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AMAZON SEO AND PPC OPTIMISATION
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CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 3
WHAT IS AMAZON SEO? 4
Amazon 4
SEO 4
WHY DOES IT MATTER? 5
1. Visibility 6
2. Relevance 7
3. Conversions 7
4. Reviews 7
KEY SEO CONSIDERATIONS 8
AMAZON ADVERTISING (PPC) 9
The rise of Amazon Advertising 9
Amazon’sadoffering 10
FINAL THOUGHTS 13
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INTRODUCTION
Amazonhasbeenredefininghowweshoponlinesince1996–andthechangeshavenotstoppedcoming,withAmazon’sshareofshoppingsearchesnowat54%.
Inadditiontothis,90%ofallproductviewsontheAmazonplatformcamefromsearches–ratherthanfromadsorproductaggregatorsand45%ofallofthoseviewswenttoproductsonthefirstthreerowsofthesearchresult.
Whilethesetoprowsincreasinglyfeatureads,thisisn’tlikelytodiminishthepercentageshareofclicksforthetopresultsbymuch–thoughtheGoogleandAmazonSERParenotexactlyinterchangeable,theshareofclicksissimilarand,onecansafelyassume,consumerbehaviourisunlikelytosubstantiallydifferbetweenplatforms.
Thismeansthat,ifyourbrandoperatesonAmazon,itisasimportant–ifnotevenmoreso–thatyoufeatureinthetoppositions.ThiseBookwilllookatbothAmazonSEOandPPCandwe’llshowyouwhatcanbeachievedthroughpaidadvertisingand–themostcosteffectivemethod-improvingyourAmazonSEO.
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WHAT IS AMAZON SEO?
Tobeginwith,weshouldbeginbydefiningthetwoterms.
Amazon
Beginningasanonlinemarketplaceforusedbooks,AmazonhasbecometheprimaryeTailsite,makingitsfounderJeffBezostherichestmanintheworldintheprocess.Amazonisnowresponsibleforthemajorityofproductsearchesandwhileitsgrowthisbelowtheoverallgrowthoftheverticalsitisrepresentedin(forexample,IKEA’sonlinesaleshaveincreased,ashaveonlinefurnituresalesingeneral,morethanAmazon’ssales,butallhavegrown),ithasbecomesuchamajorplayerineCommercethatbrandsaslargeasNikenowsellthroughthesite.
SEO
SEO,or‘searchengineoptimisation’,istheprocessofadjustingcontent,presentationandmoretocaterbettertosearchenginerankingfactorstoimproveperformancetherein.
So,AmazonSEO…cateringtoAmazon’srankingalgorithm–referredtoasA9(aftertheAmazonsubsidiarythathandlesitsSEO)–AmazonSEOistheprocessofoptimisingbothyourselleraccountandyourproductpagestoappealtotherankingmethodthatunderliestheAmazonsearchengineresultspages.ThissharessomethingsincommonwithSEOforGooglesearch,butisheavilyweightedforrelevanceandperformanceofyourproducts.
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WHY DOES IT MATTER?
Asmentioned,Amazonstarts54%ofallproductsearchesand,asof2018,Amazonwasresponsibleforathirdoftheapproximately£175BngeneratedbyUKeCommerce(makingitthefifthlargestretaileroverall).
Thismeansthat,likeGoogle,ifyou’resellingonline,youprettymuchhavetobeonAmazon(asmentionedpreviously–eventhelargestsportswearbrandintheworldsellsdirectlythroughtheplatform).
So,withyourcompetitionconsistingofeverythingfrombasement/garageboundstartupretailerstomulti-billionmega-corporations,youshouldbeensuringyou’redoingeverythingyoucantoensurethatyourproductiscapableofstandingoutfromthecrowd–andthatstartswithoptimisation.
