The Definitive Guide to Amazon Listing Optimization

Amazon listing optimization is more than just a way to make your product page easy on the eyes. It’s a necessary strategy involving several components that have the potential to bring your product listing to page one of Amazon search results. If you’re ready to give your product the visibility it needs to rank above the competition and capitalize on sales that come with it, you’re ready to learn how to optimize your Amazon listing!

Below we will go into the fundamentals of listing optimization on Amazon, the benefits of creating a fully optimized listing, and the components that go into a high-converting Amazon listing.

What Is a Listing on Amazon?

A listing on Amazon describes the product page shoppers see once they make their search result selection. An Amazon product listing includes the title of the product, multiple featured images, a written description & bullet points, price, dimensions, customer reviews, and more. This is also where coupon availability, shipping options, customer questions & answers, and user-submitted photos are displayed to help shoppers make a more informed buying decision.

If you are selling on Amazon, be aware it’s not just your product information displayed on your Amazon listing! Through Amazon’s bid-based advertising system, other competitor products also take up real estate on your listing. This includes sections like: “Products related to this item,” “Add an accessory, ”Frequently bought together,” or simple display ads located throughout the listing. 

What Is Listing Optimization on Amazon?

Listing Optimization on Amazon is the process of tailoring your Amazon product listing to include high-demand keywords, high-quality imagery, and a sales-motivated description to ultimately help your product rank higher in Amazon search results. The goal of Amazon’s search algorithm is to match the phrases shoppers are typing into the search bar with the most relevant products available. The more relevant keywords and phrases Amazon recognize within the content of your listing, the more it will promote your listing in search results. Relevant keywords are most valuable when added to the product title, product description, back-end search terms, and subject matter.

Listing optimization on Amazon also involves adding high-quality images to your Amazon listing that:

• Accurately reflect the problem that your product solves
• Clearly depict the size and scale of the product to avoid customer confusion
• Demonstrate the emotional value of using the product
• Include an infographic with benefit-driven sales language

In short, Amazon listing optimization is one of the most important parts of maintaining and growing a thriving Amazon business because it will determine how your digital “storefront” is perceived by the millions of shoppers on Amazon!

Why Is Amazon Product Listing Optimization Important?

Amazon product listing optimization is important for sellers because it is the best way to boost product visibility and, in turn, product sales. When you optimize your Amazon listing, you are setting yourself apart from the competition. Amazon SEO (search engine optimization) includes professional-looking product photography, the use of keyword research tools, and crafting keyword-rich listing content to give the Amazon search algorithm exactly what it needs to push your product listing to page one.

Listing optimization on Amazon is one of the most rewarding investments an online seller can make, with minimal time investment and massive ROI potential. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how great your product is if nobody can find it. By optimizing your Amazon listing, you are giving it a prime stage on the Prime marketplace. 

Why Do Amazon Sellers Need Amazon Listing Optimization?

Amazon sellers need Amazon listing optimization to be seen by as many people as possible. Most Amazon shoppers do not venture past page one of search results when looking for a specific product. Shoppers searching with lengthier or more detailed phrases typically have a much higher purchase intent than a shopper who searches using vague keywords. For example, someone searching for a “case for AirPods” is much less likely to buy on the spot than someone searching for a “vintage leather case for AirPods.”

Make it easy for people who already want your product but can’t find it to discover you at the top of Amazon’s search results!

By including relevant, specific keywords in your listing, you are making it clear to the Amazon search algorithm that your product listing is hyper-relevant to a particular group of keywords. Being discoverable on page one increases product sales, nets more product reviews, and dramatically boosts brand awareness… all without the costly investment of traditional advertising costs.

What Are the Benefits of Amazon Listing Optimization?

Proper Amazon listing optimization promotes brand visibility with minimal investment, bolsters organic conversion rate, and swiftly drives high purchase intent traffic to your listing. Amazon product listing optimization is a relatively light financial lift when compared to other more intensive sales-boosting strategies like PPC advertising and email marketing. Although Amazon listing optimization requires upfront keyword research and some creative brainstorming, it also requires very little in the way of upkeep. As long as you make sure to update your keywords, description, and images occasionally, it is very easy to keep your product listing in top-selling shape.

