Can you help me understand how to optimize Amazon listings and rank higher?

No wonder that it’s actually impossible to optimize Amazon listings by simply writing a sound and even fully compelling description content. Why? Simply because a specific search ranking algorithm ruling over this crowded online marketplace takes a plenty of different factors into consideration when it comes to awarding a certain ranking position for each item on sale there. That’s why to stay one step ahead of your niche/product category opponents you will certainly need an in-depth understanding of Amazon SEO outside your listing box. But no need to worry – everything isn’t that complicated as it may seem at first glance. 

The thing is that you can optimize Amazon listings the right way only if you’re betting on the right ranking factors used by its not too sophisticated A9 search ranking algorithm. In fact, A9 mainly relies on two types of ranking determinants – factors of performance, and factors of relevance.

• Performance Factors – are mainly revolving around the key metrics like Click-through rate (CTR), the rate of conversion, as well as your general sales progress taken at scale. Put simply, these factors are showing how well you’ve been doing with your product and customer satisfaction so far.
• Relevance Factors – are much simpler, as these factors just indicate how well your product is matching the search queries commonly used by most of the shoppers looking for products on Amazon. In other words, the main factors of relevance are betting mainly on the right usage of the main target keywords (and long-tail search phrases), as well as their most preferable location you take to optimize your Amazon listings.

Wrapping Up

With all that factors of performance and relevance pulled together and taken into account, here is the list of bullet points for you to get a big picture of ecommerce optimization and understand all nuts and bolts of the process. So, if you want to optimize Amazon listings like a real long-time seller and SEO expert – all in one – consider these practical suggestions listed below and backed with just a couple of cold hard figures:

• It may seem like a no-brainer, but the first page with search results commonly receives nearly all user clicks (approx. 97%);

• What’s really interesting is that about 70% of product requests used by the live shoppers on Amazon are long-tail search queries;
• Keyword location is seen by A9 as a very strong ranking factor, so make sure you know what you’re doing, namely when it comes to choosing the right location for the main target keywords in your product title, the list of bullet points, product description itself, and Seller Central backend search terms;
• Having a long-tail keyword research tool and CTR tracker software is a dire necessity for every successful retailer selling over there, rather than any sort of luxury;
• If you want to optimize your Amazon listings the right way from the very beginning, focus your main SEO efforts on the following elements driving your CTR, such as product title, item brand, set price, product images, FBA (Prime), stock availability, the right product category, label of the bestseller item, shipping cost, feature/benefits preview, and the rest of other buying factors.