Amazon SEO: Rank Higher, Sell More Products

Amazon is a money-making platform that salespeople cannot overlook, the level of competition now is off the charts. Entrepreneurs need to go the extra mile and hope they remain ahead of their competitors by employing the best possible Amazon product SEO strategies.

This blog explores some of the most effective Amazon SEO strategies that can help you rank your products in search results and drive more sales.

Understanding Amazon’s A9 Algorithm

A9 is Amazon’s algorithm. Amazon uses this algorithm to search and rank products in its search results. This algorithm provides customers with the best and most relevant product results. It’s also important to remember that Amazon’s A9 algorithm displays product results that are more likely to be purchased. This algorithm works by considering two factors: performance and relevance. Performance indicates how well your products sell. Relevance means how relevant a product is to the user looking for that product based on how their search query matches with keywords you have used in product titles and descriptions. 

Amazon SEO Strategy: How to Optimise a Product Listing

Quality and relevancy are the secret components to success on the platform. Creating the finest possible product listing on your website is the best approach to get things started.

Increased click-through rates (the number of individuals that click on your listings) and conversion rates arise from an optimised product listing (the number of people who purchase your products). To do so, you’ll need to be able to write excellent sales writing, shoot high-quality product photographs, and run a fantastic PPC campaign.

1. Keyword Research and Amazon SEO Analysis

Keyword research for Amazon SEO is pretty similar to traditional SEO. A thorough keyword research will help you identify the best keywords you can use in your product titles and descriptions. Ideally, you should go for one primary long-tail keyword and one secondary keyword for all your product listings. Long-tail keywords are very specific search queries that your potential customers would use to search for a particular product. They have less competition and you can easily rank your products for them. 

Short-tail keywords are broad in terms of search intent with a high search volume and competition. They might give your products better visibility but are often hard to rank for. That’s why you should always use a mix of short-tail and long-tail keywords for better results.

Housing Amazon’s auto-complete feature is one of the best ways to identify which keywords to target for your product listings. Once you start typing a particular term in the Amazon search box, it will suggest some related and relevant phrases. This is similar to Google’s search recommendation system or auto-complete feature. Once you’ve typed the term in the Amazon search box, look for suggestions in the drop-down menu. Compile a comprehensive list of relevant keywords or phrases that could be valuable for your product listings.

You can also scan your competitors’ product listings to find words and phrases that might help you enhance your product title and descriptions. Lastly, you can use Amazon keyword research tools to get insights into target keywords. You can access up-to-date data on the latest trends in product demand, customer search behaviour and patterns, and profitable niches. 

2. Writing a Killer Amazon Sales Copy

Customers despise sales language, therefore sales copy on other platforms may be ineffectual for consumption. It’s a different tale in the Amazon Marketplace. Your target audience is eager to buy things right now, so a well-written sales copy can set you apart from the competition.

The following critical elements should typically be included in an optimal sales copy:

1. Product Title:

As the first piece of text, your customers will read on your product listing, the product title should be straightforward and contain the most crucial information about your item. Amazon Seller Central uploaded style guides to help sellers structure their titles better, and a well-crafted title normally provides the product’s unique characteristics and benefits.

While product titles highly depend on what type of product is being sold, entrepreneurs generally include the following details:

• Brand 
• Model type and number 
• Product type
• Size and quantity
• Power output requirements 
• Colour 
• Design
• Trademarks or patents (if necessary) 

It’s important to note that each product type has a corresponding Amazon title formula, so you cannot randomly mix these details on your title. For instance, Amazon suggests the following templates for these popular product types:

• Kitchenware: Brand + Model Name + Model Number + Size + Product Type
• TV Sets: Brand + Model Name + Product Type + Colour
• DVD Players: Brand + Model Name + Size + Product Type + Screen Type
• Jewellery: Brand + Product Category + Sex + Metal Variation + Shape + Material + Product Type
• Video Games: Brand + Product Type + Type of Platform

By optimising your product title, you will immediately catch your customer’s attention and increase your business’s likelihood of producing sales.

