The ongoing battle between the two tech giants – Amazon and Google is heating up intensely. In fact, Amazon has been dominating Google in product searches of late. According to a report by Jumpshot, Amazon witnessed a substantial growth from 46% to 54% (2015-2018), while Google observed a sharp decline from 54% to 46% in the same time period. In simple words, Google has started losing its unwavering dominance as the go-to platform for product search queries.
With that being said, sellers on Amazon need to take this marketplace seriously since there are millions of products available and over two-thirds of clicks never go past Amazon’s coveted first page. To make the most of this thriving eCommerce search engine, you must consider making Amazon SEO strategy an integral part of your marketing plan.
Let’s talk about Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Whenever we hear the term ‘SEO’, the first name that comes to our mind is Google. Right? Every year Google rolls out hundreds of core algorithm updates to reward those who follow ethical ways to drive traffic by ranking them higher in SERPs. Also, Google punishes the ones that follow unethical ways by penalizing their websites or dropping their organic search rankings. In short, many of us are familiar with Google’s SEO updates. On the contrary, not many of us have heard about Amazon SEO or the A9 algorithm. So, let’s deep dive into the same.
Amazon’s A9 Algorithm
Though Amazon has gone to become the world’s largest eCommerce search engine, its A9 algorithm has more or less gone under the radar. The primary reason could be the business model of Amazon. Unlike Google whose business strength is its search engine, Amazon was designed as a powerful selling engine to sell tens of thousands of products through its platform.
A9 is the algorithm that Amazon uses to decide which products should feature in the search results against the product search query. Once you finish uploading products, the A9 algorithm will start crawling and analyzing your product listing on the basis of the product title, description, keywords, image, and a slew of other vital factors. In short, Amazon considers several factors to assign a score to a product listing and rank it accordingly. The higher your product listing score is, the better are your chances of ranking on the first page of product search results. To achieve a higher product listing score, you’ve to optimize it in the best possible manner. For the same, you may avail Amazon listing optimization services.
Now the twist here is that many sellers think that Google vs Amazon SEO Strategy is almost similar, and this is where they go wrong. There’s a key difference – Amazon’s A9 algorithm also considers the sales conversions or sales velocity. In simple words, if you frequently encourage prospects to buy from you, you’re likely to have an impressive sales history and better chances of ranking on the first page of search results. This clearly depicts that sales velocity is one of the crucial factors for A9 algorithm and if you want to achieve higher organic product rankings, you must work upon conversion rate, keyword relevance, and customer satisfaction. So, let’s take a look at each of these factors and see what you can do to increase the possibility of ranking on the first page of Amazon product search results.
Conversion rate
This is one of the important metrics that Amazon considers to determine your rankings. Having a strong sales conversion rate can increase the chances of your products ranking on the first page of Amazon.
If your product listing converts a large number of prospects into customers, Amazon’s A9 algorithm will get the signal that your listing is most relevant for the product search queries. As a result, you will get a massive boost in your product’s visibility.
Price optimization
Pricing is another important factor that determines the positioning of your products in search results. Amazon knows that customers love to buy products at the best price. If you keep your pricing competitive, customers are more likely to buy from you, which in turn improves your sales velocity. Also, there could be a noticeable increase in the visibility and ranking of your products.
In the example below, you can see Amazon US search results for ‘laptop’. The Asus 14” laptop is ranking ahead of other 2 similar products having more reviews and ratings. If you look closely, you’ll observe that that first product has got some good reviews and is priced lower than others. This could be the reason behind its better ranking.
As a seller, it’s important for you to note that reviews and ratings are vital and lower pricing isn’t the only ranking factor. Like we said earlier, Amazon considers several factors to rank products higher in search results.
Create optimized product listings that sell
Undoubtedly, Amazon has become more competitive than ever before. You could also say that it’s the new Google for product searches. As a result, sellers on Amazon need to create product listings with a well-optimized title, product description, and images, etc. that encourage customers to make a purchase. If you don’t know how to create well-optimized product listings, you may opt for Amazon listing optimization services and give a boost to your conversions.
Keyword relevance
This is the second important pillar of Amazon SEO Strategy on which the A9 algorithm relies greatly since it helps Amazon in deciding the organic product rankings. If you strategically use the targeted keywords in your product title and description, you’re likely to drive prospects to your product listing. To ensure you’re targeting the right keywords, you can follow the steps given below:
- 1. Do research to find out the commonly used searched terms for the products you are selling.
- 2. Check out 4-5 competitors’ product listings to find out the keywords they are using to drive traffic.
- 3. Validate their keywords using keyword research tools like Google keyword planner or Ahrefs.
- 4. Now, start prioritizing your top keywords keeping in mind the competition and search volume.
Once you are done with the keyword research, it’s time to start implementing the strategy:
- When writing the product title, smartly place your top keywords right after your brand name.
- Sprinkle your long-tail keywords or phrases throughout the product description and bullet pointers.
- Avoid repeating the same keywords as this will do more harm than good. Even your account could be suspended for doing keyword stuffing.
Customer satisfaction
Reviews and ratings are the biggest indicators of customer satisfaction and that’s why they are a vital part of Amazon’s ranking factors. They not only tell the customer experience but also directly impact the potential sales and conversion rate. You might know that 9 out of 10 customers read reviews before buying from a local business. Also, 83.5% of customers won’t make a purchase from a business having a 3-star rating or below. In a nutshell, customer satisfaction is your doorway to success.
Wrapping Up
If you implement all the things you’ve learned in this insightful post, you will certainly be able to increase your sales. However, at any point of time, if you feel you need an extra pair of hands to optimize your product listings, write an email to info@data4amazon.com, and we’d be more than happy to help.