How Do You Optimize an Amazon Product Listing?

Optimizing an Amazon product listing relies on more than just one ingredient. Every listing on Amazon is made up of several different sections that, if crafted correctly, can work together to skyrocket your conversion rate with only a few changes. The product listing sections you’ll want to focus on most include product title, bullet points, product description, enhanced brand content, product images, search terms, and subject matter.

It’s critical to avoid guesswork as you optimize your Amazon product listing. By enlisting the help of data-driven listing optimization tools, sellers can pinpoint exactly which keywords to use in their listing and where to place them for maximum ranking potential. Amazon listing optimization tools like Listing Analyzer and Listing Builder give sellers the ability to not only score their (and their competitors’) listings but also leverage high-converting keywords to their fullest potential. At the end of the day, we want to go beyond helping your listing convert. We want you to fully understand how Amazon listing optimization helps you convert so you can replicate the process with future products!

Product Title

Your product title is your storefront sign that needs to capture both the fleeting attention of online shoppers and the critical eyes of the Amazon search algorithm. A good Amazon product title accurately reflects what the product is with descriptive language ‒ your product title should never contradict what shoppers are seeing in your main product image. Additionally, a product title should include your primary target keyword or phrase, preferably near the start of the title. It’s best to avoid “keyword stuffing,” meaning your product title should still be easily scannable for people and not simply one keyword strung together with another.

Crafting a high-ranking product title requires a balanced approach of sales language with knowing when to insert the relevant keywords.

Amazon listing optimization tools like Listing Builder allow you to import keywords while helping you track which ones you are using within your listing. Not only that, but Listing Builder allows you to view search volume for each keyword you’re using to help you more effectively prioritize. 

Bullet Points

This is where you can start bragging about all the wonderful things your product brings to the table. Your bullet points are where you should be upselling how your product features benefit the customer using emotionally compelling language in bite-sized highlights. Don’t just tell shoppers that your product makes their lives easier, tell them how. Does your product have a special feature that your competitors lack? Make sure you call attention to it here. Again, your Amazon listing bullet points should include your target keywords in the most natural way possible. Don’t overdo it ‒ no matter how many keywords you squeeze into your listing, your product page won’t convert if it’s hard for shoppers to read!

Description

Take advantage of your Amazon product description ‒ it’s one of the few places you’ll have room to be more long-winded with your product feature details. Where does your product outperform the competition? What exactly does each of your product’s features mean to a customer who has never purchased from you before? Are there things you’d like to clarify regarding your product’s size dimensions or which components are included?

Your product description should leave nothing to doubt while (you guessed it!) including your primary target keywords to help your Amazon listing rank higher.

Enhanced Brand Content (EBC)

Enhanced Brand Content (now known as A+ Content) describes the elevated content features only available to brand registered Amazon sellers. A+ content, or Enhanced Brand Content, allows sellers to incorporate additional text-rich imagery, extra bullet points, and comparison charts… all within your product description. 

If you aren’t already Brand Registered on Amazon, you should be! It’s worth it for A+ Content capabilities alone. A product listing with A+ Content will almost always outsell a listing with traditional, limited description features. Sellers should always take full advantage of any extra leverage Amazon presents for listing optimization. A+ Content, or Enhanced Brand Content, adds a sophisticated brand presence to your listing along with eye-catching imagery options and expanded real estate to hype your product. All this to say, if you want more sales, A+ Content is your best friend.

Images

We are visual beings by nature, and nowhere is a better example of this than online shopping. How many times have you clicked on an Amazon listing without even reading the title because the main image matched up with the idea of what you wanted in your head? Your product images are perhaps the most important component of your Amazon listing optimization strategy because they are responsible for creating the thing you only have a single shot at as an Amazon seller: a good first impression. 