2. Product Description 

Since Amazon is an entirely online platform, the only way that entrepreneurs can make a sales pitch to customers is through a clear product description. Think of it as an opportunity to persuade the customers with the right words in time for their purchasing decision. Below are some of our Amazon SEO tips on how you can optimise this part of your product listing:

• Do not rewrite. A well-crafted product description does not merely mimic what was written in the product title, but expands on its details and makes the benefits a focal point of the text. 
• Tell a story. If you want to take it to another level, feel free to tell a story of how exactly the products came into existence. It is a real-life testimonial about the product that presents a unique viewpoint on why people need it in the first place.  
• Make it readable. Customers on Amazon typically hate reading large chunks of text, so you have to make your product description as concise as possible. We recommend maintaining three lines for each paragraph and separating them using the line break HTML code.
• Utilize Amazon SEO tools. The product description tab has a set of tools to choose from, including the ability to put bullet points, lists, and bold/italicize/underline texts. Take advantage of these tools to make your descriptions stand out.

Product descriptions provide an avenue for you to talk to your target audience. Why not make the most out of them?

3. Bullet points

Bullet points are yet another way to make a compelling case to your target audience that they should purchase your product. As a matter of fact, most Amazon customers prefer reading concise bullet points over lengthy descriptions. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that they contribute positively to a business’ increase in conversion rates. 

We have compiled a summarized list of what you can do to write bullet points that convert:

• Outline. It’s your job as an entrepreneur to make sure bullet points are written differently from your title and description. Instead of being straightforward or telling a story, make a clear outline of the product’s best attributes.
• Focus on one benefit per bullet point. An excellent way to entice your audience is to write an individual advantage per bullet. For example, instead of writing “Easy to use, high-quality” in one bullet, you can separate them into two for better readability.
• Be aware of the limits. Amazon product listings have a limit of 200 characters per bullet point, so make sure your highlights are compact but still loaded with important information.

Every time a product listing has a formally structured and compelling set of bullet points; it will always have the upper hand over other listings on the platform.

3. Using Backend Keywords

With Amazon, you can add two types of keywords to your product listings. These are front-end and back-end keywords. 

1. Front-end keywords

The keywords you add throughout your product listings, including product titles and descriptions, are known as front-end keywords. These keywords are visible to your potential customers.

2. Back-end keywords 

Amazon enables you to add back-end keywords in the ‘Keywords’ tab of your product listings. You can find this feature in Amazon Seller Central. Though these keywords aren’t visible to buyers, Amazon still considers them when they rank your products in search results. Adding back-end keywords can help Amazon match products with a user’s search query based on relevance. This way you don’t have to fit all the relevant keywords into your product titles and descriptions.

Here are some points you should consider while filling out back-end keywords or search terms in Amazon Seller Central:

• You can fill out five fields with back-end keywords, with each field or line having a character limit of 50. If you exceed this character limit, Amazon will not index your back-end keyword. 
• Make sure you don’t repeat any words.
• You can ignore the commas.
• You should also avoid quotation marks as they’ll take up character space. 
• Make sure you add synonyms, spelling variations, abbreviations, or terms commonly used in your niche.

4. Taking High-Quality Product Photos

High-quality product photos are valuable visual information that Amazon entrepreneurs can provide for their customers since people are naturally drawn to visual imagery more than other types of content. Despite this seemingly obvious fact, a vast majority of sellers on the platform still fail to realise just how vital product photography is in achieving favourable results. 

Good product photography doesn’t only mean taking photos of your Amazon items. It utilises specific techniques to showcase your products and make a statement to your audience. 

To achieve this, you need to follow these essential tips:

1. Take high-resolution images and find the right lighting

Before you start taking your product photos, consider investing in a high-resolution camera for optimal image quality. Your most crucial goal with product photography is to ensure each product will be displayed in its best visual condition. Avoid taking blurry or low-quality photos, or you might end up losing customers. 

Another important factor is adequate lighting on your product. Most high-quality photos either have a natural light backdrop (with generally soft tones) or artificial lighting, with reflectors and lightboxes. While the appropriate lighting depends on what products you have, your end goal should always be to make your products look better for your audience.