UnlikeGoogle,whoprefertokeeptheiralgorithmicblackboxsealed,lockedandguardedbywolves,Amazonhasbeenquiteclearaboutthefactorsitexpectssellerstooptimise.Therearefourelementsthatweneedtoexamine:
1. Visibility
2. Relevance
3. Conversions
4. Reviews
AccordingtoAmazon:“Customersmustbeabletofindyourproductsbeforetheycanbuythem,andsearchingistheprimarywaytheycandothat.Customerssearchbyenteringkeywords,whicharematchedagainsttheinformation(title,description,andsoon)thatyouprovideforaproduct.
“Factorssuchasdegreeoftextmatch,price,availability,selection,andsaleshistoryhelpdeterminewhereyourproductappearsinacustomer’ssearchresults.Byprovidingrelevantandcompleteinformationforyourproduct,youcanincreaseyourproduct’svisibilityandsales.”
Bearinginmindthefourkeypointsabove,thisishowwewouldconsiderSEOoptimisation,andinstructbrandsandbusinessesthatwanttoadheretoAmazonRankingfactors.
Therearealotofcrossoversbetweenthesefactors–therearen’ttoomanythingstooptimise,sothereareboundtobe–ourexpert,JohnWarnerdealswitheachpointindependentlyinthefollowingsummary.
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1. Visibility
Visibility,asfarasAmazonisconcerned,representstheconsumer’sabilitytofindtheproductand,therefore,relatestotheeffortsellersputintocompletingtheinformationsectionsforyourlistings.Whileyoucandothisen-masseusingaspreadsheetupload,allofthefieldsforasololistingshouldbepresentinthesheetyouuseforthemassupload.Theseinclude(notanexhaustivelist):
Intabone:
• Product name – thisshouldfeaturethekeywordyou’relookingtorankforatthebeginningorasclosetoaspossibleasthetitlelengthdisplayedvariesdependingonwhereonthescreenordevicethelistingappears.
• Manufacturer –ifyou’resellingyourownproduct,thisshouldbeyourownbrandname,ifyou’reareseller,usetheinformationfromtheoriginalmanufacturer.
• Brand name – asabove,dependentonyourinventory,yourownorthemanufacturer’snamegoes here.
• Package quantity – simplythenumberofpackagesthatwillarrivewiththeconsumer.
• Material type – thematerialfromwhichyourproductismade(there’salistofoptionsifyouclickintothecell).
• Shape – whileitmaynotbeasearchedforterminyourindustry(carshapedtoycars?),ifyourproducthasashapewhichmaydifferentiateitorbesearchedfor,mentionithere.
• Size – whethersellingclothesorcontainers,listthegenericsizeshere(small,XLetc).
• Hand orientation – whileitmaynotapplytoeveryproduct,theleftorrighthandednessofaproductcanbeasellingpoint,somakesureyoufillthisinifit’sappropriate.
• Tension supported – again,thisisunlikelytobeafeatureformost,butifyou’resellinghangingbasketsorhangingchairsoranythinginbetween,thetensionoftheitemshouldbelisted here.
Intabtwo:
• Variations – thisiswhereyoucandefineanyvariationsofthesameproduct,whetherthat’ssize,colourorshape.
Intabthree:
• Offers - ifyouhaveanyreductionsinpriceoroffersapplicabletospecificareas,theyareentered here.
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Intabfour:
• Images - there’splentyofspaceforimages,soyoucanuseasmanyhigh-qualityproductsnapsasyouneedtoshowoffyourproduct.
Intabfive:
• Key product features - thesewillbethebulletpointsnearthetopofyourlisting,somakesureyouhelpyourproductstandout.Inaddition,whileithasnotbeenstatedexplicitly,thereisanecdotalevidencetosupporttheideathatkeywordsplacedintheproductfeaturescanhaveapositiveimpactonrankings,sousethemiftheycanbeusedorganically.
Intabsix:
• Keywords - you’relookingforasmanyunique,applicablekeywordsaspossible.Inthisregard,yourgeneralPPCkeywordresearchwillcomeinhandy.Helpyourconsumerstobuyyourproductbyensuringyouthinkaboutitfromtheirperspectiveandhowtheymaylooktofindyou.Optimisingthisprocessisthekeytoachievingvisibilityforyourproducts,soensurethatyou’regivingthisasmuchthoughtasitdeserves.
