Amazon SEO: 7-Step Framework for Top-Five Rankings

How do you stand out on a website that sells hundreds of millions of items?

A commitment to product quality and customer service isn’t enough. You also need to give the Amazon algorithm what it wants. A tested SEO strategy is non-negotiable.

Well-executed Amazon SEO ensures your product ranks in the top results and stays there. 

Key Takeaways

• Amazon SEO (search engine optimization) involves improving the position of your products in Amazon search results. 
• There are three broad stages: optimize for the right keywords, keep up a strong sales velocity, and maintain a healthy account. 
• Sales velocity, which measures the volume and value of sales, is generally accepted as the most important ranking factor. 
• Keyword research provides the basis for well-optimized product titles, bullets, and descriptions. 
• Paid ads and third-party traffic give your product an initial sales boost and help you overcome the “sales velocity conundrum” (ranking requires sales, but sales require rankings). 

What Is Amazon SEO?

Amazon SEO is the process of increasing the position of a product in Amazon search results. 

This involves optimizing both the listing itself, such as by including the keywords you want to rank for in the headline, and improving external factors linked to the listing, like your seller rating. 

Sales velocity, which measures the volume and value of sales over a given time, is likely the single most important ranking factor for Amazon SEO.

Unlike on Google, where users primarily search for information, practically all Amazon keywords have transactional intent—people want to buy things. 

That’s why Amazon “Best Sellers” typically feature among the top results for most searches. They’ve proven themselves to be products buyers want. 

Keep in mind that Amazon is a commercial website. Its primary goal is to sell more products. The best SEO strategies focus on directly and indirectly maximizing sales. 

Amazon Ranking Factors: An Overview

Here’s a comprehensive overview of Amazon ranking factors:

• Sales velocity (number and value of product sales)
• Overall account health
• Click-through rate
• Time on page
• Listing bounce rate
• Product title
• Images and videos
• Bullets (key product features)
• Product information and details
• Backend keywords
• Product reviews and overall rating
• Sales from cost-per-click ads
• Product price

Just like Google, Amazon doesn’t publicly disclose its algorithm. However, a mix of guidance from Amazon itself and third-party testing provides a fairly complete picture of what works and what doesn’t. 

You might also have heard that the latest iteration of Amazon’s algorithm is called A9. However, this term is no longer used by the company. Amazon doesn’t have a single algorithm with set releases. Its systems are always evolving. 

1. Build Your Tech Stack

Amazon SEO tasks like researching keywords, adjusting pricing, and generating reviews are much easier with a good supporting tech stack. 

I recommend a stack made up of Amazon’s own solutions along with a good keyword research tool. If you’re managing multiple products, a PPC optimization and a repricing platform will also come in handy. 

Here’s a rundown of the best Amazon tools: 

• Growth Opportunities: A suite of tools offered by Amazon. These include A+ Content, which allows you to run A/B tests on your listings, and Vine, which helps you collect reviews. 
• Jungle Scout: A keyword research and tracking tool with a useful listing analyzer. 
• Helium 10: One of the most respected Amazon tools on the market, known for its powerful keyword research features. 
• ChannelMAX: An automated repricing tool that adjusts product pricing based on an assortment of variables and preset rules. 
• Quartile: Generally considered the best tool for automating and optimizing Amazon PPC ads. 

2. Identify Top Long-Tail Keywords

Along with its category and attributes, Amazon uses keywords to understand your product. This, in turn, determines which searches it will appear for. 

There are three types of keywords you should target:

• Short-tail or primary keywords like “balloons.”
• Mid-tail and long-tail keywords like “colorful balloons for a birthday party.”
• Backend keywords like synonyms that don’t carry large search volumes, like “inflatable party decorations.”

Root keywords are highly competitive, so don’t optimize for these exclusively.

Instead, identify the primary product keyword, such as “balloon,” and five to ten long-tail keywords that accurately describe your product. In our example, these might be phrases like “multi-colored balloons,” “large party balloons,” and “balloons for balloon animals.”

A tool like Helium 10 gives you access to keyword data, including search volume and sales, based on a primary keyword.

In addition, Amazon’s own auto-suggest feature is a rich source of keyword ideas.

3. Optimize Your Listing 

Once you’ve collected your keywords, it’s time to put together your listing with keyword-optimized, persuasive copy. It’s important to note that Amazon uses a mix of partial and exact-match keywords to identify and rank listings. 

For example, if you’re selling a “handmade wicker basket,” you don’t need to use that exact phrase all the time. You should use a mix of the base keywords—“handmade,” “wicker,” and “basket”—alongside some exact-match phrases. 

Product Title

Always put the most important long-tail keyword in the product title. If you’re selling a compact cordless vacuum, make sure you say “compact cordless vacuum.”

Your product title should include: 

• The item’s brand name 
• Highest-volume long-tail keyword (which includes the primary keyword)
• The product color and size 

Also add any high-volume partial-match keywords if you have remaining space. e.g. (for a vacuum) “pet hair,” “crevice tool,” “rechargeable,” etc.

There’s no need to go overboard—remember, don’t keyword stuff.

Bullets and Description

The product bullets and description are where Amazon keywords really count. If your descriptions don’t convince people to buy, they’ll bounce from the listing, which will decrease your conversion rate. 

