Here’s a common scenario. You’ve got a product you’re selling on Amazon. You’ve gotten some traction, but you aren’t hitting your sales goals quite as hard as you’d like. What’s the deal? There could be a number of factors influencing your sales, one of the most prominent of which is a poor product listing. You might not realize it, but just like a website, you’ve got to optimize your Amazon listing. The better you make your listing, the more alluring you can make it appear to possible customers. You’ll also get more eyes on your product which will create the potential for increased sales. Today, we’re going to examine the critical parts every Amazon listing should have and offer a few tips on how to improve them so that you can maximize your profits. Online tools such as Product SpyPro can help in providing listing quality grade analytics so that you can gauge what your competitors are doing in the category of interest.
How Does Optimization On Amazon Differ From Google Or Other Search Engines?
It’s easy to think of them as being rather similar. People use the search to narrow down what they’re looking for in both instances. Whereas Google uses a system based on prioritizing back-links, time-on-page, and click-through, however, Amazon focuses more on conversion rates. The more people that look at your product and then purchase it, the higher Amazon ranks your product on its search pages, with the caveat that some higher ranked products will have lower sales ranking numbers. Because of this, you’ve got to focus on optimizing your listing in such a way that you attract a large number of searchers, and you turn those searchers into buyers of your product (conversion).
Optimizing Your Listing
As we mentioned, there are six elements to an Amazon listing that you’ll need to go over with a fine-toothed comb so that you can put your product in the best possible light.
The Product Title
This is the name of your product and all-important element in determining its relevance when potential customers search things to buy on Amazon. If you have a poorly written title, not only will you have difficulty showing up in search results, but you’ll also have trouble getting those hypothetical customers to click on your product, damaging your conversion rate (and your bottom line). Amazon already provides a few suggestions on the kinds of things you should include in a product title, such as the brand of the product, the materials & critical ingredients, the color, the size, the quantity, and the specific product line. These elements are fairly self-explanatory, and including them in that designated order helps keep things formulaic and improve whether or not you’ll show up in searches. In simpler terms, you need a strong, predictable title. Sounds easy enough, but there are a few things you can do here to make your title stand out better.
Tip #1: Mind Your Keywords
Keywords are important, but you shouldn’t overdo it. Amazon doesn’t harp on keywords too much because they’d rather avoid people trying to game the system by stuffing their titles with too many of them. Crowded titles with too many keywords don’t just look funny or read poorly, they also damage your searchability, so you should try to pick three strong ones and use them in a manner that is grammatically correct and accurately describes what you’re selling. You should also try doing some keyword research to make sure you’re using the right ones and have them in the right order.
Tip #2: Use Your Character Limit
Amazon gives you 250 characters to work with for your title. Try to use as much of that as possible. This is going to be a recurring theme throughout much of the optimization process, so take note. When Amazon gives you space to do something, use as much of it as possible. Be thorough, be detailed, and be informative.
Tip #3: Make It Readable
Gone are the days when jumbled, confusing titles were enough to get by. Consumers are a discerning bunch, and will actively avoid titles that appear shoddy. If you want to get noticed, the title of your product has to high-quality. Part of this process is making sure that it is readable and all your words are spelled correctly. After you write that perfect title, double check it for mistakes to ensure your masterpiece is something that searchers can understand and will want to click on.
The Product Images
This is your chance to show off your product in all of its glory. The product images should be captivating, display the product from a range of angles, and provide as much detail as possible. The image plays a big role in conversion, so you want to show off your best stuff. Make sure that the main image is a high quality photograph (drawings are a no-no), and make sure to use a white background on this one. If you’re selling a book, music, or video, you should fill up 100% of that image frame if you can. Here are some tips to make sure your photos pop.
Tip #4: Use As Many Images As Possible
Amazon allows you up to nine images. Get as many in there as you can. We mentioned the main image should be the strongest, but the supplemental images shouldn’t suffer from a dip in quality. Include images that show off the product from multiple angles (also on a white background) and try some lifestyle or benefit shots as well. These photos should show people using the product the way it was intended.
Tip #5: Make Sure They’re Professional-Quality
This step is crucial. If you can, get a pro to take your photos for you. The better your images look, the better your chances of enticing potential customers. There are some guidelines to keep in mind as well: images should be at least 1000 pixels in dimension, use TIFF, JPEG, GIF, or PNG format, keep the color in RGB or CMYK, and follow the Amazon format for product identification.
Tip #6: Include Some Infographics
You can use these to show off other key features of your product, display its size in relation to other commonly understood items, and bump up your image count if you’ve run out of photos to use. You can get creative here, so put on your thinking cap and generate some clever ways to show off more about your product.
The Product Pricing
Here’s where customers learn how much your product is going to run them. You can set your price from your dashboard, and should do your best to make sure that you’re setting your price at a level that is competitive with similar products in your field. Here are some things you can do to make it as attractive as possible.
