Amazon is a highly competitive environment for sellers, meaning that brands need to be on their A game at all times in order to experience success on the marketplace. Just like Google, Amazon has algorithms which are constantly being updated and changing the playing field, meaning that being a seller on Amazon is not a passive job, sellers need to be proactive in order to beat competitors on the platform and increase their sales.
But how? The best way is to optimise! Below we share 8 different things you can optimise to improve your listings, ranking and sales.
1. Images
Images are possibly the most important part of a product listing in the eyes of a consumer. The process of shopping online is already a relatively blind one, parting with money and waiting to see what arrives. This is why ensuring you have high-quality images of your products is vital to achieving conversion on Amazon.
Primary image specifications include:
- The image must be a professional photograph of the product being sold. Drawings or illustrations of the product are not permitted.
- Books, Music, Game and DVD images should be the front cover art, and fill the whole frame, and everything else should fill at least 85% of the frame.
- It should be obvious what is being sold therefore do not show additional objects in the image.
- Backgrounds must be pure white (RGB 255,255,255) (CMYK #ffffff).
- The image must not contain additional text, graphics, or inset images.
The other images should clearly demonstrate the use or uses of the product, the scale and show any variation options too.
2. Keyword research
Keyword research is imperative for those wanting to increase their visibility and improve search result rankings. Conducting keyword research by looking for similar products from competitors, creating a seed list of your own and then using tools, such as AMZDataStudio OR Keyword Inspector, to expand on this and provide an idea of those with the highest search volume.
These keywords can then be used to construct your listing titles, bullet points, a long-form product description without forgetting the backend search phrases.
It is important for sellers to remember that this research is not a one-time job and keywords should be reviewed and updated regularly to capture any new
3. Product Title
After the image/s the second most important focus should be the product title. This will be the first text potential consumers are exposed to on the search results pages meaning that it needs to clearly tell them what your product is in a way that is concise and easy to read amongst other products on the page. Following this title format is a good place to start brand name + product type + key feature or benefit – variant (size/ quantity/ pack size/ colour).
You need to review Amazon’s best practice guide for titles in order to avoid suppression of your product listings. Amazon will suppress any listings which fail to comply with the following:
- Titles must not contain promotional phrases, such as “free shipping”, “100% quality guaranteed”.
- Titles must not contain characters for decoration, such as ~ ! * $ ? _ ~ { } # < > | * ; ^ ¬ ¦
- Titles must contain product-identifying information, such as “hiking boots” or “umbrella”.
Amazon gives 200 characters for product titles, in certain categories, but typically recommends that only 80 are used in order to keep the title from being truncated and to optimise the listing for mobile viewing.
The title is the space where you should also put your most important keywords for that particular product too to help rankings.
4. Product features
The product features, or bullet points, are there for a top-level description of what the product is made from, exciting features, any key measurements. This is not an area for long essays about how the product will make a consumer feel. Instead, each bullet point needs to be concise, sticking to one point each.
For example, see what Gillette has created for one of their shaving razors:
- GilletteLabs men’s razor: for effortless shaving and exfoliation in one stroke
- With exfoliating bar: built-in exfoliating bar clears a path before the blades pass
- Incredible comfort and closeness: this razor with adaptive 2D FlexDisc design features Gillette’s best razor blades (first 4 blades)
- Long-lasting durability: Razor handle is backed by a Lifetime Warranty
These points all add value to the listing and allow those with limited time, or attention spans, to get what they need to know without having to analyse a block of text.
Review competitor listings and apply the same format to your own listings, see what features they focus on and use this as inspiration for your product feature section.
You can also use competitors’ Q & A section to see what consumers are asking about the product and aim to answer them within this space.
For example, typical questions asked about products may include:
– Is the item durable?
– Is this item easy to use?
– What are the dimensions of this item?
5. Product Descriptions
It is unlikely that, unless you have a high-value product, many consumers will take the time to read the whole product description. This doesn’t mean that it should be neglected. The description is the area where a seller can be emotive about their product, why should the consumer purchase this product and why from you? It should be an accurate description of the product the consumer will receive, any attempts to make it more than it is will only lead to an influx of returns and bad reviews.
You should try to use up all 2,000 characters available and include other keywords that were not featured in your product title or product feature. Ensure that your product description is still easy to read and appears natural and engaging, with some keyword optimisation.
6. Amazon reviews
A seller cannot optimise Amazon reviews themselves, this would defeat the purpose of having the reviews in the first place. Instead, you can optimise your business to achieve reviews to benefit your brand in other ways.
The most important thing is to ensure you are selling a quality product which meets the expectations you set as the seller through the product listing information and images, doing so will increase the likelihood of positive reviews. You also need to be sure that your operation is running smoothly too, you want to avoid negative reviews as much as you want to receive positive ones.
Although you cannot control what reviews say, if you are confident in your product and service there are ways of obtaining more reviews, without upsetting Amazon, Amazon’s own review program, Vine. Alternatively, you may consider parcel inserts thanking the customer for purchasing and asking for a review.
The benefit of reviews is three-fold, it builds trust with potential buyers looking to make a purchase, it improves your rankings on Amazon search results and gives you as the seller important insight into your operation.
7. Variations
Many Amazon sellers make the mistake of listing their product variations as separate listings, giving shoppers the opportunity to be lured in by a competitor listing. Sellers can optimise their operations by merging variation listings into one and offering the variations as options instead. This means that whether a person searches for a broad term like ‘vest top’ or a more descriptive search term such as ‘red vest top’ your product listing should appear for both.
This is not the only benefit however, you will also benefit from more reviews on the one listing as you will accumulate reviews for all variations in the same place, strengthening the listing and improving your Amazon SEO.
8. Customer questions
Customer questions, both your own and those of competitors, are often overlooked as a place of focus. In this section, consumers are asking questions about things they need to know about a product before making the purchase, literally listing their conversion blockers in a very accessible way. Here sellers will be able to see what key points they have missed from their listing and make alterations to improve it, hopefully leading to a higher conversion rate as a result.
Also, it is a great place for a brand to engage with shoppers and appear helpful and approachable. This builds a rapport and will positively affect the perception consumers have of you as the seller.
It is important to add that anyone can answer questions in this space so it should be monitored to ensure no false information is being given.
At Arthia, we are experienced in optimising all aspects of an Amazon seller’s business. Get in touch today to find out how we can supercharge your brand on Amazon.