The Amazon market is a highly competitive arena. As a buyer, have you ever remembered a time when you went into the third or fourth page of the Search Engine Results Pages (SERP)? Exactly our point. A majority of the transactions occur on the first page, and on the first two results to be exact.
One of the most important things to keep in mind is that Amazon is a business. Their main objective is to make a profit, and a product listing with low sales history and mediocre copy isn’t exactly going to make the cut. The more you sell, the more they earn, capisce?
Amazon has a comprehensive algorithm in place to screen out millions of product listings. This algorithm decides how well your product will rank. With considerable effort, you could start moving up the ranks and land on the first page. Your primary goal in this environment is to achieve high sales velocity and optimized keywords. It’s as simple as that. These two factors ultimately determine how much preference or attention the algorithm gives you.
When you have optimized keywords, you increase your chances of getting seen by customers with buying intent, which leads to higher conversion rates, thus higher sales velocity. Understand this loop. The trade secrets mentioned below are just the different means we use to achieve our primary goals, but it’s up to your creativity to maximize each and every one of them to get the results you desire. To beat the game and rake in all the sales, here are some trade secrets you should learn:
Make the A10 Amazon algorithm your ally
The A10 algorithm has significantly changed how sellers operated back with the Amazon A9. If you understand how A10 operates, you’ll be able to efficiently make the minor adjustments needed to improve how you rank. With the system constantly updating and evolving, it’s vital that you keep up by continuously learning about the algorithm and how it works.
First, learn what A10 is.
A10 is a search engine algorithm designed by Amazon to determine what items go to the top of the Search Engine Results Page. Seller authority is one of the most significant updates in Amazon’s new algorithm. Your Amazon retailer reputation and history have a huge influence not only on how your products appear in search results, but also on your chances of winning the highly-coveted Buy Box. Being on the Buy Box means your product becomes the “default’ product that customers can purchase when they add an item to their carts.
In particular, seller authority is determined by the following ranking factors:
- Sales History: How your products’ sales have performed in the past
- Retailer age: Amazon prioritizes sellers with more experience
- Feedback and reviews: What customers are saying about your store
- Returns: How many products you’ve had to return as well as how you handled the transactions
- Product variety: Amazon prefers sellers with a broad range of products in their store
Focus on the above areas if you want to improve your odds of winning the Buy Box or simply ranking higher in search results.
Do proper keyword research and use them strategically
Since Amazon customers typically search for details in particular areas—like in the product title and image—Amazon prioritizes these listing areas as more relevant keyword spots. Keywords that are automatically appropriate should be used in the product description. Try organizing the information in bulleted form, especially if you have plenty of long-tail keywords outlining the product’s use, benefits, and so on.
You don’t have to be intimidated about doing proper keyword research, with the right SEO tools, you can accelerate the learning curve and minimize costly mistakes.
Here are some handy tricks to optimizing your copy with the right keywords:
- Determine your buyer’s persona
The first step in finding the right keywords for your product copy is to discover the niche of the market you’re trying to target. If you’re in the business of selling makeup kits, you’ll want to use keywords relevant to that market. You should generally avoid using keywords that are too general or common to avoid stiff competition. There are plenty of keyword research tools online, paid or free. - Incorporate relevant keywords in your listings
The key thing to remember here is not to stuff your listing with keywords. Integrate your keywords in a subtle manner that still makes sense to the customer. You don’t have to mention a keyword twice for it to rank. - Optimize backend search with long-tail keywords
Backend keywords, simply put, are the keywords that aren’t visible to customers. If you still have some excess keywords from your research, or maybe some misspelled keywords, then this is the place to put them. Using this method, you can maximize your leads.
While researching the most powerful long-tail keywords will take some time and effort, applying these to the backend of your product page will be well worth it. You’re allowed to enter up to 1,000 characters in your backend search, so use them to include specific items that consumers could still be looking for that you can’t fit into your listing.
Note that spelling errors in your keywords may be costly, as your clients may be looking for one thing while you may have typed something else. Double-check anything you publish to avoid any costly fiascos.
