The Ultimate Guide on Amazon SEO for 2019
Amazon SEO - or search engine optimization - is a straightforward path to success for every seller. Our detailed manual for 2019 SEO will keep you up to date with the latest tips, which will empower your products to get to the top of search results on Amazon.
This article is going to answer the following questions:
- What’s SEO on Amazon? Why is it important?
- What is product rank and how to improve it?
- How to optimize listings to make them perfect for SEO activities on Amazon?
So, What’s SEO on Amazon? Why Is It Important?
You already know that SEO is search engine optimization, this means that people who search for a product like yours can find it faster. This means working on the quantity and quality of your traffic to increase your brand visibility in the search engines. This works not only on Amazon but in every search engine - Google, Baidu, etc.
Some sellers are so used to Google search optimization that they hardly imagine how that works on Amazon - a marketplace! Actually, there’s nothing strange, since shoppers are constantly looking for something using the search bar.
In fact, Amazon’s search algorithm is even stronger. According to experts, it performs by 8% better than Google’s one, when it comes to looking for a specific product. That’s why every FBA seller should dive deeper into Amazon SEO, as it affects the overall sales!
So, keep in mind that:
- Amazon is a ‘shopping’ search engine.
- It increases your brand visibility!
What Is Product Rank and How to Improve It?
Amazon keeps their A9 algorithm in secret, which gives them an opportunity to be the first on the market. Still, this makes us guessing how products ranks are generated. Still, thanks to the vast experience of working with Amazon, our team has a couple of good ideas about ranks.
Here are its elements:
Sales velocity
Your sales velocity can be calculated using a simple formula: multiply the amount of page impressions by the average sale, and by conversion rate, and then it all is divided by the cycle of sales length.
Here is an example.
- You get 5 000 impressions monthly.
- Your average sale equals $30.
- You have an 8% conversion rate.
- The cycle lasts for 30 days.
Let’s calculate: ((5000x30)x0.08/30 = 400 >>> So, $400 is your sales velocity!
As long as Amazon wants to make money too, they rank products with a higher sales velocity.
Relevance of Keywords
A9 knows what your product is thanks to keywords.
You might remember that when setting up a listing, sellers specify plenty of information:
- Title.
- Description.
- Images.
- Bullet points.
- Keywords and categories.
So, Amazon uses all this data to determine what your product is.
These Two Working Together on Amazon
So, after providing the marketplace with the necessary data, you tell it: “Amazon, here what my product is!” Next, customers click on the product page, look through the description and decide whether they’ve been searching for this specific item. If they buy it, they tell Amazon: “That’s exactly what I was searching for!”
This is where sales velocity and keywords meet in the system of Amazon A9 algorithm.
Imagine that you need to find a new pair of shoes. Go to the search bar and type ‘women’s shoes’, which means that I want to find shoes for women. Amazon shows me the search results which are pretended to be female shoes. If I click on a pair and make a purchase, Amazon understands that these search results were relevant and can be ranked higher. If I scroll further, Amazon understands that there are no relevant options for me. That’s how it works!
How to Optimize Listings for SEO Activities on Amazon
Relevancy is key for success on Amazon. Keep this in mind while creating a listing.
First, let’s look at the product listing structure… This is the basics without which you won’t be able to optimize it.
Amazon’s designers used data on user experience to define the best placements for specific listing elements. Everything is based on the habits of the majority of web users. Interestingly, the most popular pattern for reading a webpage is F-shaped.
Visitors start scanning a page from the top left corner. So, Amazon places product photos there. Next, the title goes, and the price is placed not far away. On the right, they have placed the Buy Box.
If a visitor can’t make a decision with this information, he/she scrolls down to make another horizontal scanning of the page contents. Amazon has bullet points, delivery options and variations of a product there.
The last scanning movement is vertical. This is where the description is placed, for a user to find more detailed information which could convince them to make a purchase. Also, reviews, q&a, competitors’ products, and promos are located there.
Crucial Elements of Amazon Listing
Once you know this common pattern, let’s decide which elements are necessary to improve:
- Images and photos. Amazon can be called a visual website, customers pay attention to photos first, so let them see what they are looking for.
- Title. This is the next thing shoppers see while visiting your listing. Include all the important information to the title, which will let a customer know that your product is relevant.
- Badges: ‘Amazon’s Choice’ or ‘Best Seller’. No comments are necessary. :)
- Rating. There is an overall rating under the product photo. So, if you have 5 stars, shoppers will be disposed to purchase.
- The price, guarantee and Prime badge. No need to say that a pleasant price together with Prime opportunities and guarantees will tell people: “Buy me now, this is the right choice!”
- The Buy Box. It is another beneficial feature allowing customers to instantly buy the best seller’s product.
