The Amazon ecosystem has proven over the years that it can be a profitable eCommerce platform for entrepreneurs. Approximately 25,000 Amazon sellers generated $1 million in sales, and 250,000 sellers generated more than $100,000 in sales last year. If you’re looking for a place to start earning money, Amazon can undoubtedly be the platform for you.
However, building a genuinely successful Amazon business can be challenging for new eCommerce entrepreneurs. The Marketplace is flocked with 2.5 million active sellers, and customers mostly lean towards established companies when they buy products.
For this reason, small and medium-sized businesses are trying to master the art of Amazon search engine optimization.
Most new sellers decide to invest in Amazon SEO Services to help them kickstart their eCommerce businesses. But is there a strategy your service provider should employ to maximize your investment? We’ve created this guide to help you know if an Amazon SEO company has organized a systematic approach for your SEO process— Who knows, you might be ahead of the competition in no time!
If you’re a TL;DR type of person and reading long chunks of text is not your cup of tea, don’t stress. We’ve compiled a table of contents to summarize an optimal strategy that your SEO Company should provide:
Zero In On Your Product Category and Target Market.
Understand the Brain Behind Amazon’s Search Algorithm: The A9 Search Engine.
Optimize Your Keyword Research.
Reinforce Your Customer Reviews.
Woo Customers with Detailed Product Descriptions.
Build an Enticing Brand Image.
Master the Art of Product Pricing.
Source: Amazon Seller Central
Zero In On Your Product Category and Target Market.
Savvy entrepreneurs know that determining where to place your products is key to finding and landing your niche market. Without this comprehensive brainstorming process, Amazon’s A9 Algorithm will not be able to match your customers with your new products.
An efficient Amazon SEO company should place your products in the right category and find your target market for you. If a service provider doesn’t begin by streamlining this step, it’s setting your business up for failure.
The game plan is relatively straightforward: Your SEO company should be able to ascertain if your intended market is competitive enough for small businesses to thrive, but not too congested that only the big brands will dominate.
Some examples of ideal niche markets for new businesses include baby products, electronics, jewelry, and sports/fitness items. If your passion involves one of these things, but you’re not exactly sure how it will materialize, your Amazon SEO provider should help.
Source: universoamazon.es
Understand the Brain Behind Amazon’s Search Algorithm: The A9 Search Engine.
A9.com developed the Amazon A9 Search Engine to match customer’s searches with the Amazon platform’s best possible products.
Before you decide to sell products on the Amazon Marketplace, you should understand how to communicate with the platform’s cerebral mechanism and make it work to your advantage. Use it efficiently, and it’ll become your friend. Do the opposite, and negative results await.
The A9 Search Algorithm is built to perform based on two main factors that go hand-in-hand: how relevant your keywords are and how fast you can sell products. Your keywords should properly match what customers usually search for on Amazon (we’ll touch more on this later), which subsequently increases your sales’ velocity rate.
Before you even begin doing product research and building a brand, make sure to put these factors on top of your priority list. It’ll increase the chances of your business catapulting to success.
Optimize Your Keyword Research.
Finding the best possible keywords for your products is one of SEO’s foundational processes, and the Amazon A9 Algorithm is no different.
Amazon A9 is certainly thirsty for keywords, but it won’t understand what you want to happen unless you know which keywords work best for your product. As soon as you place your product in the right category and find your target market, you must be able to strategize on which relevant keywords best fit your type of business.
Several smart techniques are used by successful Amazon SEO companies to help you determine if your strategy is optimal for your business:
- The short-tail/long-tail combo. A combination of short-tail and long-tail keywords is an optimal strategy to keep your Amazon listings relevant.
- Keyword placement. On top of diversifying your keyword types, the right Amazon SEO Consultant will also place your keywords where they need to be. The most relevant keywords, for instance, should always be included in the product title.
- Include backend keywords. Backend keywords are invisible but are equally important. If your listing has exceeded the maximum number of keywords, you can transfer a portion to your backend.
- Beware of subjective keywords. Keywords exist to inform customers about quality and performance, not shower them with flowery words. Avoid using keywords like “best product” or “amazing” and use words related to your product’s functionality instead.
Source: Amazon Seller Central
Reinforce Your Customer Reviews.
Customer reviews are the lifeblood of your listing’s branding and marketing. A good review on your Amazon web page means you can build trust and confidence that help brings in more customers in the future. If you don’t know how exactly to reinforce the number of reviews you have, your Amazon SEO company can help you up to your game.
SEO companies do various things to boost the total number of customer reviews you have on the platform. These strategies include the following:
- They are sending personalized review requests by following-up on Amazon’s generic emails;
- They are shipping out products to Amazon’s top reviewers for free;
- They are contacting reviewers who critiqued products within the same category, and
- They are launching optimized Amazon PPC campaigns.
Some businesses also utilize fake reviews to get ahead of the competition. Going with this route has sparked numerous debates on the state of Amazon seller ethics, and Amazon itself has stepped up to find businesses that use this technique.
If you do invest in falsified reviews, be aware that your account might get suspended by Amazon.
Source: Amazon.com
Perfect Your Product Titles.
