Amazon SEO: Everything you need to know

 

Whenever a digital marketing expert or enthusiast thinks about SEO, they generally think of Google Search. Yes, it is essential to get a ranking on search engines to acquire new clients and prospects and enhance its visibility.

 

Nevertheless, your website is not the only place across the internet to sell your products or services. Having a product display on an eCommerce giant such as Amazon ultimately makes it visible to several potential customers from across the world. Moreover, making your product visible on Amazon is the same as showcasing it on (SERP) Search Engine Results Page for the industry’s keywords. If you fail to incorporate Amazon SEO, it will yield similar results to regular SEO, meaning there will be fewer sales and less traffic.

 

Integrating Amazon SEO would require a better understanding of the search algorithm of the eCommerce platform. Yes, both Bing and Google are indeed poles apart from Amazon SEO. To cut a long story short, there are certain ranking factors or singles with conventional SEO. Some experts suggest that 200 elements of SEO are a great way to gain visibility.

 

If you think that this makes getting ranking in Amazon easy, you’d be very disappointed. Making the most of Amazon SEO is not simple; however, if you’ll be required to analyze Amazon SEO from the vantage point of web SEO, it would be hard. The only thing that sets Amazon SEO apart from the conventional one is that Amazon is a buying and selling platform.

 

A brief introduction to Search Algorithm on Amazon

 

The search algorithm by Amazon is regarded as A9 as there is a company with a similar name that handles SEO. By the looks of it, the company A9 is one of the subsidiaries of Amazon. According to Amazon, they manage search alongside advertising technologies, which are highly available, scalable, and cross-platform the parent company, Amazon, and many other clients.

 

Amazon is the world’s most fantastic eCommerce brand that only cares about one thing, i.e., selling products efficiently. Amazon is an excellent platform for any business seller to put a product before the eyes of millions of customers globally.

 

How does A9 work?

 

Amazon features millions of products in its ecosystem that buyers can opt for. To buy one product, buyers generally perform hundreds of millions of searches on Amazon each month. For each search query, Amazon has to determine in just a few milliseconds which one from millions of products will showcase first or second, or third in the list.

 

So far, this is where people search for factors that Amazon considers to overcome a complex challenge.

 

People do make several kinds of Searches on the leading search engine, Google. Among those searches, many are informational searchers; however, with Amazon, each search is nothing but transactional. The algorithm in Amazon does come down to two things:

 

 

  • Performance
  • Relevance

 

Amazon recommends sellers optimize their product page for relevance and performance. Optimizing a product page is crucial for ranking as this leads to conversion and selling products from the platform. Further, understanding and relevance can be segregated into sub-categories, which will be detailed below.

 

What influences A9’s Search Rankings?

 

The essential factors that A9 search rankings depend on are generally classified into two distinctive groups:

 

  1. Explicit

 

 

  • Stock Supply: When a product becomes out of stock, it leads to a massive drawback. There is a highly likely chance that the listing would be pushed down the ranking or disappear entirely.
  • Price: A massive price difference compared to the competitor will also place you and your business on Amazon in a tranquil state.
  • Text Relevance: Perfectly optimizing the product listing with appropriate description and title.

 

  1. Inexplicit

 

Sale Velocity: When a business sells more products on Amazon, it increases its chance to become better at rankings and become successful on Amazon.

 

Ranking of Products as per Purchase

 

Three parties are indispensable on Amazon: A seller, a buyer, and the platform itself. Usually, shoppers visit Amazon for a single reason, to buy things. It is the intent of the searchers that represents a crucial contrast to Google’s mechanics.

 

For instance, if users type on an iPhone and make a Google search, even Google is perplexed about what it should show to users. There is always a chance that users might be eyeing to buy an iPhone or inquire about its price. Additionally, Google also suggests an image that the potential buyer could look at before purchasing the smartphone.

 

Amazon briefly focuses on a single intent that is to buy the product. On the other hand, sellers also use the platform for only a single reason to be able to sell. Then comes Amazon, whose only desire is to generate revenue from the forum. Additionally, Amazon would be able to make money only if a sale occurs. According to statistics, Amazon does receive 15% of the total commission from the seller every time a purchase is made. Amazon also collects a margin from the vendor every time there is a sale.