2. Relevance
Whilethisisalsodeterminedbythedatayouenterintoyourproductlisting,relevanceissomethingyoushouldconsiderseparately–youwanttomakeyourproductsdiscoverable,butyoualsoneedtomakesurethatthekeywordsyou’retargetingareentirelyfocusedonthoseyouridealconsumer,orbuyerpersonaswouldbeusingtofindyourproduct.Whileincreasingthenumberofkeywords,orusingbrandedkeywordsfromcompetitorsmay(probablytemporarily)increasevisibility,leavingaconsumerdisappointedwithyourproductisapoorfirstimpression.
3. Conversions
SalesandsalesvelocityseemtobethekeyfactorsforrankingonAmazon–whiletheremaynotbetoomuchyoucandotoinfluencethisatfirst,youcanusepaidsearchtoboostyourinitialsalesfiguresthroughbothAmazonandsearchPPC.Whileboostinginthisfashionwillimproverankings,itshouldbenotedthatitislastingsalesvolumethatproduceslastingrankingimprovement.
4. Reviews
Whetherit’safriendlynotewiththeproduct,oranemailfollowingthepurchase,youneedtopickupreviews–notonlyisitbeneficialforsales(asmostconsumerswillprefertopurchaseanitemwhichhasbeenrated),butitisalsoarankingsignaltogetthosereviewsrollingin.
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KEY SEO CONSIDERATIONS
InsummarynearlyeveryAmazonsearchistransactional.That’swhyitsalgorithmactuallycomesdowntoonlyacoupleofthings:
• Relevance
• Performance
ThismeansthatifyouoptimiseyourAmazonproductpageforthesetwo,crucialrankingfactors,you’llendupconvertingandsellingmoreonthesite.ProbablythemostimportantelementofAmazonSEO,asfarasrelevanceisconcerned,istheproduct-titlerankingfactor.You’llwanttoputthemostrelevantkeywordsforyourproductinthetitle.
Thatbeingsaid,itisimportanttoavoidkeywordstuffinginyourtitle,asthatcouldharmyoursearchrankings.Atitlethatdoesn’treadnaturally,canlookspammyandhaveanegativeimpactonyourCTR.
Aswellasthisyoushouldconsidertheimpactofyoursellernameonyourrelevanceasarankingfactor.Ifyourbrandiscalled‘ShoeWorld’andyouincludethisinthetitle,eg,‘ShoeWorld-Men’sBrogues’,youmayfindthatyourproductsarepickedupbymoresearches.Thisisespeciallyhelpfulforcertaintypesofsellers.
Performancefactorsareabithardertodirectlyexertcontroloverbecauseadditionalconsiderationsbeyondkeywordscomeintoplay.ThingslikehowmuchyouchargeforyourproductsignificantlyimpactsyourAmazonconversionrate.Youneedtomakesurethatyouareofferingitemsatacompetitiveprice.Carefullycomparewhatyourcompetitorsonthesiteandothersitesaredoing,andsetyourpriceaccordingly.
Yourproduct’sconversionrateisanotherhighlysignificantperformancefactorinyoursearchranking.Unfortunately,itishardertogettheseanalyticsoratleastcomparedtoyourownecommerceperformance.ThebestthingtodoislookattheSellerCentral’sDetailSalesPageandTrafficunderBusinessReportsandReports.Here,you’llwanttolookattheUnitSessionPercentage,whichisessentiallythenumberofunitsthatareboughtpervisit.It’stheclosestyou’llgettoapureconversionrateforyourproductpage.
Anotherpointtoconsideristhatyoushouldincludehigh-qualityimages.Amazonstatesthat:“Imagesshouldbe1,000pixelsorlargerineitherheightorwidth.Thisminimumsizerequirementenablesthezoomfunctiononthewebsite.Zoomhasbeenproventoenhancesales.Thesmallestyourfilecanbeis500pixelsonitslongestside.”
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AMAZON ADVERTISING (PPC)
WhenitcomestoadvertisingROI–AmazonPPCseesa10%conversionratecomparedwith1-2%forGoogleAdsmeaningthatitisano-brainerfortoday’smarketer.
