9 Amazon SEO tips to step up your online sales

"I have an amazing product...so, how come sales are slow?"

One answer could be: because people can't find it when they type what they're looking for in the Amazon search box.

What can you do?

The solution is to know WHAT your target audiences are typing AND then to use those key phrases throughout your Amazon listing. This is SEO: infusing your product listings with highly-searched keywords.

And when you pair powerful SEO with persuasive copywriting techniques, that, my Amazon FBA Seller friend, is called Amazon listing optimization. Optimizing Amazon product pages will help you get found faster, convert more visitors into actual buyers and get your business rolling into a new successful chapter, based on sustainable growth.

Keyword-targeting is your priority

To win more customers on Amazon you need a good product that people either need or crave for, and a spectacular SEO-optimized listing (product page) that neither your clients nor the mighty Amazon algorithm cannot refuse. If people (1.) find your product (you need SEO for this), they (2.) like your product page - texts, pictures., then they (3.) buy it. Moreover, if you keep your promise, they even (4.) leave 4 or 5-star reviews and so on.

Amazon respects its shoppers. The A9 algorithm is structured to give people what they want when they want it, and that's why you need an Amazon-centric SEO keyword strategy!

1. Let's understand Amazon's algorithm

Amazon’s A9 learns and feeds search results based on multiple factors grouped under 2 major groups: Relevance and Performance. These factors include:

• Search Terms (keywords)

• Range of Selection (color, models, etc.)

• Pricing

• Stock Availability

• Sales History

• Client Reviews

• Clicks volume.

Therefore, do not rely only on SEO. SEO is just a piece of the "Amazon organic ranking" puzzle.

Factors that influence Amazon's ranking (photo source: www.searchenginejournal.com - see * footnote for the exact link)

DID YOU KNOW THAT...

A successful Amazon product listing has between 500 and 1000 reviews? A product with 4.4 stars and 500 reviews is expected to sell better than one with a 4.8 rating and 9 reviews?

Yes, most online shoppers rely on these on-page testimonials when making a purchase. That's why you must find ways to encourage your customers to leave their honest opinions right on your product page. The higher, the better. You could try Amazon’s Reviewer program, product inserts or running automated e-mail services, at least until you gather a few initial reviews.

2. Amazon is NOT Google

You'll probably say: "Duh!, that's your #2 Expert tip?" Hold on! :) As I also detailed in another article on this blog, on Amazon the search is more brand or product-oriented, therefore we're dealing with short-tail key phrases, with up to 3 words.

These are the ones with the highest search volume on Amazon. Think about it: when you're on Amazon, as a buyer, you already know what you're looking for, while on google, you might still be searching for the solution.

That's why, if you sell ergonomic chairs, Amazon will tell you: "Hey, pal, take a look at what your customers are looking for":

Amazon's "Keyword hints" for "Ergonomic chair"

While on Google, for the same keyword, we'll have:

Combined with Amazon's rules, for instance:

Do not include your brand or other brand names in Search Terms.

... your listing's SEO should prioritize keywords like "ergonomic chairs", "ergonomic chair back support" and exclude "ergonomic chair Argos", for instance.

Intrigued? I've explained this in a previous blog post (Top 5 differences between Amazon SEO and Google SEO).

3. Traffic is not everything

Even if a keyword has the potential to get a lot of traffic, this doesn't mean it will sell better. When building your Amazon SEO strategy, stick to the phrases that are relevant to your customers. On the contrary, if people land on your page through a specific "heavy" key phrase, but don't convert, you might get penalized by AMZ's algorithms which only sends buyers on pages that convert for sure for that keyword.

4. Long-tail keyphrases convert better

Why? Because:

📌 They are more specific;

📌 They have a better chance of ranking both for SEO and PPC;

📌 They’re likely to achieve a higher click-through rate by attracting “good” customers who are also more likely to order.

For instance, someone who is searching for “organic anti-wrinkle night cream” has a more powerful intention of buying that product than somebody who searches for “night cream” and targeting this longer and more accurate key phrase would likely result in a conversion.

5. Shorter key phrases convert quicker

Tips 4 and 5 go together because when it comes to Amazon SEO, there's another struggle: short vs. long key phrases. Short ones have the highest search volumes but it's proven that long ones convert faster, so the safest bet is to use them both, in equal proportions.

6. Keyword placement WAS the SEO king on AMZ

Before October 2018, it was wise to plug in the most popular keywords in this order:

#1 Listing master URL  ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

#2 Product Title ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

#3 Features (Bullet Points) ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

#4 Backend Search Terms ⭐ ⭐

#5 Product Description ⭐

I've explained this specific order here, and if you have no idea what #1 is (I've recently found out about it myself), read about it here - however, this is a thing of the past because now the placement of a search term or key phrase no longer plays a role in the organic ranking.

Instead, Amazon algorithm is now updated to rely more on the keyword-specific results generated by a product (sales, conversion rate, click-through rate, etc.) and overall readability which leads to a better online shopping experience. When keyword placement mattered, sellers simply stuffed as many keywords as possible in the title and/or bullets. Now Amazon wants them to create conversion-oriented content that must follow their buyer-centric guidelines.

7. Always use unique texts

I know, you're tempted to copy-paste descriptions and product listings from one platform/website to another, but beware, because you'll become a victim of what experts call "cross-platform content cannibalization".

Amazon, Google, and every other channel love unique content. When it's plagiarized, it will not perform well under their algorithms.

8. Amazon SEO is work in progress

If you thought Amazon SEO ranking is a one time summer night fling, I'm sorry to break it to you that it's actually a long term relationship. It's better to review your product listing's keywords from time to time, after performing a brief competitor analysis on Amazon.

Step 1. For instance, search for 3 of your main keywords and take the first 5 product titles that show up in your ORGANIC results (don't include the sponsored ones) each time.

Step 2. Paste them here: https://wordcounter.com/ ( make sure to pick "no" for the "Include Small Words ("the", "it", etc)?" box. This will give you a fresh perspective of what's your competition up to and which search terms are heavily used by them.

Step 3. Check the estimated volumes of searches on your preferred keyword research tools (such as Merchant Words).

Step 4. Now revise your listing accordingly and check out your statistics to see if anything happens (if it sounds too complicated, keep in mind that we've been doing this for many clients and we can take care of the fiddly Amazon Text Optimization for you, while you relax or focus on something grand).

9. If you're on the run, use Title Builder as a starting point.

We've already tested it and here's how it went. Now before we go, remember to always keep it natural, real, and human. Don't stuff any of your pages or product listings with keywords. Amazon's algorithm and AMZ shoppers are smarter than that. Read the other blog posts here and you'll gain enough knowledge to become your own AMAZON optimizer or hire us to perform full SEO optimization for you. Just don't go crazy on the Violent Keyword Stuffing road.

For a smarter, higher ranking we're here, ready to help!

*https://www.searchenginejournal.com/amazon-search-engine-ranking-algorithm-explained/265173/