Amazon SEO Basics for Sellers

The opportunity and overall potential for selling products online are experiencing a surge due to a variety of factors — with the most significant being the COVID-19 crisis that continues to sweep the world. Online store owners are doing their best to market their products, while businesses that used to make a living from physical establishments have had to shift their focus online through search engine optimization (SEO) to keep up with the current business landscape. In such a situation, it is no wonder why online marketplaces such as Amazon are gaining so much traction. As a matter of fact, the use of Amazon SEO is currently one of the best ways to gain brand recognition, not just in 2020 but likely in 2021 and beyond.

While there are other online marketplaces to use, such as Shopify, Amazon continues to showcase its dominance of the market through the platform’s understanding of what people want. In a lot of ways, it is quite a bit like Google in its ability to effectively advertise products within the platform through the use of keywords and a highly effective advertising foundation.

For those who are interested in making the most of the situation and selling products through Amazon, it helps to make use of a few best-practice methods to realize the full potential not just of an Amazon store, but the primary website. Here are just some essential Amazon SEO basics for sellers.

First and foremost, on the topic of the primary website

While most online sellers are fine making use of Amazon as the primary platform, it is still highly crucial to have another means of selling and distributing products, as the primary website still takes precedence. Fortunately, it does not take too much effort to design a website that focuses on providing online shoppers what they want.

For example, an emphasis on simplicity will undoubtedly gain more traffic and revenue, as online shoppers are typically attracted to simple and easy-to-navigate interfaces. It is the reason why Amazon is so popular, as it makes use of the same web design features to attract online shoppers. When it comes to web design, less is more, and the use of content marketing such as articles and blogs can provide another avenue for online shoppers outside of the Amazon market. It is an excellent use of Amazon SEO and provides a contingency no matter the scenario.

Effective keyword building at Amazon

One of the most interesting parts about selling products through Amazon would be through its advertising platform. It primarily involves bidding on specific keywords to be hosted on the paid search results of the online marketplace. It is quite similar to the pay-per-click (PPC) model often used through Google, as the advertiser is charged a small fee for every time the ad is clicked. Considering Amazon is all about commercial products, it can be easy to see how such a system can be so effective.

That said, there are often so many keywords to bid that it can be a little confusing at first. Fortunately, the general rule of thumb is to make use of the most popular competitor’s (relevant) keywords to get ahead. For example, if the user sells handbags, it would be a good idea to look into the most popular handbag searches, and make use of the keywords utilized by the top competitors. Not only does it provide an easy way to bid keywords, but it also frees up time and resources to focus on other aspects of marketing.

Social media marketing can help a company get ahead

The idea of Amazon SEO often means making use of effective keywords through the Amazon advertising platform. That said, considering that every other Amazon seller is looking to do the same thing, it pays to look into other avenues of marketing. After all, the Amazon marketplace is not the only foundation for an Amazon marketing campaign — and effective use of a social media platform can help propel the popularity of any online shop owner.

For example, the use of social media to help spread the word is not just a fantastic way of boosting brand recognition. It can also be used as a convenient hub for people to voice any concerns regarding the products. Considering that companies are more likely to respond through social media channels, even those who are primarily focused on Amazon will likely use the company’s social media account to talk about the products. How a seller reacts to the feedback is crucial, as it can directly affect a company’s online reputation. It also helps to make use of various social media platforms such as Youtube and Instagram, as the social media influencers have a huge subscriber count that the seller can effectively expose to their products.

Steering clear of negative keywords

Aside from the use of Amazon’s advertising platform and social media marketing, it is also crucial to understand the importance of negative keywords on the market. The advertiser will be charged each time their ad populates the search results, but going for too broad a term will lessen the chances that the online shopper will click on the product. For example, the use of the word bag as a keyword is incredibly broad, as there are many different types of bags available.

It would be much better to get rid of such broad terms and go for much more specific combinations of keywords to sell products on Amazon. Negative keywords are not something that just appears on the online marketplace — it can also be problematic in Google search, which means anyone looking to take advantage of Amazon SEO would do well to look out for negative keywords.

Without a doubt, Amazon sellers have a fantastic platform to utilize for their products, and the sheer volume of online visitors can drastically increase their chances. That said, an understanding of Amazon SEO methods, and perhaps the use of professionals, can ensure that any seller looking to find success in Amazon gets the fighting chance they need to earn breakout success.