The rise of Amazon Advertising
Overthepastfewyears,Amazonhasbeguntorealiseitshugepotentialasanadvertisingplatformanddevelopedarangeofflexible,self-servesolutionsforsellerstopromotetheirproducts.It’spowerisintakingthetriedandtestedpay-per-click(PPC)modelalreadywell-establishedbyGoogleAdsandcombiningitwithitsownUSPs,namely:
High purchase intentPeopleusuallycometoAmazonwithaspecificproductinmind-makingitavaluableopportunitytoexposeyourproducttocustomerswithhighpurchaseintent(meanwhile,shopperstendtouseGoogletosearchforproductswhenthey’reintheresearchphaseoftheirpurchasejourney).
Rich customer dataNootherbusinessdoeseCommerceonsuchamassivescale,whichgivestheplatformanotheruniquecompetitiveadvantage:thedetailedcustomerpurchasedatathatsellerscanusetoleveragetheircampaigns.Amazonknowsthespecificproductsthatcustomersarepurchasing,andhowfrequentlythey’rebuying.Thismeansitsalgorithmshaveawealthofdatatodrawonwhenitcomestoaccuratelymatchingyouradstorelevantcustomersearches.
Ease of purchaseAfamiliarplatformforusers,withtheabilitytodropproductsfromarangeofdifferentsellersintheirbasketwithoutleavingthewebsite.Ifyoualreadysellontheplatform,advertisingonAmazonisaversatileandpowerfulwayforyoutopromoteyourlistings,forexample,topushyourbest-selling,seasonalorend-of-linestockuphigherinsearchresults,makethemvisibletoanewaudienceand,perhapsmostofall,makingiteasyforbuyerstopurchasethemthroughafamiliarcheckoutinterface.
Soit’seasytoseewhyAmazonissopopularwithadvertisers:researchbyThirdDoorMedia(publisherofMarketingLand,SearchEngineLandandMarTechToday)foundthat80%ofadvertisersplantoincreasetheiradbudgetsontheplatformin2019,withmanyshiftingbudgettherefromtraditionalsearchandpaidsocialmediaadvertising.
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Amazon’s ad offering
Amazonoffersthefollowingoptions:
Sponsored ProductsThesearebottom-of-the-funneldirectresponseadsthatdrivetraffictoAmazonproductpages,givingbrandstheopportunitytobrandsandsellersthatwantexposuretoshopperswithstrongpurchaseintent(ascustomersgenerallycometoAmazonwiththeintentionofmakingapurchase).
LikeGoogleAds,SponsoredProductsarecost-per-click(CPC)andlargelykeyword-driven,matchingthekeywordsthatfeatureinyourcampaigntothesearchtermsthatshoppersusetosearchforproductsonAmazon.
Whenashoppersearchesforthekeywordsinyourcampaign,youradhasachanceofdisplayingifitmeetstherequiredeligibilitycriteria.TheseimageadsappearinseveraldifferentplacesinAmazon(acrossalldevicesondesktop,tabletormobile):youradsmaybedisplayedontopof,alongside,orwithinsearchresults-theselooksimilartoorganicAmazonsearchresultsorGoogleShoppingads.
InApril2020AmazonannouncedthatitwasreleasingproducttargetingforSponsoredDisplayads.ThismeansthatmerchantscannowtargetsimilarorcomplementaryproductsandcategoriesviaSellerCentral.Withnewoptions,forexample,youcouldtargetrunningshoeadstoappearoncategorypagesforrunningshorts,saysAmazon.
Similarly,youcancross-promoteyourownproducts.“Ifyoualsosellsocks,producttargetingplacementsonyourshoes’productdetailpagemakesiteasyforshopperstoaddapairofsockstotheirshoeswithjustafewclicks.”
Untilnow,SponsoredDisplayadshavebeenaretargetingproduct.Advertiserscanuseaudienceviewstargetingtoretargetuserswhohaveviewedtheirproductdetailpagesinthepast30daysanddidn’tmakeapurchasewithSponsoredDisplayadsonAmazonaswellasonthird-partywebsitesandapps.Thetwotargetingmethodscannowbeusedtogether.
