If you sell products on Amazon, one of your key concerns should be how to rank your products higher in its search results. This is where Amazon SEO can help. In this brief KJB Digital guide, we’ll go over the top strategies you can use to drive more traffic to your Amazon product listings and generate more sales.
What Is Amazon SEO? Why Does It Matter for Product Rankings?
Amazon SEO is the process of optimizing Amazon product listings to increase their chances of ranking high in Amazon’s product search results.
Amazon listing optimization can help:
Improve product and brand visibility
Drive more traffic to product listings
Generate more Amazon product sales
How Amazon’s A10 Ranking Algorithm Works
The algorithm Amazon uses to rank products in search results is called A10. Its purpose is to determine the most relevant products to display for shoppers’ searches.
The difference between A10 and search engine algorithms (e.g., those of Google, Bing, and the like) is that A10 is designed to solely address transactional intent.
In other words, Amazon users aren’t looking to learn new information or perform research—they’re specifically interested in making a purchase.
Because of this, Amazon’s algorithm favours products that are the most likely to drive sales.
A10 examines multiple factors when determining how to rank products, including:
Keywords: Including relevant search terms throughout your product listing helps signal to Amazon that your product is relevant for a particular search
Conversion rate: It’s in Amazon’s interest that the product listings it displays to shoppers convert well. This means that having a higher conversion rate is likely to help with getting your product listing to the top of Amazon search results
Reviews: Positive reviews help nudge shoppers toward making a purchase. Having a lot of positive reviews on your product listing means better conversion rates, which, in turn, lead to better rankings in search results
Sales history: A product listing that generates a large number of sales is popular for a reason. Having a long sales history signals to Amazon that your product listing is worth showcasing to shoppers.
Keyword Research and Analysis for Amazon SEO
Your Amazon SEO strategy starts with keyword research.
Amazon keyword research will give you an understanding of the best keywords to target with your product listings. Ideally, you should target one primary keyword and one secondary keyword with each of your product listings.
If you’re just starting out, your best bet is to target long-tail keywords. These are highly specific search queries (think “wireless headphones for kids 8-12” vs. just “wireless headphones”), which usually have less competition and are therefore easier to rank for.
Amazon allows you to add two types of keywords to your listings: frontend and backend keywords.
Frontend keywords are those you use throughout your product listing (e.g., in the product title and description) and are visible to shoppers.
Backend keywords aren’t visible to shoppers. But Amazon still takes them into account when ranking your products in search. They’re a great way to help Amazon associate your product with relevant searches without having to cram more keywords into your product listing.
Backend keywords are added in the “Keywords” tab of your product listing in Amazon Seller Central.
But how do you figure out which keywords to use for your product listings?
Here are three methods you can use:
1. Using Amazon’s Auto-Complete Feature
The Amazon search box is the best starting point for keyword research. Once you start typing in a search term, it will suggest relevant and related terms.
Simply type in your seed keyword, and Amazon’s search feature will suggest related keywords.
For more suggested terms, you can hit space and start typing in letters from A to Z to see what kind of suggestions Amazon gives you.
You can also try adding prepositions like “for,” “in,” “to,” “on,” “with,” and “without” to try to get more suggestions.
Then, repeat the process with each suggested search term to get even more keyword ideas.
2. Analyzing Your Competitors’ Keywords
Another way to uncover keywords for Amazon product listing optimization is to analyze your competitors’ listings to see which keywords they’re using.
In particular, you’ll want to take note of any terms that seem common among product titles of your competitors. If you see a specific keyword used by multiple competitors, it’s likely a highly valuable keyword you should consider targeting.
3. Third-Party Tools
You can also use apps like Semrush’s Keyword Wizard for Amazon tool to find relevant keywords for your products.
This type of tool will generate a list of keyword suggestions. For our example, take a look at this example using “office chairs” as the seed keyword.
At KJB Digital, we often incorporate Semrush and Yoast to assist with various SEO initiatives.
Optimizing Product Titles and Descriptions for Maximum Impact
The product title is one of the main things Amazon’s A10 search algorithm uses to determine whether a product listing is relevant for a particular search.
Amazon offers clear product title requirements sellers need to adhere to:
Titles should be up to 80 characters long
Avoid using all caps. Use title case instead.
Avoid promotional phrases (e.g., “free shipping”)
Use numerals (e.g., “3” instead of “three”)
Don’t include size and color variations in the title
If you don’t follow these requirements, Amazon might suppress your product listing in search results.
