Our Industry Leading Amazon Tips & Tricks

5 Quick Ways to Rank Your Products Higher On Amazon

1st let’s learn about Amazon’s product search algorithm, the A9.

Unlike Google’s Search Algorithm, the A9 Algorithm focuses on bringing the best products to the customer’s eyes. Amazon wants the customer to have the best experience on their journey to purchasing the product they are searching for.

Here are the top 3 data points that the A9 algorithm considers when ranking a product on Amazon:

1. 1.) Sales Velocity – A product that has high sales velocity will rank higher than a product that has a lower sales velocity. Sales velocity is a measurement of how quickly a product is selling. Having a competitive price point and a quality product are both vital to maintaining a high sales velocity.
2. 2.) Conversion Rate – This is a big data point that the A9 algorithm factors to rank a product on Amazon. A high-quality listing that shows all of the features and benefits of the product is crucial for the listing to have a high conversion rate.
3. 3.) Relevancy – You always want to focus on keywords that are similar to your product. For example, it is unproductive to try to rank for “red gloves” when your product is a black glove. Create a marketing campaign that captures the relevant terms to your product that you are trying to rank for.

Now that we know the data that the A9 algorithm looks for when ranking products on Amazon, let’s go over some quick ways to rank your products higher on Amazon.

Include Relevant Keywords In The Product Listing –

• The title should include the primary keywords you are focusing on. Do not stuff keywords in the title. It should include the brand name, product name, and keywords that describe the product for the customers searching.
• Each bullet point should explain the benefits and features of the product while including keywords relevant to the product.
• The product description is the last place on the product detail page to include keywords you want to be indexed for. It should convey the brand story and explain in further detail the benefits and features.

Quality Images –

• The main image should only show the product in a white background.
• The other images should each include features and benefits of the product in the form of infographics.
• Include lifestyle images as well so the customer can see how the product looks like in use.
• Most customers who shop on their phones will use the product images to make their buying decisions.

Good Customer Service –

• Address any negative reviews because product reviews can make or break a listing.
• Answer all questions under the “Customer questions & answers” section of the product detail page.

Competitive Price Point –

• Unless your product is part of an established well-known brand that conveys high quality for a higher price point, your product should be competitive to the market.
• If you are sharing the buy box for a listing, then having the lowest price is key to capturing most of the sales and traffic from that listing.

Optimized Ad Campaigns –

• Last but not least, an optimized ad campaign can improve your product rank dramatically.
• Focus on long-tail keywords that are easier to rank for. The organic sales from the long tail keyword will increase the Best Sellers Rank.
• Only advertise on keywords that are relevant to your product. Advertising on keywords that are not relevant will decrease conversion rate and that will hurt your product’s rank overall.

Those are 5 tips you can take action today to improve your product’s rank on Amazon.

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7 Ways To Quickly Optimize Your Amazon Listings For Success

Every brand on Amazon wants its products to rank highest in the A9 Algorithm

As more and more products launch on Amazon everyday competition to attract and convert customers becomes increasingly harder as well.

Ensuring that your product listings are optimized and “Amazon Ready” is a guaranteed way to stand out from your competition and rank higher in search results at a faster rate.

1. 1. Images– Content is king on Amazon, and the adage that a picture is worth 1000 words is increasing true when it comes to attracting and converting customers on. Having high quality professionally shot photos is essential to your listing’s success.
2. Main Image: Your Main images minimum size is 1000 x 1000 and must be shot on an all-white background. The image should be in focus using realistic coloring and smoothed edges. The image should be evenly lit to avoid shadows. Ask yourself how does your main image compare to your top competitors; would you buy your own product based on what you see?
3. Hero Images: Lifestyle images or visual representation of your offer that demonstrates how your product works so customers can picture themselves using it.
4. Benefit Images: Benefit images clearly and effectively convey to the customers the benefits and positive qualities of purchasing your product. Benefit images often incorporate lifestyle photos with benefits lists or, comparisons to other products.
5. Charts & Infographics: Providing your customer with enough information to select the right product is key to not only converting on Amazon but also reduced returns. Incorporating relevant charts and info-graphics allow you as a seller to help educate the customer on how to make the correct choice.
6. 2. Title– Your Product title is one of the 1stthings that customers see when browsing your listings using your top keyword or keyword phrase and placing it early in the title is a standard best practice. Make sure that you maintain a title structure that is easy to read and makes sense to the customer. Do not keyword stuff titles and only include relevant language to match customers queries with Amazons A9.
7. 3. Bullet Points– Bullet points allow you to speak to the emotional benefits of your product and solve your customer’s problems. Bullet Points should be easily skimmable with the main highlighted point of each one capitalized and corresponding to a certain Keyword. Researching areas of complaint regarding competitor listing can provide great insight on how to shape your bullet points.
8. 4. Product Description– The product description section allows you to provide additional in-depth information for your customers to engage with and further convey to the emotional connection as to why they should buy. Product purpose, functionality and additional benefits can be added here with the use of basic HTML layered over it. Product descriptions should be used to incorporate keywords but maintaining a linguistic structure that makes sense to customers is paramount.
9. 5. Backend Keywords– Backend keywords are hidden search terms that are not customer-facing. The keywords you select should be ones that you were unable to fit into your bullets, titles or descriptions. Backend keywords assist in improving the discoverability of your product, as well as improving the general aesthetics of your ProductDetail pages.
10. 6. Positive Reviews– Offering a quality product, excellent customer service and doing so at a competitive price point is the foundation of generating long term positive reviews on Amazon. Enrolling in programs like Amazon’s Early Reviewer Program can help jumpstart this process for new listing being launched and using 3rdparty automated messaged to solicit reviews is a great way to guarantee those who are opted in to receive your messages can review your product via a quick link provided.
11. 7. Enhanced Brand Content– Another lever for brands enrolled in Brand Registry 2.0 is the use of Enhanced Brand Content. This premium content allows brands to add in additional image assets and text to further enhance listings and tell your brand’s story. Brands can select from a variety of modules and options. Including keywords in theAlttextfields can also increase visibility in customers search results.

