Blog Post
SEO
Amazon SEO - What exactly is it?
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
The term Amazon SEO might seem a little confusing to most people. What does Amazon have to do with search engine optimization? Users who ask this question often forget that Amazon is the largest e-commerce platform in Germany. Over 50% of all online sales are processed through Amazon.
The search function on Amazon therefore plays a very important role: If you manage to achieve good listings in the internal search through Amazon SEO, the chance of selling a large number of products increases.
At this point, it becomes interesting for every individual or company looking to distribute products through the platform - regardless of whether from a seller or vendor perspective. Improving your Amazon ranking and appearing higher in product listings should be a prioritized goal. Because with a better Amazon ranking, visibility is not only increased, but ideally, so is the number of products sold.
How Amazon SEO works, what important aspects need to be considered, and how you can reach the top of product listings are explored in this article.
Improving Amazon Ranking, but How?
To get to the bottom of this question, we should take a small step back here. Before starting optimization, the properties and peculiarities of the Amazon search engine should be known. Because: Like any other search engine, Amazon has its own algorithm, which is at least as complex and full of secrets as Google’s search engine algorithm.
Amazon also does not provide concrete, official information on the functionality of the algorithm. Numerous products are listed daily on the e-commerce platform. Accordingly, the task of the Amazon algorithm is to filter out the best from this mass of products and index them based on relevance. In summary, there are various factors that influence the ranking within the search results.
Basically, the ranking factors are divided into two categories: indirect and direct ranking factors. These are defined, on the one hand, by the Click-Through Rate (CTR) and, on the other hand, by the Conversion Rate (CR).
The Click-Through Rate indicates how many of the users, to whom the product is displayed in the listing, click on the product. The Conversion Rate goes a step further and indicates how many of the users who click on a product ultimately make a purchase. The CTR and CR are part of the general user behavior on the product detail pages and are therefore classified under the term of indirect ranking factors.
Ultimately, there are other indirect factors that can be considered during optimization. However, the Amazon algorithm mainly prioritizes the aspect of sales volume.
Example: A product that sells better than others is classified as more relevant by the Amazon algorithm than a product of the same category that sells less well. Accordingly, it enjoys a higher ranking in the search results.
From these insights, two fundamental questions arise: How can you get users to click on the product? How do you convince users of a resulting product purchase to increase the Conversion Rate? At this point, both factors need to be looked at a little more closely and broken down into their basic components.
Direct Factors of Amazon SEO Optimization
The Click-Through Rate (CTR) and Conversion Rate (CR) play an important role in Amazon SEO. To influence indirect ranking factors, it is crucial to optimize direct ranking factors. Direct factors include optimization measures on the product detail page.
An overview of the direct ranking factors:
Product Title
Bullet Points
Product Images
Product Description
Backend Keywords
Improve Amazon Ranking with Optimized Direct Factors
Some elements of the product detail page, such as the product description, are often the first point of contact for many users. Therefore, special attention should be paid to them in Amazon SEO optimization.
Whether in Amazon search results or on the product detail page: The title is an essential element for ranking. Besides the main keyword, it should also include product-identifying information. For example, with electronic devices, this could be the specification of the power rating or a detail on how large the capacity of a container is.
These detailed specifications combined with relevant keywords make it possible to cover various search queries, as the Amazon algorithm includes the title in evaluating a search query. For example, if the user searches for a microwave of a specific brand plus a specific wattage, then both the brand and the wattage should be included in the title. This way, the algorithm can optimally match the product to the search query.
When doing this, care should be taken not to fill the title with too many keywords or too much information. In the worst case, this could negatively impact the Amazon ranking. A healthy mix of keywords and a readable or clickable title should be created.
For the title, a character length of 80 to 100 characters is recommended. This range varies from category to category. Amazon itself has published style guides for selected product categories specifying the requirements a title should meet.
Moreover, there are contents that should definitely not be part of the title. These include product and condition descriptions or a listing of compatible products. It is also prohibited to use only uppercase or lowercase letters and special characters in the title.
Bullet points or product attributes are additional factors that help both with the sale of products and with the Amazon ranking. Product attributes are especially useful for new customers who do not know the product well or at all. If the product title was not convincing enough, the bullet points offer the opportunity to provide additional useful information in a compact manner.
Point 1 should always present the most important feature of the product here. This should be followed by additional USPs that describe the product and its benefits.