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Product Display AdsTheseadscanappearacrossAmazondesktopandmobile,withplacementsondetailpages,abovesearchresultsandtopoftheofferlistingpage.Youtargettheseadsbyselectingspecificproductsorshopperinterests.ThereisspeculationthatProductDisplayadswillbeabsorbedintotheSponsoredProductsofferingasAmazonisputtingalotmoreemphasisonthelatterasthebest choice for sellers.
Sponsored BrandsSimilarlytoSponsoredProducts,theseareself-servesolutionsavailabletoregisteredsellers,vendors,bookvendors,KindleDirectPublishing(KDP)authors,appdevelopers,andagencies.Targetingsellersatthetopofthepurchasingfunnel,theyallowsellerstoboostbrandawarenesswithyourlogoandacustomisedheadlineinadsthatappearinsearchresults.
Thisoptiongeneratesrecognitionforyourbrandportfolioratherthanspecificproducts;aswellassolutionsviatheAmazonDSPforadvertiserswhowanttospendatscaleviadisplay,videoandcustomads.
Product Display AdsThisisbyfarthebiggestgrowingopportunityforadvertisers,andwhichaccountsforthemajorityofadspendontheplatform.
IfyousellonAmazon,ProductDisplayAdsofferapowerfulandversatilewayforyoutopromoteyourlistings,forexample,topushyourbest-selling,seasonalorend-of-linestockuphigherinsearchresults,makingthemvisibletoanewaudience.Visibility,whetherpaidororganic,iskeytosuccessas70%ofAmazonshoppersonlypurchasefromthefirstpageofsearchresults.
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Ad rankingInordertofullyunderstandhowtooptimiseforpaidadsinAmazonyouneedtogettogripswiththeiradrankformula.
There’sasignificantdifferenceinhowAmazonranksads(ie,decideswhenandwheretoshowthem)comparedwithGoogleAdsbecauseAmazonprimarilymakesmoneywhenitemsaresoldasitmakescommissiononeverysale;Googleprimarilymakesmoneywhenadsareclickedon.Inanutshell,Amazonranksprofitableadshigher;itprioritiseswhatthecustomerismostlikelytobuyfrombasedonperformanceandrelevancemetrics.
Theformulaisasfollows:
AdRank=CPCBidxAdGrade
AdGradeisbasedon:
1. Performancemetrics
• CTR(click-throughrate)history
• Conversion rate
• Overall sales
2. Relevance metrics
• Producttitle
• Description
• Search terms
• Seller name
Thebottomlineisthatthequalityofyourproductpageisjustasimportantasthequalityofthead(inthesamewayasyourGoogleAdRankispartiallydeterminedbythequalityandrelevanceofyourlandingpage).It’sthereforeabsolutelycrucialthatyouoptimiseyourproductdetailpageswithgreatimages,acleardescription,andacompetitiveprice,beforeyouevenstartadvertising.
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FINAL THOUGHTS
WhiletheAmazonalgorithmmaynotbeofthesamelevelofcomplexityasthatofGoogleorBing,it’sneverthelessimportanttoensureyou’retickingalloftherightboxeswithyourproductlistings.WithAmazoncontinuingtogrowitsshareofeCommerceandretailingeneral,therearefewbrandsthatcanaffordtoignoretheworld’sfavouriteshoppingsearchengine.
ByimplementingtherightAmazonSEOpractices,however,andensuringthatyoutaketheplatformseriously,youcanhelpyourbrandcompeteagainstlargercompetitorsandtakestepstosucceedinginanevermoredigitalworld.
There’snodoubtthatAmazoncandelivercustomersatanunmatchedscale,makingitacompetitiveplaceforsellers.WhileofferinggoodqualityproductsandfollowingeCommercebestpracticesareobviouslycriticaltoAmazonsuccess,there’sanincreasinglycompellingcaseforahybridoptimisationapproachoforganicandpaidcampaignsasthebeststrategyforbrandslookingtomaximisetheirvisibility.
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