 

All the parties do share a ubiquitous goal: all they desire is to make a transaction. The purpose of the eCommerce giant is to increase the overall transactions on the platform. To achieve this, Amazon strategically places products that the shoppers are very much likely to purchase products ranking #1, #2, and so on. In simple words, the eCommerce giant must rank all of the products to be bought by likelihood.

 

Performances and Keywords determine rankings & purchase likelihood

 

Amazon ranks products by the likelihood of the purchase. However, the real question remains, how Amazon determines the purchase likelihood?

 

According to users, purchasing something on Amazon only takes a few seconds. But, there are several things which occur behind the scene. Moreover, decoding the purchase likelihood is quite complicated. Hence, Amazon would have to determine the real purchase likelihood for all products. It would also include the combination of search query and product.

 

For tackling up the challenge and the ranking of the products, Amazon comprises a sturdy two-step process.

 

1st Step: Keywords generally determine the product ranking on Amazon

 

In this step, Amazon usually filters out all of the products that aren’t relevant to the customers’ search query – that is, by taking a look at keywords. If a product doesn’t contain keywords related to the search query, it will not appear in search results. Users must add the relevant keywords directly on the product page to empower keyword optimization. The step is undoubtedly essential as it reduces the total number of products that the platform needs to sort out by the purchase likelihood.

 

2nd Step: In Amazon, performance depicts how the product gets ranked in the ecosystem

 

The second step allows Amazon to depict the purchase likelihood for all products. Moreover, this is how products are generally ranked in Amazon in a specific order. To arrange products in a specified order, Amazon oversees the performance of said products.

 

Amazon measures the product’s performance through click-through-rate or CTR in the search results, conversion rate or CR on product pages, & sales. These are Key Performance Indicators in Amazon’s ecosystem, which further represents the steps users require to purchase a product.

 

Amazon’s algorithm oversees these designated KPIs on the typical keyword-specific level, such as Windows Laptop. For instance, the keyword Windows Laptop features distinctive CTRs, sales, and CRs for keywords such as Laptop, Intel, Windows, and Microsoft. Additionally, this also suggests that the better is the CTR, CR, and sales for specific keywords, the higher your product will rank for the keyword.

 

If you want to increase the CTR, CR, sales, and at the same time improve the rankings, you’ll have to use different types of levers like a copy, product images, Amazon PPC, review management, and copy. The key is to optimize and enhance the product listing.

 

An insight on Amazon SEO

 

The ultimate goal of sellers is to optimize product listing on the platform. Sellers must comprehend the crucial ranking factors for the A9 algorithm. As you already have a great understanding of the product’s compartmentalization and the URL definition, you could further explore how optimization could be done.

 

Learning A-to-Z about ON-page SEO on Amazon won’t be enough. There is a dire need to learn different factors that are important for displaying products among top results—Amazon as a leader in the eCommerce business, desires to provide a robust and satisfying experience for the customers. Keeping users happy ultimately ensures that users will head back to Amazon to buy more products.

 

Two essential components could optimize your products and enhance ranking:

 

 

  1. Desirability
  2. Discoverability

 

Let’s explore them holistically!

 

  1. Desirability:

 

Users and the experience of the users come under Desirability. By the looks of it, this factor entirely depends on how users are converted when they’re on Amazon’s product page.

 

Most likely, they comprise of the on-page factors, such as:

 

 

  • Put breathtaking images of products
  • Update an optimized title of products
  • Put forward competitive for products
  • Provide better product ratings and reviews
  • Describe the product’s USPs in bullet point, which should be more apparent than crystal
  • Attractive title for products that would favor in increase CTRs
  • Convey the message of products, making them different from others

 

  1. Discoverability:

 

When this component is directly contrasted with Desirability, the factor doesn’t seem to aim towards users. Instead, these components primarily address specific indicators that assess how products are put on display and purchase probability.

