Category: Selling on Amazon

Contains posts on topics related to selling on Amazon, including private label selling strategies and advice.

Categories
Selling on Amazon

3 Steps to Improving Your Rank on Amazon

3 steps to Improving your Page Rank on Amazon

Disclaimer:  There are many “gray-hat” and “black-hat” techniques for ranking higher on Amazon based on “search-and-find” conversions based on relevant search terms.  This post will NOT cover those tactics.  Most, if not all of these tactics are considered by Amazon to be “rank manipulation” and can create significant risk to the seller's account.  These tactics vary in degrees of effectiveness and overtime become obsolete as the Amazon algorithms seek, find, and destroy the methods used.  If you ever come across an article, video, guide, tool, or service promoting one of these tactics – use with extreme caution and understand the risks involved in doing so.

 3 Steps to Improving Your Page Rank on Amazon

There’s a common joke among Amazon sellers:

Question: “Where’s the best place to hide a dead body on Amazon”

Answer: “Page 2”

In other words, the likelihood of making sales increases greatly when you are on page one because most shoppers on Amazon will not scan for a product past the first page.  

While it is true that the majority of page views and sales will occur for those positioned on page one, if your product is in a high-demand main category with a relatively stratified sub-category, you can also gain enough sales to be profitable when on page two.  

One such category would be baby clothes.  The baby category is always in high demand, and has many medium to high demand sub-categories.  

There is significant market depth in offerings (sizes, colors, bundle options).  This gives a seller a better opportunity to position themselves on page one for medium and long-tail search terms because shoppers may very well be searching for specific sizes, colors, and patterns.  

For example, look at some of the different variations in colors and patterns that come up when you search for “baby girl onesie 9-12 months”: 

Example of Baby Clothes Variations on Amazon

Regardless of where or what you’re selling however, the crowning achievement for any seller is to ultimately win a spot on page one.  So how is this done?  

The 3 Components to Ranking

There is no “secret” about the basic components of ranking on Amazon (or anywhere else online, actually).  

It all comes down to these 3 things:

  1. Exposure
  2. Clicks
  3. Conversions

In the context of ranking on Amazon, this means:

  1. A Customer Search in the Amazon Search Box  (a shopper searches for a product using a search term or main keyword such as “blue womens ski jacket”)
  2. Impressions (Your listing is displayed to the shopper in the search results page – “SERP”) 
  3. Click-Through ( a user clicks on your listing or sponsored (ppc) ad),  
  4. Sessions (the shopper actually visits and scrolls through your listing), and 
  5. Conversions (the shopper adds your product to their cart and checks out to complete the purchase, or they one-click instant buy the product).

Here’s how you can improve your chance of ranking on Amazon’s SERP:

Step 1: Exposure

You need to have people see your listing.  The more eyes on your listing the better.  

The “million-dollar question” is: How do I get people to search and locate my product?

This is where Amazon Sponsored Ads (PPC) can help new sellers because it will be the primary source of impressions on your listing, especially if you’re a new seller.  

The more exposure you have from external sources can also improve your impressions.  When deploying this strategy, it is highly recommended that you deploy a sales funnel strategy to reduce the chance for “tire-kicking” clicks (where the shopper clicks out of curiosity to learn more, but has no intention of following through to make a purchase).  

Direct your external traffic to a landing page that introduces your product to the customer and tells a compelling “brand story.”  Then place a call-to-action to purchase through your Amazon listing.  This will help protect on-page conversion rates on your listing.

If your product is brand registered, you can take advantage of your Amazon store and attributed links.  You can promote your store link externally through Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.  With link attribution, you can then track your conversions and gain valuable sales data.  This will help you maximize your ad budgets and improve sales efficiency.

Step 2: Clicks

Getting people to see your listing is one thing, but then you need to get them to click the listing or ad so they can purchase your product!

What gets a shopper to click on your listing?  There are four main components:

  1. Product Title.  Your product title should ideally be no longer than 150 characters but can be up to 200 characters.  This includes spaces.  There are specific title guidelines that Amazon recommends sellers follow to ensure the best experience for customers and for the ranking algorithms.  You can read all about those guidelines here in the Amazon Quick Start Style Guide
  2. Your main image should be high resolution, at least 1000px on one side, and “pixel-perfect”.  It should comply with all of Amazon’s rules and guidelines for the main image (such as a pristine white background, no logos/watermarks, no text).  
  3. Your price should be competitive.  If your product is price sensitive, the shopper will be looking at your product’s price in relation to the others.  It should match or be just a bit lower when you’re first launching especially.  Prices should always be tested and tested every so often as demand, supply and buyer sentiments shift. When testing, test in increments of 10% (up or down).  Keep in mind that Amazon DOES flag sellers for abusing price (price gouging) and frequently tracks average marketplace pricing for your product category.  If you end up hitting that max cap, you get a pricing alert and potentially have your listing suspended.
  4. Reviews and Ratings.  If your product is something that is expected to function and work a certain way, and quality is important to the shopper for this particular type of item – then shoppers will be looking at your star rating and feedback.  Many customers will now simply use the on-page filters for ratings of 4 stars and above (indicating a good quality product).  If you don’t have any reviews at all, then it is highly recommended you obtain your first 5 reviews through the Amazon Early Reviewer program and Vine (available through Brand Registry only).  Otherwise, you can use the “request for feedback” tool within your Seller Central messaging dashboard and request for feedback that way.  Remember that star ratings reflect not just reviews left, but “star ratings” as well.  You could technically receive five “5-star” ratings, but only 2 customer reviews, which display on your product listing in the customer reviews section.
Here is an example of a product that checks off all these metrics, for the search term “power bank”
Anker is Amazon's top selling FBA brand.  They specialize in selling electronic charging devices for cell phones and other electronic devices.  It is a highly competitive market, and Amazon itself has its own private label brands in the mix.  To be able to rank highly requires a solid product and high-quality listing.
 
