It’s no secret Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one of the most important factors for driving organic traffic to a website. It has become an essential part of determining a brand’s online health and performance.
Although most brands focus their SEO efforts on DTC websites, they should boost visibility on other search engine-based platforms to diversify revenue streams. The largest of these platforms is Amazon.
Amazon.com has evolved into an eCommerce giant that uses a search engine to find shoppable products. Like all search engines, SEO is needed for brands’ products to be discovered organically on Amazon. The tricky part with Amazon SEO is the steps to optimize are not always the same as what a brand would do to improve its organic search for DTC.
Knowing this, let’s set the record straight with what matters with updating Amazon SEO by uncovering the myths and truths centered around it:
“Relevant keywords are needed for products to appear organically in search results.”
Similar to DTC websites, having relevant keywords on a product detail page allows Amazon’s search engine to recognize a product’s relevancy. Products without search terms integrated within the title, bullet points, or description run the risk of losing organic position for high-volume search terms. With that said, plugging your product titles and bullet points with high-volume keywords is not the end-all-be-all. Amazon does a good job filtering through the noise, so if your product isn't a great fit for those search terms, or consumers don't convert on your product when searching those terms, then good SEO can't turn that around. Pairing good keyword SEO on your product with targeted advertising is how you improve organic ranking, but you can't win on all terms just because you put the keyword in your title.
Conclusion: TRUTH
“You can’t use meta tags on the backend of an Amazon product listing.”
Meta tags and descriptions are a fantastic way of boosting SEO. They aren’t visible on the front end of a site, but search engines recognize them as a valuable source for organic rankings. Although Amazon does not have a traditional front and backend like a DTC site, they do allow brands to input backend keywords that work as meta tags. You can also add meta tags to certain pieces of content, like your A+ content, but Amazon is only going to take into consideration so many of these keywords. In other words, focus on a handful of highly relevant keywords when it comes to the back end. Filling your back end with hundreds of keywords won't make a difference.
Conclusion: MYTH
“There’s no way to A/B test whether or not Amazon SEO updates improved sales.”
A/B testing is essential to understanding max efficiency regarding product sales. Luckily, Amazon offers a “Manage Your Experiments Tool” that allows brands to try new initiatives and measure the success of those changes. Those changes include incorporating relevant keywords to boost Amazon SEO. Understand that Amazon is a multi-variable marketplace, so A/B testing one thing on your product detail page could be impacted by a variety of other factors like competitor pricing and inventory, category demand, and changes to advertising.
Conclusion: MYTH
“Amazon SEO integration can improve sales and category rankings.”
Amazon’s A1 algorithm constantly scans the platform and identifies where products should be ranked within their designated categories. This algorithm accounts for several factors, but one significant one is SEO. It essentially rewards brands with strong product detail pages that integrate relevant keywords.
Conclusion: TRUTH
Now that the record has been set straight, you can apply these tips to your own brand's listings, and improve both the health of your Amazon SEO and sales trajectory.