Nadine Wallis
Nadine Wallis is a copywriter at Pure SEO. When she isn’t writing, Nadine can be found reading fiction (surprise) and enjoying outdoor adventures. She has a Marketing and Communication Studies conjoint degree from AUT.
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Amazon SEO Explained: A Guide to Ranking in Amazon Search Results
E-commerce giant Amazon has taken off in Australia after launching in late 2017, having revealed a revenue of $292.3 million in 2018. The creation of their Australian website has since seen three fulfillment centres pop up around the country, with another set to open at the end of the year in Brisbane. The current and forecasted success of Amazon Australia has led to whispers that the company could launch a New Zealand website in the near future—an exciting prospect!
A9: Amazon’s Search Algorithm
When you think of search algorithms, you likely think of Google first and foremost. However, Amazon has its own search algorithm referred to as A9. So, if you plan on selling on Amazon, you want to optimise your product pages so they appear early in the organic search results, right under the paid ads.
When people search on Amazon, they want to do one thing—buy. The fact that there are only transactional searches on Amazon, instead of the wide range of search intents on Google, means that the Amazon SEO process is fairly simple. Amazon wants a transaction to take place, so for each search, they organise the results by the likelihood of purchase.
The way this happens can be broken down into two categories. First, results are filtered by keywords. Then, results are filtered based on performance, which is measured by factors such as sales and conversion rates. These factors can hinge on aspects such as image quality, keyword use, traffic, price point, and reviews.
Now that we have a high-level overview of how the A9 algorithm operates, we can get down to the important business of finding out how to rank highly in the Amazon search results.
How to optimise your product pages on Amazon
1. Keywords
Keywords are just as important for Amazon SEO as in your usual Google SEO efforts. Conducting keyword research is important to find out what consumers are searching when looking for a specific product. You want to gather a list of main keywords, and find semantically linked keywords that people may be using. To find these keywords you can use tools such as Google Keyword Planner or Ahrefs. Alternatively, you can get a digital specialist to conduct keyword research for you.
Once you have your keywords, it’s time to add them to your product titles and descriptions. Just like with Google SEO, you need to be careful about how you do this. Keyword use needs to be natural so that your writing reads well for users – not for bot crawlers! If you overstuff the product listing title or description with keywords, you run the risk of ranking lower in Amazon results pages.
2. Backend Keywords
Filling out your Amazon backend keywords provides a similar function to meta tags in Google that tell the search engine what your site is about. To do this, go to the “Inventory” tab in the top header of your Amazon Seller Central account, edit your list of active products, and then click on “Edit Product Info”. Finally, head to the “Keywords” tab. You’ll find the “Search Terms” field further down the list here where you can enter your keywords.
Backend keywords tell A9 which keywords your product listing is targeting. Since there are limited characters, make sure you don’t repeat words, avoid use of quotes and commas, and include synonyms so your product will be included in results for all relevant searches.
3. Product Titles
Your product title plays a big part in getting buyers to click through to your product page. Amazon gives you 200 characters for the title and suggests the format of brand name, model, and product type. In addition to this, the title should be capitalised, contain numbers, and have any measurements spelt out rather than abbreviated.
Aim to get keywords in at the start of the title, and then concisely include product benefits if there are characters left over. Avoid including any information in your title which could appear inauthentic, such as any company or price information.
4. Product Description and Bullet Points
The bullet point section on the product page provides an opportunity to give buyers a quick overview of the product and outline key benefits. Make sure these are easy to read and include your keywords!
The same applies for the description; this is a good chance to persuade your audience to buy your product, so make it count! You will want to include product information and benefits. As always, include keywords in a readable way.
5. Images
Having high-quality images is crucial on Amazon product pages. In fact, we can’t stress this enough! High-quality images help to increase sales, which in turn improves product rank in the Amazon search results.
According to Amazon’s guidelines, images should be 1,600 pixels or larger on the longest side. This lets users zoom in on the image, which is proven to increase sales. The more information people have, the better!
6. Product Price
As mentioned earlier, Amazon ranks search results based on which products are most likely to sell for a given search. This is the reason why pricing products correctly is key.
If you price too high and there are plenty of cheaper options available, it’s likely they will bypass your listing and buy from another seller. Not only is this not ideal from a sales point of view, the algorithm will also pick this up and determine that your products are less likely to sell, therefore ranking them lower. It’s best to compare other prices in your product category and price accordingly.
7. Product Reviews
Amazon product reviews are another key factor that influences where your product will rank in the search results. Having a higher number of reviews, as well as better reviews than competitors, will positively influence your position.
Consumers trust reviews and are more likely to check out products with more positive reviews. To increase the number of reviews on your product page, remind customers to leave a review after making a purchase.
Amazon SEO made simple
The Amazon algorithm is relatively simple once broken down: it favours sellers who are working to improve the shopping experience for customers and provide a good product. Understanding the above factors which influence product ranking means you can tweak your listings and improve rank position.
For Kiwi companies who are itching to get products on Amazon but are waiting for an NZ site, keep this info in mind so you can start selling with a bang when it does eventually arrive! Until then, at Pure SEO we can help you to reach more consumers and increase sales through your own website. We have a wide range of digital experts who can provide value through E-Commerce Optimisation, Search Engine Marketing, Conversion Rate Optimisation services and more.
Get in touch today for a free consultation and find out how we can boost your business!
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