Titles are the first thing people notice and are huge factors when it comes to deciding whether or not they will add to cart or look at your competitors.
According to Amazon, product titles follow a specific formula, and a well-crafted title must include the following:
- Quantity, if more than one (since photos can mislead consumers)
- Colors/design/offered flavors (for food and beverages)
- Model number and size
- Power Output
Product titles must follow Amazon’s Style Guidelines, capitalization, and spelling.
For example, since Amazon’s set formula for TVs is:
Style: Brand + Model Number + Product Type + (Color/Pack Size)
We can make the product title:
Samsung 32T4305 2020- 32 Inch Smart TV with HD Resolution (Black)
Nonetheless, feel free to add more details answering the following questions:
- For food and other items: Does your product contain freebies?
- For video games: Is your product limited edition? What console is it compatible with?
- For Apparel: When/what season is it appropriately worn?
Woo Customers with Detailed Product Descriptions.
Product descriptions are the only way to pitch your products to customers on the Amazon platform. When written efficiently, they give your product more character and depth— No matter how good your product is, customers won’t buy it unless they see compelling reasons that would entice them to make a purchase.
Remember, Amazon customers tend to look for specific products when they go to the Marketplace. They are willing to spend time tinkering with Amazon’s filter tabs, where these additional details matter. If you see your product listing on the fifth page of Amazon’s search results, your Amazon SEO company must have done a lousy job.
If you want your product description to stand out, customers should be given a story that will expound on the text written in your product title. Ask help from your provider when you register your descriptions.
For instance, describe why and how you decided to sell organic virgin coconut oil. Why did you choose to sell it, and what are first-hand benefits that customers may experience if they buy your product?
All these details matter if you want to ascertain your customers will see your product listing as their top choice.
Build an Enticing Brand Image.
One of the main reasons eCommerce businesses hire Amazon SEO services is that they want a killer brand image. Entrepreneurs know that competition on the Amazon platform is fierce and that everyone wants to stand out. Since they cannot execute their plans effectively, they hire Amazon experts to take the time and visualize what identity they have in mind for their company.
Outsourcing your visuals can indeed be expensive, but the right SEO company will be able to bring so much more than just a brand image. They will create your company image from scratch, and they usually do it using the following strategy:
- Setting your company’s core values on Amazon;
- Defining your brand’s identity concerning your target market;
- Reinforcing essential messaging tools for your audience (logos, brand visuals, etc.), and
- Building a culture of consistency and flexibility with your brand to increase customer trust.
If your service provider envisions your goals and can effectively turn them into a brand, it has the right game plan for your Amazon business.
Master the Art of Product Pricing.
Product pricing strategies are essential to establish a robust customer base on Amazon.
Since Amazon champions a customer-first philosophy, a product’s retail price affects how visible it will be on the Marketplace. A skilled SEO company can solve this headache for you.
In general, your business should try and undercut the competition by regularly adjusting prices. If you notice a competitor driving sales because its costs are lower, try to match the price without compromising your profit. After all, the name of the game is business sustainability. Whoever can sustain a short-term price reduction will undoubtedly rank up on Amazon’s searches and eventually generate organic sales.
Another promising strategy is to prioritize getting the Amazon Buy Box. For customers, picking the Buy Box option is the most convenient way to buy a standard product.
Sellers naturally covet the Buy Box badge because it skyrockets organic sales. 99% of sales for one category are generated by the Buy Box seller, leaving other entrepreneurs in the dust. What you and your SEO provider can do is devise a plan that would reduce your prices and streamline other parts of your sales process.
For instance, try reducing your shipping time, cancellation rates, or return rates on Amazon. These factors are included by Amazon when they decide who gets the Buy Box.
Prioritize Your Page Speed.
Most sellers are not aware that page speed is crucial to increase conversion rates on the Amazon platform.
This statement is evidenced by actual customer behavior on eCommerce websites. Most online shoppers in the United States abandon a web page entirely if they are made to wait 4 seconds (Yes, that’s equivalent to the average amount of time a person’s eyes stay open before they blink). They remain in line for 15 minutes before finally barging out of the store in a physical store. Do you see the difference?
Amazon SEO companies utilize either a Content Delivery Network (CDN), a WP Engine, or a plug-in caching software to speed up loading pages. Still, another slick technique is to try and compress your product photos. This way, you can optimize the physical process of trying to get into your webpage.
Our Final Take: Amazon SEO Services Are Beneficial to Get a Crucial Head Start.
We believe Amazon SEO services have the natural ability to jumpstart any new Amazon business, but only if they are done effectively. Amazon marketing best practices still boil down to the amount of time you spend crafting your business process, your attention to detail, and willingness to make mistakes.
By closely cooperating with your SEO partner on a proper plan-of-action, your Amazon business will undoubtedly maximize its niche market, expand its target audience, and optimize product pages. Do you know of any other ways Amazon SEO companies can help you with your eCommerce journey? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Author’s Bio
Jayce is the managing director of Seller Interactive, an Amazon full service marketing agency dedicated towards helping brands grow on Amazon. His content marketing expertise has led him to work with brands such as Toyota and GoDaddy, producing content that reached over 20M views in a month. He is on a journey to help D2C brands scale their business on Amazon.