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Get indexed by Amazon for the right keywords
Being indexed in Amazon basically means that when you type a keyword into the search bar, your product will appear somewhere in the search results for that query. You don’t have to think about schema markup, crawling bugs, or canonical problems with Amazon. Since Amazon requires you to upload the data in a particular format, the focus moves from the technical side of SEO to optimizing the data structure you provide to Amazon so that you appear as a result for relevant search keywords.
To get your product keyword indexed and found on the Amazon search engine, you need to make sure to include the said keywords in these parts of your listing:
- Title
- Bulleted descriptions
- Backend search terms
- Structured data
Using structured data helps you to rank for keywords without exhausting the limited number of keywords in your title and backend keywords, while also maximizing search result relevance.
Write excellent copy for your product listing
While sales-y copy might be frowned upon in different market platforms, the Amazon environment is where it shines. In a marketplace where a majority of the buyers have serious buying intent, the subtle difference between winning the sale over your competitor is an excellent copy. With some creativity, common sense, and Amazon SEO tips in tow, you can be well on your way to making your next sale.
Follow these tips to make your product copy shine:
- Place your high value keywords in the product title
Customers sometimes purchase an item based on the product title alone so make sure your product title contains your primary keywords. Sometimes, the product title is the only difference between you and the next seller selling the same product. Do proper keyword research and use the keywords wisely. - Benefits
Besides accurate and concise product details, always incorporate the product’s benefits throughout your product listing. If you’re selling fitness supplements, tell customers what components of the product efficiently contribute to a strong and healthy body. - Use bullet points
Nobody wants to read a sea of text. Organizing your descriptions and details increases the conciseness of your text and makes it more likely that the customer will actually read your fabulous copy.
There are more pointers out there, but these three basic tips will give you a great base to create the perfect copy to draw in those customers.
Invest in high quality photos
Product photos have a huge influence on a shopper’s decision to purchase the product or not. If a product lacks an image, the consumer is likely to pass on purchasing it. They want to get a real sense of what they’re buying from a photo, not just an overall description. Images of the product being used or worn, as well as various angles and close-ups, all serve to offer the shopper a clearer idea of what they should expect. It also makes sense to read up on Amazon’s technical guidelines before starting your photoshoot. Here are some nifty tips to remember before clicking that shutter:
- Make the most of the allotted number of photos
Amazon allows you to upload a main photo plus eight supporting product images per ASIN, so make the most out of it. The images should display the product from different angles and the various ways it can be used to give the buyer a clear picture of what to do with it. - Show how the product is used in real life
At least one of your images should be a lifestyle shot that reveals the product in use. Not only can it give shoppers a sense of how the item is applied in real life situations, but the additional information and aesthetics helps them imagine what they would look like using the product. - Use infographics
The human brain processes information in graphic form much faster than text. Maximize this by using graphic text to illustrate information like instructions or product applications.
Improve your customer service and satisfaction
Amazon prefers the shop that has the greatest service; once you have good customer loyalty, you are guaranteed to have a high rating on the platform—which means a higher conversion rate as well. If the service is excellent, you will continue to earn favorable customer reviews and ratings, maintaining your good standing with Amazon. If you fail to have excellent customer service, your rating and sales conversions will suffer.
You must fully understand Amazon’s rules and regulations and ensure that your company complies with them. These guidelines outline what you should do on the website to improve your conversion and rankings. For example, in terms of user convenience, Amazon FBA wholesale is one of the platform’s best choices. Amazon FBA will ship orders in a timely and correct manner.
Here are some tips to have customers raving about you:
- Respond to customers in a professional manner ASAP
- Respond to negative reviews and keep it professional as well
- Keep tabs on all your key feedback metrics
- Improve the order fulfillment flow
Conclusion
Getting to the first page of the search results is a true cause for celebration in the Amazon world. It’s the ultimate trophy that symbolizes your successful store optimization. As long as you don’t lose sight of the bigger picture, which is maintaining a high sales velocity and generating well-researched keywords, the Amazon algorithm will always place you on top.