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FBA vs FBM – Which is the best choice for my business?

Amazon Sellers have two options when it comes to fulfilling orders: Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM) and Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA). Both methods have advantages and disadvantages, and many sellers utilize both options when managing their Amazon presence. Which option is best for your business depends on factors such as order volume, profit margin, product size and weight, product cost, available manpower, and market strategy.

FBM explained

If you are already managing sales through your own eCommerce platform, fulfillment by merchant (FBM) will feel the most familiar. You as the merchant remain in control of your inventory. It is up to you to fulfill all orders through Amazon. FBM sellers can buy shipping on their own, but it is recommended to purchase shipping labels through the Amazon platform as it is generally easier and more cost-effective.

FBA explained

Fulfillment by Amazon is a different animal entirely. You as the merchant will ship inventory into an Amazon fulfillment center where each unit will be scanned and then redistributed throughout Amazon’s system of warehouses around the country. When an order is placed, Amazon will pick, pack and ship your item directly to the customer. This can save considerable effort on your part, but it comes with a cost; FBA fees are higher than FBM fees. FBA orders are automatically Prime eligible which is a huge boost; listings that are Prime eligible have higher conversion rates than listings that are not. FBA listings are also more likely to win the Buy Box, which leads to higher conversion rates.

So which option is best for my business?

As noted before, FBA fees are higher than FBM. In addition, Amazon charges storage fees for utilizing their warehouses which are based on the size and weight of the items. Beyond that, you will have to pay to ship your inventory into Amazon warehouses, adding yet another cost. So how do you know if FBA is right for you?

Do you have the manpower to fulfill orders in a timely fashion? Do you have the shipping scales, label printers, and boxing and packing material necessary to fulfill orders on a daily basis? If the answer is no, FBA may be your best bet. Amazon will work as your staff, fulfilling the orders and dealing with customer returns. In exchange, they will charge higher rates.

In general, sellers are more successful when they choose items for FBA that are small in size, lightweight, high margin, and high in turnover. FBA is not the place for your large, heavy and slow-selling inventory. The additional storage fees will make FBA cost prohibitive and you will be better shipping those items on your own. Higher FBA fees will make it hard to realize a profit on lower-margin items. FBA inventory must be labeled with Amazon barcodes, which time-consuming and potentially costly (Amazon can label these items, for a fee). These are all factors that should be considered when deciding to send your own inventory into Amazon warehouses.

Slower selling, lower margin, larger and heavier inventory should be fulfilled by merchant. Lower FBM fees will help you protect margins while avoiding FBA storage fees. FBM also carries the advantage of giving you control over your own inventory. This is a major factor to consider if you also sell on your own eCommerce platform. FBM sellers are free to add or remove inventory from Amazon as it is available. Say, for example, you receive a large order away from the Amazon platform. You can immediately make that inventory unavailable for Amazon and do with it as you wish. In contrast, FBA inventory will be unavailable to you unless you request that Amazon returns it, which is a time-consuming process.

However, FBM items are not Prime eligible unless you qualify for Seller Fulfilled Prime, which can be difficult. FBM listings are also less likely to win the Buy Box. As a result, your FBM listing may experience a lower buyer conversion rate than if it were listed FBA. You may have better margins selling on FBM, but experience lower volume sales because of the lack of Prime badge and Buy Box.