Your Amazon listing should have no less than seven images. These images will vary in style, but this is the number you should plan on for a compelling product page. Your main image is the first thing shoppers will see when viewing your product, so make sure it is high quality and closely follows Amazon’s terms of service. Some tips:

• Your main product image should be against a plain white background 
• Avoid low-quality or artificially scaled-up, blurry images
• Avoid badges or icons 
• Do not include props ‒ only what you are offering 

Your remaining photos will be a combination of infographics and lifestyle images. Infographics are images that incorporate written info, such as photos depicting product dimensions, competitor comparison charts, or simply an image of your product with text highlighting different features in a visually pleasing way. Lifestyle images are photographs that show your product in everyday use, typically with the help of a model. These are emotionally driven images ‒- show shoppers how they will feel when they use your product. Show it in different scenarios and settings, utilizing all of its features. You are actively selling your product images, so when you go about your Amazon listing optimization, spend a lot of time thinking about your visuals!

If you are interested in a more detailed breakdown of specific image requirements, including dimensions, file types, and more, take a look at our walkthrough here.

Search Terms

Do you have leftover keywords from your research that you don’t know what to do with or how to prioritize? What about commonly misspelled versions of popular keywords or Spanish versions of your keywords? The Search Terms field is invisible to the public but still works in your favor to index for keywords. Don’t leave this blank!

Subject Matter

Subject Matter is also part of your Amazon listing’s back end (does not appear to shoppers.) This field typically allows for a little more leeway in the way of character limit, giving you five fields of 50 characters each. Populate the Subject Matter field with your top-performing keywords to give Amazon a better idea of how to index your product, both for product categories and for organic search results.

Reviews

Product reviews ‒ they’re the lifeblood and social proof of any successful product on Amazon. While reviews aren’t typically considered part of product listing optimization on Amazon, the importance of reviews to your brand reputation cannot be understated. Using Amazon marketing tools like Follow-Up by Helium 10 is a great way to augment existing positive reviews and even to help avoid negative ones. Follow-Up allows you to set automated emails that go out to recent customers based on custom triggers, prompting them to give you honest, unbiased feedback.

Of course, you need to do your part as a seller and offer a functioning, well-made product. But you should always be reaching out to customers, asking them to write reviews. Also, when it comes to addressing negative reviews… be proactive! Respond quickly, offer generous service or refunds, or inform customers of discounts. Most Amazon shoppers use customer reviews as a way to gauge if your product lives up to the claims on your listing. Make it abundantly clear that you are a seller who cares about the quality of their product and the customer experience as a whole. 

What Are Other Factors That Impact Amazon Listing Performance?

Is Amazon listing optimization one of the most powerful ways to improve listing performance? Yes. Is it the only way, certainly not. Product performance relies on a myriad of factors, including fulfillment method (FBA vs. FBM,) shipping speed (Prime vs. non-Prime,) and the level of competition present in your product’s market niche. 

Additionally, Amazon PPC plays a monumental role in product performance. While listing optimization on Amazon plays a critical role in boosting organic traffic and sales, an airtight PPC advertising strategy ensures that your product is getting visibility during vulnerable periods of time, such as a brand-new product launch. It’s important Amazon sellers understand that ranking, advertising, and listing optimization all take research and momentum, bringing them together to create an Amazon listing that shoppers cannot ignore.

Optimize Your Amazon Listing, Drive Traffic, Increase Sales!

Choosing and manufacturing the perfect Amazon product is only the beginning. To truly become an Amazon success story, you must make that product easy to find, attractive to shoppers with short attention spans, and tailor-made for the Amazon search algorithm. Amazon product listing optimization may sound like a technical process, but it really is a combination of creativity, research, and clever wordplay. 

By conducting careful keyword research, then implementing high-demand keywords throughout your listing title, description, and back-end search fields, you are loading your product listing with the fuel necessary to rocket to page one of search results and break sales records in the process!