By: Hanna Walther
How Amazon Sellers Can Rank Higher in Search Results and Drive More Sales
Every seller on Amazon knows that the higher a product ranks on the page, the more likely it is to sell. Over time, sellers have gotten creative using various methods to boost their product’s ranking on Amazon to drive more sales.
Some tactics have stuck, while others have been burned by Amazon’s stringent rules and policies. The ones that remain provide sellers with increased opportunities to rank well and fly under Amazon’s radar.
In this post, we’ll be discussing the best methods to rank on Amazon, the pros and cons of implementing each one, and important things you should know as a Seller.
What is Rank Manipulation on Amazon?
Sellers trying to get ahead in ranking tactics have been going on for years. Many of those have been deemed in violation of Amazon’s policies, and Amazon’s algorithm has evolved exponentially since then, preventing them from getting any footing in terms of rank.
A rank manipulation technique that gained seller popularity is known as the Super URL. A shopper is provided a link to a product listing that appears to be from an external source, like Facebook or Google. In actuality, it is a unique URL (manipulated by the seller) containing important parameters, including a timestamp and keywords, that tell the algorithm each external click was unique and from an organic source.
Super URLs manipulated Amazon’s algorithm into thinking that a shopper made a purchase from an organic search term, which helps that product rank higher on a more general term. Because super URLs technically do cheat the system, Amazon has made adjustments within its algorithm to pick up on those manipulations, and very few businesses are able to find success through super URLs anymore.
There are two methods of ranking that aren’t outlawed by Amazon, and both can successfully bring sellers a higher ranking when implemented correctly.
What is Search Find Buy (SFB)?
Search Find Buy helps sellers create organic click-throughs by providing their customers the exact keywords to use in order to search, find, and buy your product. SFB is a simple and organic way to give your customers the reigns to boost your product, and all you have to do is provide a few simple instructions, such as:
Enter desired keywords into the search bar
Find the product listing
Click on the listing and make a purchase
You can also use pictures and other information, like the title of the product listing, to help the customer find your product on the results page.
You may be wondering how to target shoppers to encourage these Search Find Buy offers. Building a target audience can be difficult and time-consuming, particularly for small businesses that don’t have a big marketing budget. However, Facebook Ads has some powerful options to drive ads to your target audience without overspending.
Once an interested shopper has engaged with your ad, you can use a chatbot like our Facebook bot Masschat to do the heavy lifting for you. Our chatbot is an automated tool that interacts with interested shoppers and provides the necessary information and directions to reach your product, complete their purchase and receive your offer.
While Search Find Buy can be highly effective for ranking on Amazon, not every seller will benefit from using Facebook as an integral piece of their strategy. For businesses who sell products that shoppers would only buy once, offering discounts and coupons for a future purchase aren’t enticing for the buyer or effective for the seller.
Other companies engage in organic SFB tactics, where they find potential customers through Instagram, Facebook, and other platforms and offer their products in exchange for a full rebate. This can be a time-consuming approach, but if it’s done right, can garner excellent results for sellers.
Pros of Search Find Buy
Stimulates organic traffic to your product pages
Boosts keyword ranking through organic sales
Much of the process can be automated through chatbots
The organic approach of SFB makes it unlikely to get the boot from Amazon
Cons of Search Find Buy
Requires extra effort for the customer to look through search results
You may have to offer a bigger reward ($$$) for their effort to make a purchase
Some customers may not follow the directions and simply search for your name instead, which won’t help with keyword ranking
Ranking works best within the 90-day window of product launch, so don’t try this on existing products
Not quite sold on Search Find Buy? Let’s discuss another popular strategy, known as 2-Step URL.
What is a 2-Step URL?
In this approach, sellers can direct customers to their product listing page in two steps. The 2-Step URL (sometimes called a 2-Click URL) directs the customer to a search results page with the keyword term already embedded into the page. Then the customer clicks through to your specific product page, signaling to Amazon that they used that specific search term to find your product on their own.
2-Step URLs are a common replacement method for the Super URL, which directs customers to a specific product listing.
Before jumping into 2-step URLs, it’s important that you know exactly which keywords you want to target, which you should be doing anyway to optimize your product listing. For all our recommendations on keyword research and Amazon SEO, check out this post.
Pros of 2-Step URLs
Shoppers can simply find the product and purchase it with minimal effort
Businesses get a sale based on the keywords they want to rank for
A simple approach to marketing a product to your target audience
Cons of 2-Step URLs
Sellers have to create their own URLs for this method, which can be intimidating and time-consuming. This can be easily combatted using Massview’s Snagshout campaigns, where sellers can choose to have 2-Step URLs created automatically.
Extra steps before making a purchase can be irritating for shoppers, so offering discount codes or offers may cost you more long term to entice the shopper enough to participate
It takes time to see rankings improve on Amazon, which can be costly for campaigns to keep running
If you’re on the hunt for tactics to get your product ranked on Page One on Amazon, leave no stone unturned.
Our Keyword Tools can help drive traffic to your product pages and target any relevant keyword, helping to send your product listing to the top. Massview’s keyword tools can also help determine which keywords are less competitive, creating opportunities for sellers to rank on them in a matter of weeks via Snagshout without breaking the bank.
We know boosting sales early on is crucial to better ranking in the long run. Using Massview’s Snagshout campaigns, sellers can offer customers access to discounted or rebated products to purchase.
Snagshout campaigns drive sales to a product listing by putting it in front of a massive network of shoppers, who are early adopters that want to try out new products and appreciate certain incentives to do so. These extra sales drive up your ranking in search results, meaning more traffic, so you can get more organic sales.
Leveraging Massview tools with the tried and true methods listed above will help you boost your product on Amazon in less time and for less money.
Sellers on Amazon know one thing for sure — total sales and targeted keywords go hand in hand when attempting to boost your rank on this platform. While we always recommend abiding by Amazon’s policies, these gray areas exist and may stir up new sales and improved ranking for your business.