Tip #7: Start Your Pricing Low
When you’re first entering a market, you can make your product seem more appealing than the competition. Keep it high enough to make your money back, for sure, but setting it just a bit below your rival’s prices can help with generating interest.
Tip #8: Try Out A Deal
You can slash your prices temporarily to create additional incentive for customers to take a look. Don’t overdo it, though, and make sure that your discount is a reasonable one. Take 75% off, and people might become suspicious. Take 25% off, however, and your customers might just think they’re getting a good deal.
The Product Features
This is where you can run down some bullet points about your product that will give shoppers more information about what your product is and what it can do. You should provide potential customers with the main points here, the most important things that they want to know, like the materials, warranty info, etc.
Tip #9: Consider The Customer’s Point Of View
They want to know why your product is superior to your competitor’s. It’s up to you to use this space to convince them that what you’re offering is the superior buy. Add value with each bullet point and be concise.
Tip #10: Keep Your Most Important Features At The Top Of The List
Some customers have a tendency to skim this section quickly, so make sure the most important information you want to convey is up front and easy to read. You can get into the finer points near the end of the list.
Tip #11: Answer Questions Up Front
While viewing your product, customers might have questions or concerns about its design and functionality. If you can, anticipate these and use the “features” section as a way to quell these potential misgivings right away, putting their minds at ease as they read on.
The Product Description
This is the section where you get into the nitty-gritty details about your product. Amazon gives you a whole 2000 characters to provide a thorough description, and as we’ve stressed throughout this guide, you should use as much as possible. Like most internet content, you should follow the golden rules on making it readable and giving them value.
Tip #12: Keep Your Sentences Short And Sweet
Very few people on the internet have the time or inclination to read confusing sentences. Keeping them short, between 15-25 words, will give you the opportunity to get your point across in the most direct manner possible.
Tip #13: Organize Your Information
Lead with your features and how the product can benefit the consumer. Once you have that out of the way, you should dive into the product itself and include important details. Throughout your description, you want to make sure that you’re reminding potential customers why they need this product in their life. You should also use language that is casual and relatable. Tell the customers a story, if possible. Descriptions that are too formal or complex tend to drive consumers away.
Tip #14: Remember Your Keywords
They’re just as important here as they were in your title. Like the product title, you should refrain from keyword stuffing or adding keywords in places that make the description difficult to read. Remember—readability first, keywords second.
The Product Reviews & Rating
Here’s where customers give their feedback on your product. This is a form of social proof that shows if the community feels that what your offering is legit, or if they feel it just isn’t worthwhile. While the terms of service state that you can’t pepper this section with incentivized reviews and ratings, there are still ways in which you can encourage organic feedback that is positive.
Tip #15: Make Sure Your Product Is High Quality
This goes without saying. If your product is good, the reviews and ratings will follow. Don’t flood the market with substandard wares, review the stuff that you’re shipping out to ensure a high level of QC. If you can’t evaluate the product personally, then employ someone to do it for you.
Tip #16: Keep The Consumer Base Informed
If you can, try an email campaign to stay in touch with consumers. Keep them informed about when their product will arrive and use follow-up emails to make sure they’re satisfied and know how to use the product properly.
Tip #17: Don’t Let Negative Feedback Slow You Down
Negative reviews and ratings will come, but don’t let them discourage you. Use them to improve. If you’re getting a lot of reviews that point out a flaw in your product, why not take steps to address this issue, perhaps even revise the product so that the issue no longer exists?
Some General Knowledge
Here are a few extra tips that you should keep in mind throughout the entire optimization process that can help take you a long way.
Tip #18: Do Your Research
There’s plenty of information out there you can gather that will help you improve your Amazon listing. We already mentioned doing keyword research. You should also get in the habit of learning about your target audience and what appeals to them. Knowing your buyers can help you tailor your product and approach to fit their needs and desires.
Tip #19: Everything You Do Should Add Value
In the product title, feature section, and product description, you should avoid repeating the same information over and over again. Each new sentence should bring something new to the table and increase your customer’s interest in the product.
Tip #20: Stay Motivated
Without motivation, your efforts at selling on Amazon will be dashed before they ever make it out the gate. Stay hungry, and keep that desire to continue improving your products and listings to increase your sales.
In Summation
Selling on Amazon might seem like tricky business at first, but following these tips and keeping your wits about you will help you rise above the competition. Remember that it isn’t just one factor that determines your success on Amazon, but multiple factors that work in unison. When crafting your listing, consider things from the customer’s point of view, use as much of a field as you possibly can, and make sure that everything you include is high quality. We hope we have helped you learn something today and visit Product SpyPro for wealth of information on starting or expanding you Amazon business.
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