Amazon algorithms help drive all the e-commerce that Amazon generates, connecting customers with sellers and products. One of the most famous algorithms is the process that drives the “customers also viewed” or “others also purchased” features that customers see when they’re interacting with a particular product or page on Amazon.
While there is no step by step guide that can tell you exactly how to beat the algorithm or completely master Amazon search, there are several ways to edit your listing and Amazon practices to help your product appear in more searches and help your business make more sales.
The secrets of the A9 algorithm
The A9 algorithm is the name for Amazon’s search algorithm – what drives the listing results when someone types something in the Amazon search bar. The digital marketing agency Single Grain explains A9 by saying, “A9 is what sits behind Amazon’s little search box, deciding which product recommendations to make by using the data from the hundreds of thousands of queries that people have already made. The recommendations are fueled in part by customer shopping preferences and past purchases, as well as a slew of other factors.”
What’s listed above are all customer-driven factors, such as preferences and purchase behavior. But there are other factors that go into A9 results that can be influenced by the seller, including text match relevancy, including text in the description and product copy, available stock, and price. It’s important, then to make sure that your descriptions and product titles have the most relevant keywords based on what your audience will likely search for (what do competitor products have by way of descriptions and keywords?), that your products are in stock and ready to ship, and that they are priced competitively, as each of these retailer-related factors affect where your product lands on a search listing.
How Amazon’s A9 algorithm affect your business?
Having a strong product name and keyword rich listing are direct factors in helping your product appear higher in A9 driven searches. What are some indirect factors that can improve your ranking? According to Amazon and marketing experts, some things to pay attention to when creating your Amazon e-commerce listing include:
- Context: The context of your product is relevant. If your company specializes in golf equipment, for instance, you can recommend products that pair well together in your product descriptions and also give examples of what the best piece of equipment is for different situations. More than just relevant keywords, having a description that is actually helpful to customers beyond just the product can be meaningful in helping you sell more products on Amazon.
- Photography: Quality photography is important. Not only should images not be pixelated, but customers should be able to zoom in and see product features in detail. Additionally, some sellers report better ranking and more conversions when they include text along with their images. Showing a photo of a product and adding in the text that describes the usefulness or importance of a particular product features can help increase engagement, particularly with mobile users.
- Product reviews: Product reviews matter. The more positively a product is reviewed, the higher it often ranks in Amazon search results. Encouraging users to leave a review without forcing or manipulating them to or resorting to fake reviews is one way to improve your A9 Amazon search listing.
Since the A9 Amazon search algorithm is so instrumental in helping customers find your product, it’s important that you pay attention to how you create your listings. Unlike Google, the Amazon algorithm was built understanding that by the time a customer reaches Amazon, they aren’t in the product research stages of the buying process anymore but are instead much closer to making a purchase and converting to a paid customer. Paying attention to what Amazon considers important in order to convert traffic is how you can increase your sales and bring in more business.