Your product title should include the primary keyword you’re looking to rank your product listing for.
As for product descriptions, Amazon suggests that sellers include the following information:
Brand name
Size (e.g., shirt size)
Type of material (e.g., cotton)
Other relevant details (e.g., color, quantity, packaging)
There are also specific guidelines for individual product categories. Make sure to check the guidelines for your product’s category when writing the description.
The product description is also a good place to add more relevant keywords but make sure not to overdo it—including a couple of keywords should be enough.
Bullet Points and Product Features Optimization
Amazon gives sellers the option to add short bullet points to their job listing. These should give shoppers a quick overview of the product’s features and benefits.
Amazon recommends using the bullet points section to highlight your product’s top five features.
It also offers a few guidelines you need to follow:
Start each bullet point with a capital letter
Write numbers as numerals
Spell out measurements (e.g., “inches”)
Don’t use hyphens, periods, symbols, or exclamation points
Don’t include company, shipping, pricing, or promotional information
Amazon allows sellers to add up to five bullet points for each product. If you’re a vendor, you can add up to 10 bullet points.
Amazon recommends keeping your entire bullet point section under 1,000 characters. So, aim for around 200 characters per bullet point.
You should start each bullet point with a benefit of your product. Then, connect that benefit to a feature.
We recommend making the first bullet point about your product’s most important benefit and feature. Then, move on to the second most important. And so on.
For example, let’s say you’re selling a pet carrier. You might want to lead with the fact that your pet carrier is well-ventilated thanks to a number of ventilation holes. This will help ease shoppers’ minds about their pet being able to breathe comfortably while being transported in the carrier.
Then, you could move on to less important features and benefits, such as the carrier being easy to clean.
Note that the features and benefits you discuss in your product listing need to be specific to the product, not the brand or the manufacturer. Remember to use unique copy for your bullet points—don’t just copy the manufacturer’s product description.
Bullet points should also be scannable and easy to read. So, make them concise.
Also, include a few relevant keywords from your research within the bullet points.
Creating High-Quality Product Images
Adding high-quality product images to your Amazon product listing is essential. Images help increase click-through rates from search results and entice shoppers to make a purchase.
Amazon allows you to add up to nine images to your product listing (but only seven will be visible on your listing). You should take advantage of this and use up all the slots to highlight your product’s features.
Make sure to comply with Amazon’s image requirements while doing so:
Use photos—not drawings or illustrations
A white background is mandatory
The minimum size is 500 x 500 pixels—images should ideally be 1,600 pixels or larger on the longest side and not exceed 10,000 pixels
Resolution should be at least 72 dpi
Supported file formats include JPEG, PNG, TIFF, and GIF (non-animated)
Need to match the product in color and size
The product needs to fill at least 85% of the image
Images can’t be pixelated, blurry, contain nudity, or be sexually suggestive
There are additional requirements for your listing’s main image:
The image needs to have a pure white background
You’re only allowed to feature accessories or props that are included in the purchase
The image can’t include text, borders, logos, or watermarks
The entire product must be in the image
You need to show the product outside of its packaging
Generating Positive Product Reviews and Ratings
41% of consumers state they always read product reviews before making a purchase on Amazon.
It’s crucial that your products have positive reviews and high ratings. Think about it—why would Amazon show shoppers low-rated products with bad reviews on the first page of search results?
Apart from showing Amazon that your products are high quality, positive reviews and high ratings also help increase your click-through and conversion rates. They provide social proof and help shoppers decide to make a purchase.
So, how do you generate more positive reviews and get high ratings? Here are a few tactics you can use:
Use the “Request a Review” button. Amazon offers sellers an easy way to gather reviews from customers. All you need to do is click the “Request a Review” button next to an order, and Amazon will automatically send the customer a review request email.
Describe your product accurately. A lot of bad reviews stem from misleading product descriptions. Describe your product accurately to ensure customers know exactly what they’re getting.
Use packing inserts. Create and print packing inserts that ask customers to leave a review. Add these inserts to each package you send.
Provide excellent customer service. One of the best ways to ensure positive product reviews and high ratings is to make sure your customer service is on point. Answer customers’ questions and respond to issues and negative reviews promptly.
Avoid using shady tactics to generate positive product reviews. For example, having friends and family review your products. Or buying reviews from websites that offer this service.
Amazon is getting better at spotting fake reviews and will catch on to shady tactics eventually.
Interested in discussing how KJB Digital can help you market your products effectively on Amazon? Contact us to schedule a complimentary discussion with one of our experts.