most prospective buyers, images and infographics providing more information can be helpful. Further examples of how your product is suitable for their needs are necessary. You should address every potential problem your product solves while replying to their reason for not buying their product. The more questions you answer within your product description and bullet points, the higher chance you increase your conversions.
Increasing your clicks and reducing your bounce rate are proven elements of improving SEO on and off Amazon.
Conclusion
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is a bit different on Amazon. Attracting more online shoppers to your store has nothing to do with backlinks technical SEO. Instead, it’s a matter of being the best product on the market and letting people know through the proper optimization and keywords.
Knowing that two aspects of the SEO equations are different on Amazon can be somewhat challenging. But the remaining elements will still require a great idea of research and toil to get right.