While Google might be the go-to for all things search, Amazon is still the king of eCommerce search. Many people go to Amazon, not Google, when they want to buy something.
That’s why Amazon has tremendous power to connect brands with customers who are ready to buy. But selling on Amazon is a small factor in succeeding on the platform.
Like Google, Amazon has sophisticated algorithms that determine which products show up first and which products are pushed to the bottom of the search result page.
The Amazon marketplace is incredibly competitive. 70% of all Amazon shoppers don’t look beyond the first page of product results. That means your brand has to beat out all other competitors in the space to have a chance of making a sale.
Sure, you could boost sales with paid strategies like Amazon Ads, but your best bet for success is optimizing for organic traffic first with Amazon SEO.
4 Best Practices for Amazon SEO in 2020
With 2019 coming to a close, marketers have to understand how Amazon SEO will work in 2020. Consider these 4 factors before you plan your Amazon strategy for 2020.
1. Collect reviews and answer questions.
Customer reviews and answered questions have a big impact not only for customer experience, but also for Amazon SEO rankings.
While high ratings will give you an SEO boost, the quantity of reviews matters, too. The quantity matters because it shows you can consistently deliver quality to many people. If you have two five-star ratings, you won’t have the SEO juice of a listing with 150 five-star ratings.
With Amazon SEO, the more plentiful high ratings you receive, the better your SEO score. The opposite is also true, though, so if you neglect customer service or product quality, your SEO will take a hit with every negative review.
Good reviews also boost your click-through rate by convincing users to click on your product in the first place. Once they’re on your page, good ratings push customers over the edge into making a purchase. Because you’re boosting your CTR and conversions and making Amazon more money, you get a boost to SEO.
You can encourage users to leave a review by giving great service and dedicating yourself to product quality. Aside from that, you could also leave a note in the product package asking for a review. Make sure you comply with Amazon’s guidelines if you ask for a review, though.
Answered questions are also important. They help customers understand exactly what they’re buying, improving conversion rates. While fellow customers can answer questions, it’s ideal for you to answer them as the seller so the information is 100% accurate.
2. Overhaul your product listing
Your product listing is one of the most important ranking factors for Amazon SEO. Don’t throw your product pages together thoughtlessly; product listing pages are the best way to increase your Amazon rank.
Optimizing content encourages customers to click through and purchase your product, increasing your conversion rate. Since Amazon exists to make money off of your product sales, it rewards you for encouraging more people to buy.
Optimize both your text content and images to improve SEO.
For the product text, include every iota of helpful information about your product on the page. Remember, customers can’t pick up and inspect your product on Amazon. They have to rely on your description to know if the product is right for them or not. This is your chance to make a big impression, so never leave an area of your listing page blank.
Don’t forget to highlight the benefits of your product. How will it help the customer? Always lead with value to convince people to purchase.
Always check that your content is grammatically correct, clear, and spelled properly. You can always use free tools like Grammarly or Hemingway to check your content before you add it to Amazon.
Your product listing page should be easy to read. Use spacing and bullet points so it’s easier for customers to learn about the product.
And don’t forget to optimize your product images, too. Upload large, high-quality images that customers can zoom in on. Include images or videos of the product itself as well as the product being used in daily life. This shows what customers can expect when they buy the product.
3. Pay attention to keywords
Amazon’s ranking algorithm won’t show your product for a query unless you have keywords that exactly match the customer’s query. That’s why it’s incredibly important to get your keywords right.
You can find keywords by looking at Amazon autocomplete or checking out what keywords your competitors are targeting.
Don’t forget to put these keywords in all the right places on your product listing page, including the title, bullet points, and description. Of course, don’t load your content with just keywords. Optimize the content so your human customers will be able to read it, too.
Remember that keyword optimization isn’t a one-and-done process. Partner with an experienced Amazon agency like Logical Media Group to continue optimizing your listings as Amazon adjusts its algorithm.
4. Plan now for voice search
Voice search is a new frontier for 2020. All Amazon brands need to keep voice search their radar: experts predict that 50% of all searches in 2020 will be done with voice search.
Of all the platforms leading the charge in voice search, Amazon is ahead. It’s one of the few platforms where customers can say, “Alexa, buy laundry detergent” and have detergent on their doorstep in hours.
Voice queries will have a big impact on Amazon sales. In addition to traditional keywords, you now have to optimize for very long-tail, colloquial keywords that are voice search-friendly.
The added challenge is that Amazon’s Alexa automatically selects items for voice users to buy. You want your brand to be in first place so you’re a shoo-in for voice search queries.
The best way to do this is to become an Amazon’s Choice product. Amazon has to approve you for this, but generally, it’s affected by your number of sales, reviews, price, and fulfillment.
The Bottom Line
Amazon is the go-to platform for all things online shopping. Before trying other strategies like Amazon Ads, optimize your SEO for organic purchases first. Prepare now for 2020 to score more organic purchases, improve brand longevity, and see better ROI for your business.
But Amazon continually changes its algorithm. If you aren’t experienced in SEO, you might wonder how to optimize your business for impending changes. Get in touch with Logical Media Group now to create an Amazon strategy tailored to your brand.
