Unlike Google SEO, Amazon’s search engine, A9 (and its evolving version A10), focuses on purchase intent. This means the way you optimize your listings directly impacts how often customers find and buy your products. In this guide, we’ll break down every part of Amazon SEO.
What Is Amazon SEO?
Amazon SEO is the process of optimizing product listings so they rank higher in Amazon search results.
When shoppers type a keyword, Amazon’s algorithm decides which products appear on page one. Since most buyers don’t go beyond the first page, your goal is to get there.
Amazon ranks products based on two main factors: relevance (how closely your listing matches the search term) and performance (how well your listing converts into sales).
How the Amazon Algorithm Works
Amazon’s search engine looks at a mix of signals to rank products. Here’s what you need to know:
Relevance Signals: These come from keywords in your title, bullet points, description, and backend fields. If your listing doesn’t contain the keywords shoppers type, you won’t show up.
Performance Signals: These are based on how well your product sells once it appears in search. Metrics include click-through rate (CTR), conversion rate, and overall sales velocity.
Customer Behavior: Amazon tracks what shoppers click, how long they stay on your page, and whether they buy. Products that consistently perform better get ranked higher.
Seller Authority: Your seller history, account health, and ability to fulfill orders also affect ranking.
Keyword Research for Amazon SEO
Keyword research is the foundation of Amazon SEO. Unlike Google, where users often search broadly, Amazon shoppers type terms with the intent to buy. That means the keywords you target directly influence your sales.
Where to Find Keywords
Amazon Search Bar Autocomplete
Type a word related to your product and watch how Amazon auto-fills suggestions. These suggestions come from actual shopper searches and give you insight into what people type most often.
Competitor Listings
Check the titles, bullet points, and product descriptions of the top sellers in your category. Pay attention to patterns in the keywords they use. If several high-ranking listings use the same phrase, there’s a good chance it’s driving traffic.
Amazon Brand Analytics (for brand-registered sellers)
Amazon Brand Analytics shows you the most clicked and purchased search terms across the platform, along with market share data. This allows you to prioritize keywords that not only bring traffic but also lead to sales. It also gives insights into the “click share” of competing products, which can tell you which brands dominate a specific search term.
Third-Party Tools
Third-party tools like Helium 10, Jungle Scout, and DataDive give you data on keyword search volume, competition level, and ranking difficulty. They also reveal “hidden” terms that competitors might be indexing for but not visibly using in their copy. For example, your rival may not list “portable juicer for travel” in their title, but they may rank for it because it’s in their backend keywords.
What to Look For
Primary Keywords
These are the main terms shoppers use to describe your product. For example, if you sell a garlic press, “garlic press” is the obvious primary keyword. These terms usually have high search volume and should appear in your title.
Secondary Keywords
These are related terms that people use when searching for variations of your product. They might include material, color, or size. For a garlic press, secondary terms could be “stainless steel garlic press” or “garlic crusher with cleaner.” These expand your reach and make sure you show up in searches for buyers with more specific preferences.
Long-Tail Keywords
These are longer phrases with fewer searches but higher purchase intent. Shoppers who type “garlic press with easy-clean handle dishwasher safe” know exactly what they want and are more likely to buy quickly. Long-tail keywords also tend to have lower competition, making them a good way to gain visibility faster, especially for new listings.
Extra Insights You Might Miss
Amazon indexes more than just your visible text. It also considers backend keywords, A+ content alt text, and sometimes even customer Q&A and reviews. This means including a broad mix of terms across all parts of your listing helps widen your net.
Another useful detail to keep in mind is that Amazon often “normalizes” keywords, meaning it treats singular and plural forms the same. For example, if you include “garlic press,” you don’t need to also add “garlic presses.” However, spelling variations (like “fiber” vs. “fibre”) or regional terms (like “tarjeta SIM” for Spanish-speaking shoppers) should be included separately because Amazon does not automatically connect them.
Make sure to also track search frequency rank (SFR). This is a ranking Amazon assigns to keywords based on how often customers search for them relative to other keywords. Lower SFR means higher popularity.
Lastly, don’t overlook seasonal keywords. If you sell coolers, “beach cooler” may spike in summer while “tailgate cooler” becomes more popular in fall.
Optimization with all these details may get a little tricky, so it’s a good idea to hire an Amazon SEO consultant to help you out.
How to Optimize Your Product Title
Your product title tells shoppers what your product is at a glance, and it tells Amazon’s algorithm which searches you should appear in.