- Variations. Different colors and other options will be displayed under the title and the price.
- Badge ‘In Stock’. No one wants to order a product and later, find out that it is out of stock, especially if a customer has been searching for this specific product for a long time.
- Bullet points. The most important details about your product should be specified here. They will help customers to make their final decision.
What else can be also enhanced?
- Those who bought this product also bought… Amazon gives shoppers various options to drive sales, if one has not decided to buy a product from the listing he/she visited.
- Sponsored products. This section is similar to the above-mentioned one, but for promoted items.
- Promos and special offers. Listings might offer discounted items to finally convert visitors who have not purchased anything from the sections above.
- Long description. If nothing convinced a visitor to buy, this is the last option for doing that.
- Reviews. They can also change customers’ minds regarding buying or not buying products.
How to Optimize FBA Listing on Amazon
Use these simple tips to make your listing optimized so that people could make a purchase faster, and Amazon rated your products higher:
Use Relevant Photos
The main image means everything on Amazon. It determines the first impression of a random customer who visits your listing. So, it has to be of the highest quality. The main photo should be clear and eye-catching.
Create Catchy Titles
It has to be unusual and to convey the sense of your product at the same time. Here is a formula for those who don’t know what to start with:
Brand name + product type + its features + size and quantity + specific use
The title is limited, you have only a specific number of characters, so try to mention everything very briefly!
Ratings and reviews
If a product has 3 stars or less, the chances for success won’t be high. To avoid such a tragedy, ensure that:
- Your item is relevant to what you describe in your listing.
- Follow-up with your customers to find out whether they are satisfied with your product and service. By the way, Seller Nexus is a great helper - your follow-ups will be sent automatically, so you’ll be able to discover clients’ impressions.
Democratic Prices
It’s fair for any marketplace in the world - no matter whether it is online or offline. People choose the most reasonable pricing offered on the market.
Keep it simple: don’t set crazy prices and don’t give away your products for pennies. Research your competitors’ prices, and test what works better.
Prime Benefits
Customers love fast shipping. If shoppers have found something awesome, they want to get it right away! This is the reason for 61% of Amazon users to become Prime members. All products are shipped in a couple of days!
This is another proof that the Prime badge is a great deal for many Amazon sellers. It increases conversions!
Note that FBA sellers who use fulfillment by Amazon, are automatically qualifying as Prime sellers.
Use the Buy Box
Amazon’s reality is that you can lose the Buy Box even if only YOU sell your product. For keeping your Buy Box, explore Amazon’s rules and follow them carefully.
Still, if due to hijackers and for some other reason, you have lost the Buy Box, it’s more than possible to return it. Improve the quality of your products and services, get positive reviews, grow your ratings and the Buy Box will come back.
Offer Variations
The saddest thing is when you offer products in white, red, green, yellow and blue colors, but a shopper wants a black one! This is how variants can help grow conversions. Offer all of them in one product listing, as creating separate listings for each size and color is a bad idea.
Have Enough Items in Stock
Even if a shopper has decided to purchase your product, the deal may not take place due to the lack of units to sell.
Order new items when you see that your product is sold well. Remain in stock or Amazon will rate you lower.
Use Bullet Points
Some sellers use them for keywords, but we recommend you use them for converting sales! Specify information which was not mentioned in the title or shown on the main picture. Help customers understand how your product will solve their issues. Let the customer always be in the first place.
Watch Your Competitors
Are there successful competitors? It’s a good idea to research what they do in their listings. You can see how they are dealing with the relevancy and listing effectiveness. Find best practices and use them to attract more customers and convert sales.
Conduct Promos
Keep in mind one tricky thing! Most customers go away cause they were not convinced to make a purchase right away. Promotional activities can glue their attention and make them buy your product now, as the offers are usually limited.
10% discounts work pretty well. What’s more, creating a promo is free and has nothing to do with advertising.
Use Long Descriptions
Showcase all the possible benefits, tell a story about how to use your product and how it helps to deal with everyday problems. Show a customer all the possible advantages of using your items.
You can achieve even more results using EBC - enhanced brand content.
Stay on Top of Reviews
Getting reviews can be hard, as sellers almost can’t influence clients’ decisions. Moreover, one negative review can affect the whole listing!
Seller Nexus knows how to get positive reviews:
- Offer your customers high-level service,
- Take care of what they want,
- Create follow-up campaigns.
To draw a bottom line, we’ll make a brief list of what to keep in mind to bring your SEO activities on Amazon to a new level:
- The f-shaped pattern is the base of every successful listing. Improve the blocks which are visible to the client at a first glance: photos, titles, prices, and other important things.
- Relevancy is key for Amazon SEO: make sure all your elements describe your product correctly.
- Pay attention to other elements which can convert customers: promos and discounts can have a great effect too.