 

The world’s massive eCommerce platform knows how to showcase the most profitable product while keeping the conversion rate massive. Discoverability includes factors such as:

 

 

  • Price
  • Shipping Cost
  • Fulfillment Method
  • Keyword optimization via research on Amazon
  • Stock Availability

 

Amazon SEO strategy and Marketing Flywheel

 

After potential buyers and users find their desired products and think those products to be relevant, they’ll immediately click on the products to buy them. You’re already aware that the more people buy products, the better the A9 algorithm will rank. In turn, after your product reaches the desired placement, you can pour more resources into your products for driving sales.

 

According to SEO specialists, the process & strategy could quickly form a complete self-perpetuating flywheel, which is placed between marketing initiatives, sales, and rankings. These initiatives are proof enough to improve sales.

 

Improving Product Rankings with Amazon SEO

 

You could find considerable tricks and tips which would suggest how to use Amazon A9 graciously.

 

Step 1: Product Title

 

Making products visible is also extremely important for their rankings. Incorporating relevant information in the products’ name and title.

 

As per Amazon’s guidelines, a product’s title much incorporates the following:

 

 

  • Product
  • Brand
  • Quantity
  • Material
  • Color

 

Amazon is just like a search engine; hence keyword optimization is crucial. If you do not care about keywords and their optimization, your product will never become a best seller on the platform.

 

Step 2: Keyword Research for Product Keywords

 

One must select the optimum keywords for products that are on Amazon to be sold. You can take inspiration from the top-selling products on the platform. Analyze them properly and then extract the keywords.

 

Ensure that you pick 5-6 top products that are appropriately ranked and have maximum credible reviews. Given that the process is incredibly time-consuming, however, the end-results are great.

 

Step 3: Pricing products on Amazon

 

While setting up a price for any product is essential to check the market and competitors with similar effects. If the price gaps are significant, you’ll not be able to garner much attention. Here, aggressive prices will change the game entirely. The idea is to either match up with your competition or beat them. Lowering the costs by keeping the profit could take you to places.

 

Step 4: Product Images

 

Ever heard of the proverb, ‘picture unveils a thousand words’? By the looks of it, this is concrete even with Amazon. The idea is to attract prospects and potential shoppers to the Amazon marketplace. It is essential for you not to underrate the images’ strength in the world driven by aesthetics. It is the picture of the products which drive sales. Although aesthetically beautiful views do not affect Amazon SEO; however, they break the overall bounce rates.

 

Step 5: Product Description

 

On Amazon, product description also persuades customers to make a purchase. So, highlighting the essential and positive side of products is very important. The product description is the other side of the coin as it has great relevance. Even if product description doesn’t comprise a vital ranking factor as bullet points and titles, intriguing users need to make a purchase.

 

Step 6: Bullet Points in Products

 

Amazon offers a significant amount of space for writing for the product. There are a lot of options which you can play. People do not prefer product descriptions that are big and have actual informational content. With bullet points, you can provide information briefly in a transparent manner. Always write a product description that is short, crisp, and intriguing.

 

Step 7: Availability of products

 

As a seller or a growing business, it is essential to ensure that products are always in stock. If your products go out of stock frequently or for a long time, they might lose their hard-earned ranking.

 

Step 8: Backend Search Keywords

 

There are many terms on Amazon which are hidden to shoppers. The A9 algorithm doesn’t index these terms on Amazon. Hence, these keywords can be utilized to procure a positive impact when a product is searched. Remember, repeating keywords won’t enhance ranking.

 

Step 9: Product Ratings and Reviews

 

Ratings and Reviews on Amazon should be evaluated. They are very much crucial for improved rankings. It is the ratings and reviews which influence CTR and thus conversions.

 

Step 10: Product’s Fulfilment by Amazon

 

Initially, using a Professional Seller’s Account might look a little hefty. But in the long run, it is entirely worth it.

 

Final Words on Amazon SEO

 

Optimizing products with Amazon SEO will increase the discoverability and Desirability of the product by 80%. Moreover, this is a never-ending process, so keeping up with algorithm updates, trends, and advanced optimization will make your product rank among the platform’s top results.

l