Use the recommended format suggested by Amazon:
[Brand] + [Product Type] + [Key Feature(s)] + [Color/Size/Variant]
Here are some best practices to follow:
Place the primary keyword at the start.
Include essential details: brand, product type, size, material, quantity.
Keep it readable. Avoid keyword stuffing.
Stay within Amazon’s character limits (usually 150–200, depending on category).
Capitalize the first letter of each word. Exceptions to this are conjunctions (“and”), prepositions (“for”, “in”), and articles (“the”, “an”).
Don’t repeat the same word more than twice.
Avoid special characters or emojis (!, $, {}, ?)
No promo language. Do not mention competition, pricing or promotion.
Not all caps or icons/emojis.
Avoid any superlative words like “best’, “cheapest” etc
Tip: On the Amazon app, only about 80 characters of your title show in search results. This means the first half of your title is what drives most clicks. If your main keyword and critical details aren’t at the front, mobile shoppers may never see them.
How to Optimize Your Bullet Points
Bullets serve two purposes: keyword placement and selling the product’s benefits.
Here are some best practices to follow:
Use all five bullets.
Mix in both primary and secondary keywords naturally.
Highlight benefits, not just features.
Keep sentences short and clear.
Maximum character limit: 500 characters per bullet point.
Start each bullet with a Capitalized Lead Phrase, then a colon.
Not all caps or icons/emojis.
Remove filler words (“very,” “really,” “extremely”).
No testimonials or quotes.
Avoid any unverified claims.
Use numbers (sizes, counts, run time, thickness, weight). Use the same unit across your copy.
Product Description and A+ Content
The description is where you can expand on features, answer objections, and add more keywords. For brand-registered sellers, A+ Content replaces the description and allows images, comparison charts, and richer visuals.
Here are some best practices to follow:
Break text into short paragraphs for readability.
Add secondary and long-tail keywords.
Answer buyer questions (dimensions, compatibility, care instructions).
With A+ Content, focus on visuals and storytelling while still embedding keywords in alt text.
Backend Keywords
Backend keywords are invisible to shoppers but read by Amazon’s algorithm. They’re crucial for ranking.
Here are some best practices to follow:
Don’t repeat words already in your title or bullets.
Add misspellings, alternative spellings, and foreign language keywords (e.g., “tarjeta SIM” for SIM card).
Keep under 249 bytes (roughly 250 characters).
Don’t use commas. Just spaces.
Linking words do not count, so leave them out: i.e,. no need for ‘the’, ‘and’, ‘for’, etc.
No brand names or competitor names.
No subjective words like “best” or “cheap.”
PPC’s Role in SEO
Amazon’s algorithm rewards products that sell quickly and consistently. This is called sales velocity, and it’s one of the most important ranking factors. If your product generates steady sales, Amazon assumes it is relevant and popular, and it will push your listing higher in organic search. The challenge is that when a product is new or buried in the results, it won’t get enough visibility to build momentum on its own.
Running PPC ads allows you to appear at the top of search results immediately, even for highly competitive keywords. This helps you collect early clicks and sales that you wouldn’t get otherwise. Once the sales start coming in, Amazon’s algorithm sees proof that your listing converts for those search terms, which in turn improves your organic ranking.
PPC is extremely valuable for product launches. A new listing has no sales history, so the algorithm has no reason to rank it.
Extra Insights You Should Know About
Campaign Type Matters
Sponsored Products ads have the strongest impact on organic ranking because they are tied directly to keywords. Sponsored Brands and Sponsored Display build brand awareness but don’t influence sales velocity in the same way.
Bidding Strategy
Aggressive bids in the early stages can accelerate ranking faster, but long-term success comes from balancing cost with profitability. Some sellers run short “ranking campaigns” for a few weeks to push a product up, then taper down to a sustainable level.
Placement Multipliers
Amazon allows you to increase bids for “Top of Search” placement. Since this is where most clicks happen, higher visibility here often leads to faster organic ranking gains.
PPC and TACoS
While tracking ACoS, make sure to monitor TACoS as well. If TACoS decreases over time, it means your ads are not just driving sales directly but also boosting organic visibility, which needs to be your ultimate goal.
Final Thoughts
Amazon SEO is about building a strong, relevant, and converting listing. Done right, it puts your products in front of more shoppers, drives more sales, and strengthens your brand’s presence on Amazon.
Keep in mind, optimizing once isn’t enough. It’s an ongoing process.
Looking for Amazon account management services? At Enso Brands, our team goes beyond keyword research. Contact us today for more information about our services.