What is Amazon SEO? A Comprehensive Guide

Amazon SEO is defined as in-store search engine optimization for products to be on the first pages within Amazon. Amazon SEO includes optimizing within this platform according to its own dynamics and algorithm. Amazon SEO can be performed by following the steps below.

Recommendations for Amazon SEO Strategy:

The recommended points when planning the Amazon SEO strategy can be listed as follows;

1- Conduct Keyword Research.
2- Manage and Reply to your Reviews.
3- Optimize your Titles and product Descriptions.
4- Follow Image Guidelines.
5- Consider your Pricing Strategy.
6- Use Bullet Points in Product Descriptions.
7- Add Back-End Search Terms.

How Does Amazon Search Algorithm Work?

Amazon search algorithm, which is defined as A9 or most recently A10, works depending on many different factors. The algorithm especially works on relevance and efficiency. The Amazon A10 algorithm offers the most accurate Amazon product to users. Algorithms do this by comparing the created page content and the relevance of the search made.

That’s why creating the right page and product content is as important on Amazon as it is on other platforms. At this point, read our article on content management on e-commerce sites and discover what differences you can make in your business products!

Before moving on to Amazon SEO ranking factors, Etsy, one of the other major marketplaces, is also a very valuable platform. Especially in recent years, when there have been so many business opportunities on affiliate marketing all over the world, we recommend you to take a look at our ‘Etsy SEO Guide‘ article 🙂

Amazon SEO: What Are Ranking Factors?

Amazon’s algorithm is estimated to rank products by evaluating around 200 different ranking factors. Some of the factors affecting the ranking on Amazon are known, while others are hidden by Amazon. The main known product ranking factors can be listed as follows;

• Product Title
• Product Description
• Price
• Photograph
• Store Name
• Striking Feature, Motto (Bullets)
• Search Terms
• Category Selection
• Conversion Rate
• Reviews

Product Title

Users start to pay attention firstly to the title on the product listing page. For this reason, brands should determine an amazon product title that is as simple, easy to understand and descriptive. The Amazon Seller Central guide states that product titles that do not meet its criteria may not rank in search results.

The main points to be considered while creating a product title can be listed as follows;

• It is recommended to use a maximum of 80 characters for the titles of the products on the Amazon sales site. It is also among the observations that product titles consisting of 100 – 150 characters are ranked better.
• It is recommended to include important details such as color and quantity in the product title.
• Except for the conjunctions, the product names should be determined so that the initials are uppercase and the rest are lowercase.
• Numbers should be indicated as numbers, not as a text.
• Targeted keywords should be included in the product titles as much as possible.
• In order to increase the readability of the title, it is recommended to use the symbols “-” or “|” among the details.

The main criteria to avoid while creating a product title can be listed as follows;

• Using capital letters entirely for the titles is not recommended.
• Using non-linguistic ASCII characters such as Æ, © or ® is not recommended.
• Using subjective comments such as “Best Sellers”, “Best Product”, “Free Shipping” etc. are not recommended.
• It is not recommended to have the vendor’s name in the product title.
• It is not recommended to have too much information in the title.
• It is recommended to avoid keyword stuffing in keyword usage.

Product Description

The product description is accepted as one of the most important ranking factors. Optimized product descriptions not only rank higher in search engines but also increase conversion rates by persuading the user to buy.

• Things to consider when creating a product description are as follows.
• Explanations should be short and easy to understand.
• The information contained in the explanations must be factual information.
• Target keywords should be used in the product description without keyword stuffing.
• Descriptions used by competing brands should never be used. Otherwise, the product may be removed from the search results by Amazon.

For more detailed information, we recommend you to take a look at our article ‘How to Write SEO Product Description‘.

Price

Product prices are the most important factor in the user’s purchasing process. The price of the products sold should be compared with similar products in a highly competitive market area such as Amazon. This means that you can design your profiles to maximize conversions, rather than following Amazon’s algorithms. 

In addition, selling similar products at higher prices than competitors result in lower rankings according to the Amazon algorithm. In order to increase sales, it is necessary to examine the stores that sell similar products and prices by competitor analysis.

Product Image

Product images are among one of the first criteria that the user pays attention to when making a purchase decision. High-quality and eye-catching product images receive higher conversions than poor-quality product images. Minimum one image must be added for product detail pages. Amazon Seller Central guide recommends adding 6 images and 1 video content to product pages.

• Things to consider in the images can be listed as follows;
• Images must accurately represent the product to be sold and must be a real photograph. Images such as graphics, drawings, models etc. are not allowed to be used.
• Images should consist of high-quality, professional photographs. Blurry, pixelated images can negatively impact sales.
• The image and the product title must match.
• White background should be used in the image. (RGB 255, 255, 255)
• The product must occupy at least 85% of the image.
• Images must be in JPEG, TIFF, PNG or GIF format.
• Images should not contain unsuitable elements such as nudity etc.

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Store Name

Keywords used in the store name have an impact on Amazon search results. Creating a store name related to the products sold can create a ranking advantage for the store.

Bullet Points

Bullet points are defined as descriptive texts added as articled to product detail pages. It is recommended that the bullet points should be written in a plain language without using too many keywords. 

Bullets that are not clear or that are just focused on keywords can negatively affect the user’s purchase decision. This can result in a lower conversion rate. Amazon Seller Central guidelines suggest that a maximum of 5 items should be written for each product. The description should be under 1000 characters.

Search Terms (Backend Keywords)

Search terms are hidden keywords that the Amazon algorithm uses to better understand what the product is about. As it can be understood from the phrase “hidden”, these keywords are words that can be scanned by algorithm bots only. According to Amazon Seller Central, it is recommended to consider the following elements when determining search terms:

• The length limit of 250 bytes must not be exceeded.
• Alternative and synonymous words that users can use when searching for products should be added.
• It is recommended to add different writing variants.
• It is recommended to include shortenings and alternative uses.
• It can be written in all lowercase letters.
• Punctuation marks such as “;”, “:”, “-” are not recommended.
• It is recommended to put spaces between words.
• Repeating words in the search terms field is not recommended.
• It is not necessary to add words such as “one”, “for”, “with”, “and” etc.
• Use singular or plural nouns, not both.

Category Selection

Choosing the right category is a very important criterion for improvement. Products added to the wrong category will not rank and sales may be adversely affected. That’s why it’s important to make sure that the products sold are in the right category. 

To figure out where to list your products, look at where your competitors’ similar products are listed. By this method, it becomes easier to find the right category. 

Furthermore, according to Amazon policies, some products that are for sale on Amazon must meet certain certification standards. In order to sell these product groups, necessary conditions should be created.

Conversion Rate

Conversion rate is one of Amazon’s based on performance ranking factors. According to the clicks on the product detail page and the sales, the Amazon algorithm recognizes the interest of users. Furthermore,  it highlights and places the product at the top. 

For this reason, profiles can be shaped to optimize the conversion rate. It is better to focus on conversion rate rather than optimizing your product pages according to the Amazon algorithm.

Reviews

Reviews are considered the second-most important performance ranking factor after conversion rate. E-commerce users need to trust other users rather than sellers before deciding to buy. According to the research, products with 4 stars or more are ranked higher in Amazon search results.

Add Back-end Search Terms

You can add keywords to a product’s catalog data. These keywords are not visible to customers, but they can still help a product rank for specific queries and searches.

To add back-end search terms for a product:

• Log in to your Amazon Seller Central account.
• Under Inventory in the main menu, go to Manage All Inventory.
• Find the listing where you want to add backend keywords and click Edit.
• Click the Product details tab.
• Enter your keywords in the Generic keyword field.