Amazon’s search algorithm determines the order, or ranking, in which product listings appear on its results pages, and just like Google, the higher you are in the ranking the more conversions you will typically get.
The key influencing factors identified for Amazon include:
- Keywords – these are one of the most important things to include in your listings
- Conversions – the number of sales made of products is an important factor
- Product reviews – the quantity of positive reviews builds validity and trust in the eyes of Amazon.
Though we can have some influence over two of these factors, product reviews and conversions. We have more control over keywords.
These five pointers will help you utilise keywords to boost your rankings on Amazon.
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1. Make your titles your no.1 priority
When it comes to keyword placement on Amazon, the place you want to focus on getting just right is the title. Alongside an image, the title is the thing the consumer sees on the results page which will affect their decision whether or not to click on your listing.
From a ranking perspective the title is to Amazon what a meta-title is to Google. It should be highly relevant and tell the consumer exactly what the product is with as much detail as possible. Unlike Google however, Amazon doesn’t seem to mind titles loaded with keywords so feel free to include all the important ones.
Be sure to keep in mind that these titles are typically 90-95 characters or 12-13 words long, so make sure that no important keywords end up being truncated.
2. Keep an eye on your competitors
Anything they can do, you can do better. In order to get to the top of the rankings on Amazon you will have to beat competitors and once there, defend your spot. To do this you have to understand and stay up to date with what the top competitors in your space are doing.
What keywords are they using in their listings? How are they phrasing their descriptions? What is their title format?
You can use your competitors to bulk out your keyword research. Take a look at their listings and note all of the keywords used. Once you have this list you can enter them into a keyword research tool to discover related terms and give you a longer list of keywords to use.
3. Utilise the back end
The Hidden, or Search Terms section of your Seller Central backend is an often overlooked or even forgotten place for keyword placement. There is a space for 250 characters that can be used for keywords.
As these keywords are not visible to consumers it is a great place to put common misspellings that may receive a lot of monthly search volume. This way you can rank for these typos without consumers becoming distrustful due to the number of spelling mistakes on a listing.
4. Use Amazon search for ideas
Amazon tries to help its users find what they are looking for by presenting them with predictive searches. This can be a great place to find keyword variations that people are frequently using related to your core terms.
Simply go to Amazon as if you were a consumer, type a core term and see the suggestions Amazon brings up. These can then be used for further keyword research.
5. Don’t be afraid to include variations
Don’t feel you only need to use the core terms when optimising your product listings, particularly in the product descriptions. Use variations of your keywords to help cover all bases and to give the content a more natural feel, free from repetition.
For example if you have a product that is vegan, you can use variations such as “cruelty free” and “free from animal products”, to capture those searches and make your copy more consumer friendly.
If you need help getting started, you can appoint an Amazon Agency, like the UK’s Arthia to assist.