Here’s how to make the most of your bullets and description:

• Bullet points: Include your top keywords here. These bullets appear in the “About this item” section. You’re essentially answering questions preemptively. It’s an opportunity to show what makes your product unique and highlight its key features.

• Product description: Write a concise, snappy description, including some key phrases you didn’t use in the title or bullets. You’re telling buyers why they should add your product to their cart. 

• Backend keywords: These are “invisible” keywords that you can also include in your listing. Target five to ten lower-volume keywords (like synonyms) without “stuffing.” 

Also make sure to check out how your competitors write their descriptions. Critically look for what works and what doesn’t. Other listings can be an excellent source of insights.

Images

While images aren’t a direct ranking factor, they impact click-throughs and conversions significantly. As such, they have a big impact on rankings. 

Follow these Amazon image best practices: 

• Use at least a 1000px by 1000px JPEG or PNG image so that it is clear and zoomable. 

• Demonstrate the product in use to highlight benefits and show its size. 

• Include text in images to better showcase important features. 

• Show all angles of the product and zoom in on key attributes (like charger ports). 

4. Run Amazon Ads & Drive Traffic From Outside Amazon

Volume of sales is the most important Amazon ranking factor. However, there’s a conundrum: without sales you can’t rank, yet in order to rank, you need to make sales. 

This is where sponsored Amazon ads and third-party traffic sources help. Sponsored ads appear alongside the organic results, including at the top of the search pages. They give you the initial boost you need to show Amazon that your product is a good seller. 

Running ads is relatively straightforward. Simply head over to your Amazon Seller account, create a Sponsored Ads campaign, select the product you’re optimizing, and choose Automated targeting, which means Amazon will use the keywords you’ve added to your listing. Use the default options from then on. 

In addition to sponsored ads, the following outside traffic sources give your sales a boost:

• Social media: Promote products on your brand’s social media accounts. 
• Influencer reviews: Give influencers a free product or even pay for a sponsorship in exchange for exposure. 
• Review websites: Reach out to independent review websites and offer a free product for testing. 
• Third-party ads: Use Amazon Attribution to run ads on third-party platforms like Google Ads.

5. Encourage Positive Reviews

Amazon uses reviews to determine your position in the results and to gauge product relevance for keyword queries. Reviews also indirectly affect other factors like click-throughs and conversions. All things considered, they’re pretty important. 

Here are three tactics for generating more reviews: 

• Use the “Request a Review” feature: Take advantage of Amazon’s built-in tool in Seller Central to ask customers for reviews. 
• Add product inserts with a review request: Include flyers or notes when packaging products. 
• Enroll in Amazon Vine: Use Amazon’s dedicated review program to connect with top Amazon reviewers. 

6. Look After Your Account Health

Monitoring your account health reduces the risk of suppression, where Amazon reduces your ranking, either temporarily or indefinitely, because of quality, delivery, or customer service issues. 

You’ll find the following metrics in the Dashboard and Performance sections of your Amazon seller discount. If you start to notice a decrease in your score, take remedial action. 

• Inventory Performance Index: Measures the performance of your FBA inventory. Purchase buffer stock to account for inventory downturns, but don’t leave too much waiting in Amazon warehouses. 
• Customer Service Performance: Tracks the level of satisfaction customers have with your product. Remove any product defects if issues are reported. 
• Product Policy Compliance: Alerts you to any policy violations and customer complaints. If you suspect a violation, follow the appropriate documentation to correct it. 
• Shipping Performance: Gives you an overview of the health of your delivery network. You may need to remedy logistical issues if products are not arriving on time. 

You’ll also see a score between “Very Good” and “Excellent” in the Voice of the Customer section. This gives you a breakdown of the customer experiences associated with specific products and is a useful tool for identifying issues. 

7. Keep an Eye on Price

Price is a direct ranking factor. It also influences clicks, conversions, and the likelihood your product will be showcased as a “Featured Product.” 

It will come as no surprise that lower is better in most cases (there are, of course, always pricing exceptions). There are two steps to finding the ideal price: maintaining a workable margin and watching competitors. If you do both these things, you will strike a balance between profit and competitiveness. 

Amazon’s Automated Pricing tool allows you to set specific rules and take a hands-off approach to price adjustments while protecting margins. 

Amazon SEO Is All About the Long Game

Amazon SEO isn’t a one-off task. It’s about maintaining quality and making incremental improvements to your listings over the long term. 

As time passes, you will gain reviews, increase your seller score, run A/B copy tests, and more. All of these things will increase your sales and generate higher rankings. 

If you don’t see immediate results, don’t worry. The most successful ecommerce sellers are the patient ones. 

Amazon SEO FAQs

What is Amazon SEO?

Amazon SEO is the process of improving the rankings of your Amazon products for relevant queries. 

How do Amazon SEO keywords work?

Amazon keywords are the search terms (i.e. words and phrases) that people type into the Amazon search bar to find products.

Are there any SEO strategies to avoid when optimizing my Amazon shop?

Avoid SEO black hat techniques like keyword stuffing, buying links, spam, or leaving negative reviews on competitor pages to lower their page ranking.

What should my product titles include for the best Amazon SEO?

Make sure to include the item’s brand name, a description of what the item is, and the product’s size and color.

What should I include in my product listing description for my Amazon products?

Include your target keywords (they don’t need to be exact) and product features in the bullets section. You should also include a short, snappy description using keywords you haven’t used in the title.