Though it started as an online bookseller in the late 90’s, Amazon has become a dominant force in global retail. From its revolutionary drop shipping services to its acquisition of Whole Foods along with recent pivots into conversational AI and physical storefronts, Amazon is ubiquitous. In the US, Amazon alone accounted for roughly 44% of eCommerce traffic in 2017, a number that’s only expected to rise. For anyone looking to sell their products online, it’s becoming increasingly vital to sell through Amazon.
Yet, there are millions of Amazon sellers, and each specializes in competitive eCommerce markets. Everything from health and beauty to electronics, home goods, and apparel can be found on the platform. In crowded marketplaces, how can you thrive, let alone get noticed by customers overwhelmed with choices? By applying forward-looking SEO and optimization strategies tailored to Amazon’s algorithm, you can get an edge over the competition. Let’s take a look at some SEO strategies for Amazon products and stores, along with other factors to consider.
About A9
Amazon has stepped into the internet search market by offering A9, its own search engine. A9 also displays Google Adwords advertisements with the profit being split between Amazon and Google.
A9’s focus on product research and advertising has made it one of the primary product search engines for e-commerce websites, including Amazon. Visual search, one of their more recent developments, allows mobile users to search for items by pictures. It also identifies similar products within the Amazon Marketplace.
With Amazon becoming a bigger player in the market of product search and development, it is increasingly important to consider including SEO for Amazon products in your own marketplace.
Amazon’s Market Share of Product Search
As one of the biggest eCommerce websites today, Amazon is the perfect platform to perform product research. With thousands of sellers competing daily for business, using Amazon as a way to determine the demands of prospective customers is most certainly an intelligent move for any online store.
Apps like Jungle Scout will perform product research for you and remove the more repetitive tasks of checking prices, weights, etc. However, to truly utilize the Amazon Marketplace in a way that will benefit your own store, you should immerse yourself in the world of customer reviews and product descriptions. Determine what is working for popular sellers and what issues customers are having. Develop an Amazon SEO strategy that mimics and builds on successes you see within the already thriving market.
How to Optimize Amazon Listings & Stores
SEO strategies for Amazon products and listings are similar to search engine optimizing a website. These are some key factors to remember when creating an Amazon listing to ensure that it is buyer friendly and optimized for the Amazon product search engine.
- Use Character Real Estate – Amazon has character limitations for every section of a product listing. Utilize as much of the character counts as possible while remembering to insert targeted keywords and give accurate, useful information to potential buyers.
- Images Matter – Amazon allows up to 9 images to be added to every listing. Use all 9 to show your product from different angles, in its packaging, and even during use. People are visual creatures and online shopping is no exception.
- Pay Attention to Reviews – When a potential buyer is browsing your products, they will see your reviews as well. It is important to recognize any patterns in bad reviews and make sure to resolve them. Reviews can make or break you. You should be focused on providing every customer with a positive experience.
How to Generate Reviews
It’s all about customer service. On Amazon, a customer’s experience is posted openly for everyone to see when they leave a review after a purchase. Because of this, you must make the effort to engage with your customers throughout their buying process. Keeping communication open is the best way to leave a lasting impression with customers that will generate positive reviews.
While reviews may not seem like an important part of SEO for your Amazon products and listings, they are the foundation of creating a thriving store. Buyers trust other buyers and positive reviews will encourage them to trust you.
How to Improve Amazon Listing Rankings
There are several ways to improve your Amazon listing rankings, some that can be implemented from the start of your store and others that will require time and relationship building with Amazon buyers. SEO for Amazon product listings is broken into a few parts:
- Price & Selling Rates – If the product you are listing is considered one of Amazon’s best-selling products, it will be automatically rank more highly than less-frequently bought products. Also, the best way to encourage sales of your specific products is to make sure that your prices are competitive.
- Complete Listing – Product listings that have a wealth of the information and utilize great image are ranked higher in product search. These are products buyers are more likely to buy; therefore, Amazon’s algorithms will recommend them first.
- Seller Credibility – The more traffic and positive reviews your products and store receive, the better. Amazon recognizes when buyers spend more time on a particular seller’s products and factors that into search rankings.
Don’t Miss An Opportunity
Your own company website and eCommerce via that channel should never take a back seat to Amazon Marketplace listings. However, it is important to know the added benefit of using marketplaces such as Amazon and Walmart as another avenue for selling your products online. Similarly, it is beneficial to understand the inner workings of SEO for Amazon products and listings to ensure that you are making the most of every selling opportunity you have.