Bottom Line

The decision to use either FBA or FBM will depend on a number of factors unique to your business. The good news is that it is very easy to switch listings from FBA to FBM. If you find that you’re unable to keep up with order volume, or that your competitors are all Prime-eligible and winning the Buy Box, you may do best to give FBA a shot. If you find that storage fees are excessive and that turnover is low, it may be best to switch to FBM.

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Amazon Fulfillment By Amazon (FBA) Packaging

If you are planning on fulfilling orders through FBA, product packaging is something you will have to consider. Your product may require new or revamped packaging in order to be sold through Amazon’s fulfillment network directly.

The first thing to keep in mind is that every item fulfilled through FBA requires a scannable barcode of some type. This may be the manufacturer’s barcode, or it could be an Amazon-specific barcode (more on that later). The barcode can be visible on the product’s box, an insert card, a sticker or a label. If your product does not already contain an eligible manufacturer’s barcode, you will need to use Amazon’s barcoding system. Manufacturer’s barcodes are not eligible for products with an expiration date, consumable products, topical products (skin cream, cosmetics, shampoos, etc). If your product falls into that category, you must use Amazon’s barcoding system.

Another important thing to keep in mind is that your product may have category-specific packaging requirements. It is important to familiarize yourself with any packaging requirements that your inventory may have. Learn More

At this point, you may be thinking that you need to redesign your packaging for Amazon success. If you buy your product from a supplier, contact them and ask for the packaging template for the product. If you are not knowledgeable about graphic design, a graphic designer can edit this template to make sure a scannable barcode appears on the packaging. If your product does not normally ship with packaging (for example, a basketball), you may need to polybag it and put a sticker containing the barcode on it.

If your current packaging does not meet these requirements, but you are unable to change the packaging, you can simply place a sticker with Amazon’s barcode over your ineligible barcode. Your package must contain only one barcode, so if your current barcode is ineligible you must cover it up with Amazon’s barcode.

If you do not want to take the time to relabel your barcodes, you can pay Amazon to do it for a fee. However, doing this could hurt your margins, and can slow down the process of landing your FBA inventory throughout Amazon’s network of fulfillment centers. If possible, it is best for you to make sure all packaging contains FBA-eligible barcoding before shipping into Amazon.

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Amazon Packaging Inserts

Product inserts – Why you need them

Amazon is the largest marketplace in the world. When you sell your products on Amazon, you are reaching millions of potential new customers who would not have had the opportunity to find your products otherwise. This provides an incredible new opportunity to create brand awareness and to expand your customer base. However, Amazon does not allow merchants to include any promotional content which is external to the packaged product itself. Therefore, you must be sure that any promotional content is contained within the packaged item itself. This is your chance to connect with your customers, encourage them to leave positive reviews, and tell your brand’s story. Let’s get to work!

Explain what the product is and how it works

Customers who are confused about how to operate a product are the most likely to return the item or to leave a negative review. Your product packaging or insert card must contain an accurate description of the product as well as for instructions on how the product works. This will improve customer satisfaction and increase the possibilities of the customer leaving a positive review.

Generating positive reviews

Amazon no longer allows merchants to offer any sort of discount or free product in exchange for reviews. However, this does not mean that you can’t use your product packaging as an opportunity to generate positive customer reviews. You can create a very simple product insert that asks the customer “are you happy with your purchase?” If the answer is yes, ask them to leave a review. If the answer is no, ask them to contact you the seller directly to discuss the problem. This will encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews directly while giving dissatisfied customers an opportunity to hash out any problems with you directly before they leave a negative review.

Driving engagement beyond reviews

Make sure that your brand’s logo is featured prominently on the packaging to increase brand awareness. This will help customers differentiate your product from other similar products in the future. Does your business utilize social media as part of its marketing strategy? Great! Make sure your product packaging/inserts let your customers know where to find you on various social media platforms. Customers who engage with your business on Facebook and Instagram are far more likely to order with you again in the future.

Telling your brand’s story

Does your brand have a story to tell? This is your chance to tell it. One of the products that I sell is a cotton rope used for doing cowboy lasso tricks. At first glance, it is just a rope. However, there is a very long and interesting story behind this rope. Our product packaging tells this story to the customer, explaining the history of the product and detailing why it is the perfect weight, diameter, and density for performing cowboy rope tricks. By telling this story, an ordinary-looking cotton rope can become a much more dynamic product.

You never get a second chance at a first impression

The way you package your product and the information contained within the packaging will leave a lasting impact on your new customer. Packaging and insert design are a crucial aspect of your overall sales strategy. Many merchants treat packaging as an afterthought and fail to reach their true potential on the Amazon platform as a result. By following the advice detailed above, you will be on your way to driving positive customer interactions and feedback

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