Just like Google, most major e-commerce websites like eBay or Amazon have search engines with which users can type in queries for items they are looking to purchase.
The difference comes in how these websites rank products in their SERP (search engine results pages). Since most e-commerce sites do not allow for content to be indexed. They use an internal algorithm to rank products based on backend data that reflects performance.
For example, if product A is given a higher ranking score than product B. Then the website will push product an up higher on the SERP. This practice of pushing specific products to certain ranks is known as Search Engine Optimization (SEO). How does this relate back to Amazon?
Amazon uses a similar internal algorithm to rank their products, however there is one key difference: Amazon allows content like blog posts and product reviews to be indexed by search engines (e.g. Google).
What Does This Mean For Amazon Sellers?
If you have an online store or a website that sells products, you should know about Amazon SEO! When someone types in a query on Amazon, they are searching through customer submitted reviews, short descriptions, and other user generated content.
So instead of keyword optimization being the main focus in ranking products on Amazon, it comes down to providing users with exactly what they’re looking for when typing out queries. This means that if your product has 5-star ratings from users then it will likely appear closer to the top of the SERP.
How Is Amazon SEO Different From Google SEO?
Aside from user generated content, Amazon does something else that sets itself apart from Google: it tells you EXACTLY what users are looking for with their search queries. So whereas on Google you might see a list of results with some keywords bolded or colored, Amazon will literally display what people are searching for at the top of the SERP.
For example, if someone types in “blue shirt” then “blue shirt” will be displayed as a heading and underneath that heading will be every product listed as blue shirt. The same goes for other colors like red and pink shirts! Being able to understand how customers search for products on Amazon is HUGE. When it comes to gaining organic traffic and drastically increasing sales.
How Can I Optimize My Amazon SEO?
The biggest piece of the puzzle when it comes to optimizing your Amazon SEO is providing users with EXACTLY what they’re looking for. For example, if someone searches: “blue shirt” then make sure that’s reflected in your product title and description (with as many keywords as possible). A lot of this falls on keyword research; however there are ways to improve your rankings without extensive testing! Start by using a product database like Jungle Scout or Viral Launch , crawl the top 10 listings for competitive markets, and see if they use certain keywords more than others (e.g. blue shirts, red shirts).
If those products have an average or above average rating. Then it’s likely that these keywords are useful to include in your product copy. Lastly, make sure your item is properly listed! If you have a blue shirt listed as “green shirt” and users search for “blue shirt” then your listing will not come up.
How Can I Find Products With High Demand And Low Competition?
That all depends on what category you’re in! As we mentioned before. The easiest way to do this is by using a product database like Jungle Scout or Viral Launch. These tools allow you to search through different niches. Which makes it easier than ever to find products with high demand and low competition. (just be sure not to go too broad when doing research). From these services, there are essentially six ways that you can successfully find products with high demand and low competition:
- Keyword Research (pretty self explanatory)
- Amazon Best Seller Ranking
- Search Demand by Categories (e.g. highest sold item for “women’s blue dress shoes”)
- Competitor Spy (find out what your competitors are selling on Amazon!)
- Sales Estimator Tool (input your costs, estimate your price. And find out how many units you’ll need to sell in order to break even)
You’re probably thinking “Why should I pay good money for some software when I can just search Google?!”. Well that might be true for Google SEO. However it doesn’t hold up against the level of detail found on Amazon.
