October 17, 2019

Amazon is the largest e-commerce platform in the world and sells more than 12 million products. There are five million marketplace sellers across all 12 Amazon marketplaces. Since there are a massive number of products listed on Amazon, it’s hard for them to have an algorithm that determines the best products to show up after a search. Amazon’s A9 Algorithm is the current algorithm which Amazon is using to determine the best products to rank up before others. Do you want to improve your ranking? In this article, you’ll understand the various factors that affect an Amazon seller’s product ranking and how you can optimize your product listing for higher search results. Amazon’s A9 Algorithm & Product Listings A9 is the internal engine of Amazon which can be optimized to improve product ranking. The techniques to do this change constantly and it’s necessary to remain up-to-date. This system is the organic product ranking algorithm of Amazon which determines the best products to showcase during a search query. Amazon’s A9 Algorithm is a composition of direct and indirect factors which are used to match users’ search queries while they’re surfing through the Amazon marketplace. Factors That Affect Amazon Product Ranking 1. Product Variations There is a built-in feature that Amazon has and is known as parent-child product functionality which directs all users to a single product page. What is the benefit of this? The advantage of this is that you can display all the variations of a similar product on a single page. A variation is nothing but a theme which includes the color or name, style, size, or count of a product. As an Amazon seller, it’s important to also optimize the title of your variations (read our blog on parent & child ASINS on Amazon) in order to drive traffic inwards, towards the listing. 2. Customer Reviews & FAQ Positive reviews of a product are an important factor which affects Amazon’s Product ranking. The number of FAQs is another important factor because it helps customers decide whether they want to buy a product or not. A good way to optimize your listing is by test-buying a competitor’s product. That helps you review and source out several features for your product. You can also get a clear understanding of the clientele that is directed towards the best seller’s products. In order to provide a good customer experience, relay similar methods into your listing. 3. Size & Quality of Images The dimensions of the image must have 1000 or larger pixels in either height or width. The size of 1000*1000 pixels or larger allows users to enable the ‘hover-to-zoom’ feature. Ensure the frame of each image is filled with 85% of the product on a white background and also make sure that no blurry images are used. 4. Product Pricing Let’s assume you’re a customer and you want to buy a product from Amazon. What will be your first requirement? To get the best deal. This doesn’t mean you quote your product as the cheapest. Customers want something that gives them a bit of everything. Affordability, free shipping, and good features. Best deals are a combination of good ratings, reviews, and affordable pricing, so strike the right balance and your product has a higher chance of being recognized. 5. Complete Your Product Listing Don’t let your product listing have incomplete information as this affects product ranking. If you want to rank your product higher on the Amazon search engine, you have to complete your Amazon product listing. On the seller central board, you’ll notice several empty fields, so the more information you place, the better your chances of being ranked. You have to fill in every single field in the listing setup as it maximizes the chances of being able to rank your product before others, especially if your content is optimized. How Amazon Sellers Can Optimize Product Listings? Optimize Main Title First The product title has the greatest impact, both positive and negative, on product performance in the search result. This is the most valuable asset you have on your Amazon Product listing. As per the suggested best practices of Amazon, your product title should include elements such as: Brand Name Product information Unique sales point or key feature Material used Color & Size Packaging or Quantity If you want to optimize your Amazon Product listing, you have to make your title effective. That depends on how you order the above elements. You also have to make sure that you include target keywords in the title as this one is one of the major ranking factors. Include the most relevant keywords first as this has direct algorithmic implications. We have to make sure that the customer knows what we’re selling after their search. There is no search intent on Amazon because users come here to buy a product and that is what Amazon focuses on. You have to make a list of the most important keywords that have a higher relevance and strategically place them in the title while avoiding keyword stuffing. Also, ensure you follow Amazon guidelines. Optimize Bullet Points The bullet points in Amazon product listing have a direct impact on ranking your product in the search results. It has a strong relationship with two important factors of Amazon search results and that is conversion rate and product relevance. You can’t mention everything in the title, so, in bullet points, you get the opportunity to present the feature and benefits of your product. You can use all the keywords from your list, in the bullet points, that you haven’t used for the title. Besides, you can also mention the product warranty details in the bullet too. Test your copy as much as possible. This is what makes you stand out from the average sellers so use different combinations to get higher conversions. Optimize Product Descriptions In Amazon product listing, there is no direct impact of product descriptions to rank your product on Amazon SERPs. It is indexed by A9