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Many entrepreneurs spend a lot of time and money worrying about how their business ranks on Google, but did you know that 3 times as many buyers search for products on Amazon as they do on Google? I know Amazon is the first place I go to check for product pricing and reviews, mainly because they have SO MUCH stuff on their site and so many people use it that there are tons of quality reviews. Amazon is definitely where you want your products to be featured, preferably on the first page of listings. So how do you manipulate Amazon’s algorithm to make sure your business isn’t overlooked? Follow these steps and you’ll rank well and increase sales before you know it.
Understand the algorithm
Amazon’s algorithm is called A9, and relevancy is at its core. When a consumer searches for a product, Amazon searches through their listings to find the products they feel are most relevant to the search queue. Then they sort those results into an order according to what they feel is most relevant to the customer.
The purpose of the A9 algorithm is essentially to maximize the revenue per customer (RPC) by tracking every action a customer takes. They look at everything from what a person buys to where their mouse hovers on a page.
There are 3 main factors that influence A9: conversion rate, relevancy, and customer satisfaction. Conversion rate factors are stats that influence conversions, like pricing and customer reviews. Relevancy factors are things like title and product description, and customer satisfaction includes seller feedback (ie: reviews) and order defect rate.
Hopefully now you better understand how the Amazon ranking algorithm works so that you can understand how to make sure your products rank among the most relevant for each given search term. Here is some more information to consider in terms of specific relevancy factors:
Conversion factors:
Customer reviews
Reviews are a huge part of the customer buying process on Amazon. That means if you want your product to show up on the first page, it needs to have the same quantity and quality of reviews as the other products that are listed. Reviews show that other consumers trust your brand and products, and they encourage others to have confidence and make purchases from your company as well. Definitely reach out to your buyers and make sure they’re satisfied with their purchase, and then encourage them to leave a positive review. Not sure how to get your audience to leave positive feedback? Check out this article from No Risk SEO.
Price
Absolutely check out the pricing of your competition before determining pricing for your own products. You should either match or beat everyone else’s pricing; a lot of times consumers search for a product on Amazon and end up buying the cheapest one with the best reviews. You don’t want there to be a huge gap in price between you and your competition.
Relevancy factors:
Title
Definitely make sure you have all the relevant keywords in your product title, with the product name listed first. According to crazylister.com, Amazon recommends you include the following information in your product’s title: product, brand, quantity, material, and color. Just make sure the title is clear and easy to read- you don’t want to jumble it up with so many keywords that customers don’t even know what they’re looking at. It’s recommended to use about 80 characters in your title.
Product Description
You have 2000 characters to help your product end up on the first page of Amazon; choose them wisely! The product description is a great place to include more relevant keywords, a compelling call to action, as well as more specific details about your product.
Search terms and source keywords
There are so many keywords to choose from you want to make sure you have the MOST relevant keywords to your product. One good way to do this is by looking at similar products on page 1 of Amazon to see what words they’re using, and then copy the ones that also apply to you. Keyword Scout is a great tool to use if you’re struggling to come up with keywords.
Startupbros recommends using this hack to take advantage of Amazon’s use of source keywords:
- Construct a URL for your product listing using the [&keyword=your+keyword] query (append the code inside the brackets to your product URL).
- Use a link shortening service like bit.ly to create a shareable link to that URL.
- Drive traffic to the shortened link.
Any time a sale results from one of these shortened keyword links, it tricks Amazon into thinking that a customer searched for a product using your target keywords.
No Risk SEO has some great tips for the Dos and Don’ts of keyword strategy.
Customer satisfaction factors:
Order processing speed
Amazon is known for it’s fast shipping; millions of people pay for Amazon Prime in order to take advantage of the 2-day shipping speed. Some people even refuse to buy products that aren’t labeled Prime because they don’t want to wait the typical 7 days to receive their package. Nowadays it’s just too easy to get what you want quickly, so make sure your business is keeping up. Sellers who consistently process orders quickly and efficiently will rank much higher than those who don’t.
Order defect rate
Every time a consumer makes a claim, it’s considered an order defect. Amazon wants all their sellers to aim for an ODR of less than 1%, so it’s definitely worth it to address any negative customer feedback you may receive. If a consumer leaves a negative review but then removes it later on, this does not count towards your ODR. You can calculate your ODR rate by dividing the number of claims made on your products by the total number of orders you’ve fulfilled.
So what’s the takeaway here? Maximum revenue per customer is Amazon’s top goal, and should be yours as well. Amazon’s algorithm looks at conversion rates, relevance, and customer satisfaction to determine their rankings, so keep your prices competitive, your descriptions filled with keywords, and your customers happy (and encourage them to leave reviews!) The more you sell, the better your rankings will be. No Risk SEO has some great ideas on how to enhance your product conversion rates- read about them here!
Feature Image Credit: amazon.com