Amazon SEO Tips 2022: How to Boost Your Products Listings & Sale on Amazon?

Amazon is an e-Commerce marketplace that was first introduced in 1994. Today, Amazon is one of the largest Internet-based retailers in the world by total sales and market capitalization. In fact, it’s more than an e-commerce store; it’s a brand that consumers are well-versed with and trust. As such, it’s no surprise that many people are turning to Amazon to purchase goods, both physical and digital. With the advancements in technology, Amazon has evolved over the years. Their search algorithm, A9, has become more complex as they work to ensure that shoppers can exactly find what they’re looking for as quickly as possible. This change in search has brought about a focus on optimizing listings on Amazon for search results. That’s the reason why more and more e-commerce brands have started working with expert professional SEO agencies and consultants to drive more customers and sales to their Amazon products.

What is Amazon SEO, and How Is It Different from Google SEO?

As it is known, Amazon SEO is the practice of optimizing a product listing on Amazon so that it ranks for specific keywords and appears higher in Amazon’s search results. Amazon SEO is a complex and constantly changing beast. Both traditional search engine optimization (SEO) and Amazon SEO share some basic characteristics, but with a few key differences. Google and other search engines look for signals that help them determine the quality of a page. Since Amazon is an e-commerce platform, it contains product listings, not web pages. It also has its own distinct ranking system.

To put it simply, Amazon is a dedicated product search engine. That means buyers aren’t searching for the best article or the funniest blog post; they are searching for products to buy. Given this, it’s crucial to keep in mind that optimizing your listings for Amazon SEO isn’t like optimizing your website for Google SEO.

Amazon SEO is not just a one-time process; it’s an ongoing effort to keep your products’ rankings high. Therefore, your SEO agency has to constantly think about how you can improve your products’ rankings to attract more customers and increase sales.

What is the Amazon A9 Algorithm?

Amazon A9 is the name of Amazon’s search engine that powers its search function. Amazon uses the A9 algorithm to rank product listings in its search results and thus determine which products will be shown on each page. This algorithm has been tweaked over the years to match user intent with relevant product listings better, but the core idea has remained the same. The main difference between the A9 algorithm and other search algorithms is that Amazon A9 focuses purely on product searches.

SEO agencies and consultants know that Amazon A9 uses a variety of factors to determine which products appear in search results. It’s revealed from patents that A9 considers product title, product information, sales velocity, pricing, availability, shipping costs, customer reviews, and ratings in determining the ranking of its listings. The weightings of those factors constantly change as Amazon refines the algorithm. The overall goal is to find the best match between a shopper’s search terms and relevant products on its site. It uses a simple history of your buying habits, preferences, and interests to determine what content the user will like. Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg regarding how it works.

Relationship between Amazon’s A9 Algorithm & Customer Search Behavior

When customers look for a product on Amazon, they typically use short, high-intent keywords (known as transactional keywords). These keywords are tightly related to the specific item they’re interested in purchasing. In addition to people searching directly for a product, Amazon’s A9 algorithm also focuses on customer search behaviour, such as what products customers view after landing on a product page or how long they spend browsing a particular category. To deliver more relevant results to your customers, ensure that your SEO consultant pays a great deal of attention to the relevant metrics.

Performance-Specific Factors That Influence Amazon Rankings

When Amazon customers search for products on the Amazon website, they are presented with a list of items that meet their search criteria. The user then makes purchases from this list, which is why it’s so important for sellers to get their products as high up on the first page as possible. The order in which products and listings appear on this list is based on several performance-related factors, such as:

• Product Title and Information – Product information is an essential factor in Amazon SEO because it identifies what the product is.
• Keywords – All products have a keywords field, but not all sellers use it to its full potential.
• Category – Amazon has over 30 major categories and hundreds of subcategories where products are listed. You might want to consider listing your product in more than one category if it fits into several and investing in professional SEO services to optimize your listings.
• Inventory – Having inventory available to ship when an order comes in can also influence your rankings.
• Brand Performance Metrics (ACoS, CPC) – These metrics are based on your advertising performance and impact your Amazon SEO. Advertisers with low ACoS (advertising cost of sale) and strong CPCs (cost per click) tend to outrank advertisers with high ACoS levels and low CPCs because they are less risky for Amazon and more likely to generate sales.
• Product Pricing – Pricing is one of the most decisive factors in consumer purchasing decisions. A competitive price can help you win over customers but positively affect your product ranking in Amazon search results.
• Sales Velocity – It is the number of units sold in a given time frame, including revenue and conversion rate metrics. Amazon uses sales velocity to indicate customer demand for a product and its ranking power.
• Click-Through Rate – How many users click on your product listing from the search results page and purchase your product after clicking on your listing.
• Customer Reviews – Do you have good or bad reviews? The more reviews you have, the better. You can influence your potential Amazon shoppers’ purchase decisions with positive reviews.
• Customer Feedback – This factor is based on user voting of the “This product was helpful/unhelpful” feature under each review. The SEO agency you work with can help you increase the number of helpful votes.
• Freshness – The newer the listing, the better it will rank in the beginning until it ages and accrues historical data.

In addition, Amazon rewards sellers whose products sell well with higher placement in search results. That’s why you should aim to have excellent seller metrics, such as high feedback rating and low order defect rate (ODR). Individual customer complaints can negatively impact your seller rating, even if you showed excellent customer service in resolving the issue.

6 Effective Amazon SEO Tips to Boost Your Products Listings and Sales

Amazon SEO is a vital strategy to help your listings rank well and get more traffic, ultimately leading to more sales. It’s not the same as Google SEO, but it’s equally important. Here are some practical tips that will help you boost your products listings and sales on the Amazon marketplace:

Optimize Your Amazon Listing Title

Make sure you have a clear title that describes the product well and offers relevant information. Your product title is valuable real estate on your Amazon product listing and can be up to 200 characters (including spaces), so use it wisely. Use all the characters and keywords you need to not only optimize fully but also make sure your entire title makes sense. In addition, your listing title should clearly describe what your product is — not just its features but also its size, colour, and other attributes that set it apart from similar products. For example, “Amazon Basics 6 Sheet Cross-Cut Paper Shredder” is more descriptive than “Paper Shredder.”

If you are not familiar with how product listing optimization works, consider hiring a professional SEO agency or an SEO consultant for the job.

Use the Right Keywords

Keywords are words and phrases that customers use to search for products on Amazon. They’re tied to the product’s title and description, as well as categories and tags that you choose for your listings. Also, don’t forget about the backend keywords. You are allowed 250 characters to list your primary and secondary keywords for your product listing. Make sure your hired SEO consultant includes all relevant keywords here that you could not fit in your title. However, at the same time, be careful not to stuff it with too many unnecessary words or characters.

Write Detailed Product Description and Features

It is where you’ll want to put your full description – with even more critical keywords included. You have 2,000 or 4,000 characters, depending on which category your product falls into. In addition, you can see little plus signs at the bottom of the page where you can list more features about your product. Again, make sure you use as many relevant keywords as possible so your listing can get found by customers searching for products like yours. Remember, if customers aren’t finding your listing as quickly as they would like, they won’t convert as often, and it will hurt your conversion rate and rankings in return.

Include Detailed Bullet Points for Each Product

These bullet points are another great opportunity for extra exposure if used correctly. Make sure every bullet point includes a keyword and do not repeat any single keyword more than three times total (remember, we don’t want our listing to look like spam). You could even throw in some extra information here, such as how the product is used or the general benefits.

Focus on Amazon Reviews

The average star rating of a product has a significant impact on its ranking. For example, a one-star increase in rating can boost your Amazon ranking by five to seven times. That means that it’s critical for your SEO agency to implement a robust Amazon review strategy and encourage customers to leave feedback about their products.

Always Use High-Quality Images

You should use eye-catching and relevant images for your products. You can host multiple images of your products, but always use the highest resolution image as your main product image. It’s common practice to include a white background behind your product, so it stands out better. Image zoom capabilities are also essential to include so that people can see more detail about the product they are interested in purchasing. No one wants to spend money on and purchase an item they can’t see clearly in the pictures! That’s why you should consider letting professional SEO consultants take care of it.

Are you looking for a specialized SEO agency in Manchester or London to boost your product’s visibility and increase sales on Amazon? If so, get in touch with us today!