Ratings and Rankings: A Comprehensive Guide to SEO on Amazon

It’s easy to think of Amazon as a marketplace, teeming with some of the most vigorously competitive sellers in the world, but what many people tend to forget is that it is a search engine. Setting up your storefront might seem like your primary task, as a seller, but the most important thing about your PDP is whether or not people can find it. 

Keyword optimization might be something you associate with Google searches, but more people actually search for products on Amazon than Google. More importantly, this is how you are discovered. Even the most popular brand cannot do away with entering its name as a keyword. PPCs also won’t bring conversions if you don’t have your product keywords mapped correctly.

If you’re new to SEO on Amazon, here’s how you get started:

1. Enter the search filters on Sellers’ Central

These search filters are your primary keywords, they’re most likely to be how your customers locate you. If you check the filters, you’ll find options like product category, seller rating, shipment method, brand, color, product condition etc. It’s important to ensure that you’ve filled in every single category. Think about how people shop. They could choose by:

• Brand
• Colour
• Shipping method
• A comparative study of product ratings

Remember, no one arrives accidentally or magically at your PDP on Amazon. Fill in every possible filter to make sure you’ve caught your customer at every single point of contact.

Once you’ve got the search filters covered, you can start filling in:

• Product listing keywords. Fill up your PDPs (sensibly and comprehensibly) with all the keywords relevant to your product.
• Audience-related keywords. Your target audience can’t be an invisible cloud that you shoot arrows at. Find keywords that are relevant to them – if your category is clothes – then think about the age group, the gender, the style – it could be formal/punk/goth – anything that might be picked up by a searching customer.
• Backend keywords. These are keywords that won’t be visible to your customer. Using backend keywords is a great way to avoid cramming your page with unnecessary text, so this is the place to throw in everything you think may be picked up.

2. Choose the main keywords for your product url

Your product url usually contains your primary keywords, a node number and a field called Brandtextebin which is used to compare products by performance. Your primary keywords would be the product name, the brand and the colour/type.

3. Learn what goes into Amazon’s search rankings

Getting on top of a search result is not a simple exercise in keyword-dumping. Keep in mind that Amazon’s algorithm is working for both the sellers and the users. Filling up search results with irrelevant products is likely to send customers back to Google, so the algorithm needs to track the relevance of your keywords as well as other factors before showing results.

Broadly, the requirements for seller pages can be mapped under two categories:

• Discoverability
• Desirability

What makes a search result/product page desirable?

1. A well-constructed PDP. A page with the title, the product description, written in clear and attractive language. Images that show your product/brand to the best of their value/benefit. 
2. Reviews and ratings. Do customers like your product? Do you respond well to feedback? Have you been ranked highly? In other words, is what you’re selling appealing to the end user?
3. Price and competition. It’s a general rule: customers look for the best deal. It’s not just your price that needs to be competitive, though. How does your brand stand in comparison with others? What is your unique value addition? What makes you better, more interesting, cooler or more functional than the rest?

What makes a search result/product page discoverable?

1. Is the product selling? The most profitable product is likely to be on top, so if you’re selling well, you’re already halfway there. 
2. Inventory Management If you’re low on stocks, you’re likely to drop off, so it’s really vital to keep an eye on your inventory and make sure your stocks are replenished on time. This will build confidence among your customers and set you apart from competition.
3. Fulfilment method. Amazon fulfilled products simply tend to have a higher trust factor, and give the customer the impression that there’s likely to be less hassle, and also delays. 
4. Shipping costs and price. Everywhere you look, price matters. Try to minimise costs to the customer and you’ll automatically have more conversions, and rank higher. 

Final notes:

• Your PPCs need to be keyword conscious to ensure that conversions happen.
• Write a product title/description that sells. It will be noticed.
• Be unique. Your brand has to have a USP to rank higher on search results.
• Invest in good photography. It would fall very neatly under the ‘desirability’ factor of your PDP.
• Keep track of the algorithm. Amazon’s search engine is in a constant state of movement, so keep yourself updated on what’s happening.
• Don’t lie, don’t cheat. False product information or theft of content will have you delisted.

If you’d like to see how your PDPs and listings rank on Amazon, and where you stand in relation to your competition, visit us at nittygritti.com. Our AI powered tool and 185-point ranking system tell you how your PDP is doing with regard to Amazon’s style guide and also how attractive you are to customers.