Even though the Amazon Search Engine is shrouded in mystery, there are still concrete strategies you can employ to improve the discoverability of your listings on Amazon. According to Amazon, only 19% of customers will click onto the second page of search results when looking for products. Moving your product up on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP) is one of the most powerful ways to increase your discoverability on the world’s largest marketplace. If consumers can’t find your product listing on Amazon, you risk being left with extra inventory sitting in a warehouse and loss of potential revenue. To prevent this from happening, we’ve recommended our top five tips for your Amazon SEO strategy to help increase the discoverability of your Amazon listings.
The Amazon Search Engine Results Page Explained
With the consumer view in mind, Amazon displays the products that they deem to have the best listings and prices. Amazon’s Search Engine focuses the SERP on products and their prices, which creates a natural incentive for third party sellers to increase the overall number of sessions to a product detail page. Optimizing your listing is the easiest way to increase discoverability and drive organic traffic, which is, in many ways, the foundation of your Amazon marketing.
Discoverability refers to how easy a product listing can be found on Amazon. To maximize the discoverability of your listings, you can optimize the following areas: Titles, descriptions, and images. However, there are additional factors that play a huge role in product discoverability, including: Inventory, price, product reviews, relevancy, sales history, sales performance, advertising efforts, and types of fulfillment. Since there are numerous factors impacting discoverability, many of which may be out of your control, it is vital to optimize the parts of your listings you can control.
5 Ways to Optimize Your Listings to Improve Discoverability
1. Use a Descriptive, Informative, Consumer Friendly Title
The product title is the most heavily weighted aspect of product content on Amazon, as well as the first impression customers will have of your brand when searching for products. By optimizing your product title, you have the ability to include more relevant product information as well as name variations right off the bat. For your best title content, you should consider the following: Brand and description, product line, material or key ingredient, color, size, and quantity. Perform keyword research to identify top keywords and include something that adds value, like a product benefit or a key element that sets it apart from competitors. Although Amazon has algorithms, your title should be written for humans, because the algorithms will be based on what real people are searching for. In fact, “keyword stuffing” your title can have a negative impact on the way Amazon’s Search Engine ranks it.
2. Use High-Quality, Zoom-able Product Images
A service we provide and advocate for is high-quality, zoom-able product images. Regardless of the ecommerce channel, this is a best practice to represent your company well. Images influence click-through-rates on the SERP and the overall buyability of your listing. Depending on your product category, you can have nine additional images and we encourage you to use them. The images you add to your listing greatly impact customers’ opinions of your product, and our own research shows that images are a significant factor in customer’s decision to purchase. Make sure the images you use are high-resolution. Show your product from different angles, zoomed in and out. Show how your product can be used by providing lifestyle images. Overall, be creative and showcase your product well.
3. Use Product Features to Inform Customers About Your Product
It’s recommended to use all five bullet points in your listing. This is your opportunity to communicate your product’s value to your consumers. Most viewers skim the bullet section, so put your most important features at the top. You can use the product feature section to answer consumer questions that have come up or any objections that may surface. Be sure to mention what the product is made of; consumers want to know they’re buying a quality product. If your product solves a specific problem, be sure to highlight exactly how in a bullet point.
4. Use the Product Description to Improve Discoverability and Search Relevance
When it comes to enhancing discoverability and search relevance, the product description is heavily weighted. Every relevant product detail should be included. Use up your character count describing what your product is, what it does, and why it’s the best product on the market in your niche. Lead with an elaboration on your product’s features and the benefits to the consumer, then talk about the product. By making your listing relatable, you can make the visitor believe your product is something they need. A storytelling approach could be something creative you can use to catch the consumer’s attention.
Including relevant search terms within your description help you better target your customers. Amazon states, “By providing relevant and complete information for your product, you can increase your product’s visibility and sales”.
5. Use Back End Search Terms to Help Shoppers Find Your Listing
In order to properly optimize your back end search terms, you want to ensure your main Amazon keywords are in at least your product name, bullet points, or description. It’s important to use variations of words consumers might search when searching for your product. For example, if you sell garlic presses, you’d want to prioritize putting popular keywords like ‘garlic mincer’ and ‘garlic squeezer’ into your listing. You can include many search terms in the back end, but do not include competitor names or products. In your back end search terms, you should eliminate all duplicate words. If the word is used once within the listing, that is enough for Amazon’s algorithm to pick up on.
While the ins and outs of the Amazon SERP can be confusing, optimizing your title, images, description, product features and search terms based on what your consumers will be searching for will improve the discoverability of your listing. Using our top five tips for Amazon SEO optimization, you can drive traffic and move your listing up on the Amazon SERP.
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