Similar to the title, bullet points are suitable for capturing relevant keywords. This way, the algorithm is conveyed on another level the relevance of the product, which affects the Amazon ranking. However, caution should be exercised: It is also important to pay attention to the number of keywords in the bullet points. It is not about placing as many keywords as possible but selected, unique, and product-relevant ones.
For the character length of bullet points, Amazon specifies a length of 200 to 250 characters including spaces. This length varies slightly from category to category. This specified length should be used to convince the customer briefly and concisely about the product. Too short bullet points run the risk of conveying too little information. On the other hand, too long ones carry the risk that the customer is not willing to read the mass of text completely.
Bullet points directly influence the purchasing decision on one side, while on the other side, the bullet points with the use of relevant keywords are also of immense importance to the Amazon algorithm.
Product images are more important than they might initially seem. Haptic aspects are lost in an online shop like Amazon. This missing dimension has to be compensated for by very good product images to make it easier for users to imagine the product without the tactile perception. The images do not affect the Amazon ranking, as they do not contain keywords.
Instead, through their quality and informational character, they arouse the potential buyer's interest.
Product images on Amazon are divided into two categories that define individual requirements: Main Images and Alternative Images.
The main image appears as the first image on the product detail page and in the Amazon search result list. To meet the requirements, it must be depicted on a completely white background. Only the actual product may be shown.
Alternative images, on the other hand, aim to convey further emotions to the customer through various viewing angles. Likewise, alternative images deliver additional information, such as e.g., dimensions or weight indications.
There are two things to consider with product images to increase the Click-Through Rate.
On one hand, the quality of the images is crucial. Product images should always be uploaded at maximum resolution. Only in this way can it be guaranteed that the user can recognize even the smallest detail of the product. On the other hand, the informational content of the images must be considered, including typical applications, compatibility with other devices, size comparisons within the product, or required tools for assembly.
Such information is usually covered through the use of alternative images. Product images thus have a shaping effect on the shopping experience and purchase decision, while also contributing positively to Amazon SEO.
An element that enhances the overall shopping experience by one level is the product description. It became evident with product images that additional information can be captured in image form. However, since search engines primarily work textually, we have the opportunity here to describe the product in more detail in the product description.
Since the customer still has no possibility to hold the product in their hand during the purchase process, the product description additionally comes into play.
The product description offers space for further keywords on one hand. On the other hand, it should make the product more lively through its content. Sellers and vendors on Amazon also have the option to use so-called A+ Content for their product descriptions.
With this feature, it is possible to expand a product description with images and graphics from a broader selection of templates. This not only makes the description itself but the whole product page much more appealing.
Integrating and using A+ Content on product detail pages does not primarily result in an improvement of the Amazon ranking. Instead, it serves as another opportunity to convince the customer of their product and thus stand out from the competition.
Even if A+ Content does not directly affect Amazon SEO optimization, search engines recognize and index these contents. And this is ultimately reflected positively in the rankings.
Backend keywords are another factor in Amazon SEO optimization. They also impact the Amazon ranking. Unlike front-end keywords, which are found on the product detail page in the title, bullet points, or description, backend keywords, as the name suggests, reside in the backend.
These can be stored in Seller or Vendor Central under the product details category. There is a character limit of 249 bytes available. This raises the question of why keywords can be provided again at this point when there are already plenty of options to present keywords in the front end?
Compared to front-end keywords, backend keywords are different in their orientation. With front-end keywords, care should be taken that these keywords are as thematically related to the actual product as possible. These keywords should have high relevance. Backend keywords, however, are not directly related to the product.
Even backend keywords are indexed by Amazon's algorithm and therefore play a role in the Amazon ranking. To gain an advantage from this, it is advisable to include keyword variations such as common typos, old spellings, materials, or abbreviations.
In this way, potential typos users make when searching are captured, directing users to the correct product nonetheless.
In short: By using backend keywords, you are, in a way, thinking on behalf of your potential customers.
Internetwarriors Support You with Your Amazon SEO Optimization
Amazon SEO is a topic area that offers a lot of potential as well as some challenges. Indirect and direct optimization factors play a crucial role in increasing the ranking of Amazon products. Better visibility on the platform also coincides with an increase in the conversion rate.
In practice, successful Amazon SEO optimization requires a lot of effort. As a 360° Full Service Online Marketing Agency, we are happy to accompany you on this sprint. Feel free to contact us, so that you too can stand above all others in the Amazon ranking in the future.
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