2. Use a white background

Most product photos on the Amazon platform are taken with a white background for a self-explanatory reason. It eliminates all possible distractions and allows the camera to zero in on the product completely. A white background can also give your product listing added professionalism, which is beneficial since Amazon customers prefer visually credible photos as their primary option.

However, it is also important to note that not all products look well with a white background. As stated in the previous section, some items are more aesthetically pleasing with a naturally lit backdrop. Experiment with your product photos and change your environment until you get the best outcome.

3. Take photos from multiple angles

As an Amazon entrepreneur, it is your responsibility to take your customers by hand and give them a visual tour of your product. Think of yourself as a museum tour guide. Since your audience will not be able to physically see or touch the product, an alternative trick to convince them is by taking photos from multiple angles.

These photos should showcase a combination of your product’s exterior and interior look. For instance, if you’re selling sports apparel on the Amazon Marketplace, try taking photos of your products from afar, up close (to display the material used), and when worn. 

The most successful Amazon entrepreneurs understand that product photography is essential to mastering how to do SEO for Amazon products. While there are multiple ways to take product photos properly, an excellent way to start optimising your listing is to take a high-quality resolution.

4. Switch to A+ Content

You can bring your products to life with A+ Content, in addition to using high-quality images. It’s an advanced feature on Amazon that allows you to enrich your product descriptions with text, images, videos, infographics, and more. You can even add charts and tables with product comparisons to your product detail pages. A+ Content can help you increase sales and is free for your brand if you’ve enrolled in the Amazon Brand Registry. 

5. Set Competitive Prices for Your Products

Most sellers ignore this aspect but your product’s price is another most important performance-based ranking factor in Amazon SEO. Why? Because most customers are price-conscious. The idea behind setting competitive prices is simple – it will directly impact your conversion rates. If the price of your product is too high, your potential customer might buy it from another seller. If your product isn’t selling very well, it’ll appear less frequently in Amazon search results, further impacting your sales. Studying what your competitors charge for similar products on Amazon is essential to help you set realistic and competitive prices. 

Here are some points you should remember:

1. Offer your products for lower prices in the beginning

If you’re just starting out or you’re introducing a new product, you can offer it at lower prices to jumpstart sales. Keeping prices comparatively low is known as a penetrative amazon pricing strategy. However, you should use this pricing strategy in the short term because it can lead to pricing wars with your competitors and inflated profit margins. You can modify product prices once you’ve gained a significant number of customer reviews and ratings. 

2. Offer discounts

Amazon enables you to offer discounts to your customers via coupons. The discount offer will be displayed right under the product price in the search results, increasing both click-through and conversion rates.

3. Let Amazon automatically update product prices

Amazon allows you to set up automated pricing rules. It means once you’ve set these rules, Amazon will automatically update your product prices based on certain events. For example, when your competitors change the price of their product. This not only eliminates the need for changing prices manually but also ensures optimal and competitive pricing strategy.

6. Customer Reviews and Ratings

Almost 85% of your customers would trust online reviews as much as they would trust personal recommendations. Amazon knows people rely on reviews to make informed buying decisions, making reviews another performance-based ranking factor. There is a direct correlation between products with more reviews and Amazon’s search results. Products for a generally broader category with higher and more reviews rank at the top of search results as compared to the ones with lower reviews. 

Positive customer ratings and reviews will impact your products’ rankings, click-through rates, and conversions, which in turn, will have an overall impact on your brand. In recent years, Amazon has cracked down on fake reviews to ensure that sellers don’t try to cheat the algorithm and maintain integrity. 

If you want more customers to leave positive reviews, make sure you follow up with an email after they have bought the product. In case you have a lot of negative reviews or feedback, make sure you address what people are complaining about, whether it’s about your product quality, high prices, customer service, etc.

A Final Word

While there is no magic trick to formulate the perfect Amazon SEO strategy, taking the time to learn the SEO process’s foundational concepts is already a significant step toward your eCommerce success. We know this SEO masterclass won’t make you an instant Amazon SEO expert overnight, but we hope it can arm you with the knowledge you need to get on the right track.