Amazon can be a goldmine for clever marketers, but there are an abundance of people looking to make a dollar on the online shopping platform. In order to stand apart from the hordes, it is important you deploy keywords thoroughly and effectively to target your products.
There are a different set of parameters for driving SEO for Amazon compared to other search engines. Amazon is ruthless – if your listing does not contain all of the search terms entered by the user, it will not be recognised by the search function. For this reason, SEO for Amazon is imperative to improving your search results and conversion rates. We have detailed some keyword tips to help you kick-start your Amazon sales journey.
How Amazon’s A9 Algorithm Works
As a buying platform, Amazon differs from Google and similar search engines due to its simplicity. While Google supports results dedicated to research on products and services, the assumption with Amazon is that users are ready to complete a sale when they search.
For this reason, the A9 algorithm is designed to achieve one goal only – sales. The algorithm ranks results based on two parameters, performance and relevance. Performance refers to the previous sales history of the product in question, whereas relevance refers to how well your product matches the search queries of customers. If you are new to selling through Amazon, you will need to place extra precedence on keywords that are relevant according to the Amazon algorithm.
The A9 algorithm is slowly evolving in an effort to further drive sales, and those undertaking marketing for Amazon should ensure they keep up-to-date with changes.
Quality and Quantity – Use a Keyword Research Tool
Given the staggering number of unique items offered on Amazon, specificity in keywords is crucial to your product appearing when searched for. If the keywords that your potential buyers search for are not associated with your listing, they will not see your product and never purchase it – it’s that simple.
As a starting point, consider using a free Amazon keyword tool such as Sonar to populate a keyword list for your products. While you don’t want to copy your competitors, a good tactic when starting out is to use the ASIN (Amazon Standard Identification Number) of a competing product. When typed into Sonar or a similar tool, a list of high-ranking keywords associated with that product will be populated. The idea is to build upon these keywords and create your own that eventually perform better than your competitors.
As for using keywords in product titles, ‘the more the better’ is generally an effective rule of thumb provided the information is truthful and informative. The following image from Clickworker demonstrates effective use of keywords in a product title.
You can use up to 200 characters in your title, so if you have keywords that are relevant to the product in question, by all means use them.
Use Long-Tail Keywords to Your Advantage
In simple terms, long-tail keywords are phrases of three or more words that describe your product, such as ‘small black boxing gloves’. Amazon is a marketplace for buyers who want very specific products, so crafting effective long-tail keywords can yield great conversion rates.
Long-tail keywords account for almost 75 per cent of Amazon searches, and yield a higher conversion rate than singular keywords due to their specificity to prospective buyers and lower competition than singular keywords. You can use Sonar or a similar tool to determine high ranking long-tail keywords as a starting point when planning SEO for Amazon.
Improve Your Amazon Presence with SEO from Studio Culture
The rules for Search Engine Optimisation are varied and ever-changing, but we strive to stay up-to-date with current trends. Studio Culture is committed to innovation and strategy in the digital sphere, and if you need advice on SEO and marketing for Amazon, our SEO team can help you achieve stronger traffic and conversion results. For more information on our services, give us a call on 1300 200 113.