Example of a High Quality Listing (Anker Power Bank)

In addition to the top of the listing content, Anker also is brand registered, which means they can utilize “A+” (enhanced branded) content.  This content replaces the standard text description that is available to sellers without brand registry.  Amazon reports an increase in conversion rates when listings have A+ content on the page. 

Here is what Anker's A+ content looks like for this particular product:

Example of A+ Content on Amazon (Anker Brand)

 Step 3: Conversion

Now we get down to the king of ranking.  Conversions.  This is where the shopper picks your product as the “winner” and purchases it. 

There is no “secret sauce” to converting an impression and click-through to an eventual purchase.  

It comes down to you convincing the shopper that your product is the best choice out of all the other options in the marketplace.

When a shopper is on your listing, they are going to evaluate the four main components that motivated them to click on your listing to begin with:

  1. Title (it should be desktop and mobile SEO friendly, accurate, and follow Amazon’s guidelines)
  2. Images (You should have at least 7 images total, with a mix of lifestyle/in-use images and detailed “infographics”)
  3. Price (to help entice shoppers, consider offering a coupon/voucher)
  4. Ratings/Reviews 

After re-evaluating these metrics, once they get to your listing, they are also going to look and consider the following on the listing detail page:

  1. Prime Eligibility (do you have the prime badge and “buy it now” – how fast can they get it?)
  2. In-Stock (is your product available to purchase right now?)
  3. Well-written and search-engine-optimized feature bullets that accurately describe your product’s main features and benefits (are you accurately explaining your product? Remember that shoppers cannot hold, feel, smell, or otherwise interact with your product – so how can you do this through words?)
  4. A well-written and search-engine-optimized description (preferably you should be using “enhanced branded content” – available to brand registered sellers only).
  5. In the backend of your listing, you should also have complete, accurate, and well-written metadata (this will be located in your keywords data tab and more details tab of your listing).

The Algorithm

A Disclaimer: Amazon’s ad and search algorithms are patented and proprietary in nature. They are based on “Machine Learning” technology, and while they are programmed by humans, the algorithms are entirely machine (computer)-driven.

No one other than Amazon and their development team know the *actual* formulation used to rank products.  
Additionally, the algorithms are programmed to continually adjust and adapt based on several factors such as time of day, geographic location of shoppers, the individual shopper being advertised to and their unique preferences/purchasing behavior. 

A shopper searching for “power bank” in North Carolina at 5 pm EST, may see a different result than a shopper in Colorado searching for “power bank”  at 5 pm EST (for example).
If there were ever a case where a seller were able to “solve” the formula in its entirety, they would most definitely have an unfair competitive advantage.  

The Algorithms work continuously on ensuring a “fair marketplace” where no seller has a *technical* advantage over the other.  In other words, sellers compete solely against each other on the merits of their product, demand, pricing, and product listing quality.  This is not to say, of course, that there are still sellers that manipulate the system and deploy tactics which temporarily give them advantages.  This is an unfortunate but real fact of doing business on Amazon.  Whether or not you, as a seller and business owner decide to pursue down this path will be a question of your own personal ethics and the capacity to take on the business and legal liabilities associated with deploying these strategies.

The Ranking Process

When a shopper searches for a product using a main keyword or search phrase, and clicks on your listing and makes a purchase, the search algorithms log that information, and this gets factored into a “score” that helps determine your ranking.  

The algorithm takes into consideration all the metrics above plus several others (like where the shopper was located, how they made the purchase, time spent on the page, how long the product sat in the cart before checkout, what other items they purchased with your item, etc.)

The more times you convert on the same search terms and keyword phrases shoppers use, the higher you climb in page rank over time.  

The speed and rate for which this happens has a lot to do with *sales velocity* on conversions in relation to the other sellers *in your product sub-category* for the same period of time.  Usually Amazon calculates these metrics on an hourly basis. 

For example, if you sell 10 widgets in the tools category in a 24 hour time frame, for the main search term “blue widgets” – and your competitors sell on average 5 widgets for the same search term, your velocity is higher and therefore, you can gain rank position on this search term. 

If the conversion happened on a paid ad placement, the ad algorithm would “count” the shopper’s search term and conversion on that term as it would as an organic sale, which means you got credit for the search the same as if you were organically positioned in the SERP.

Pro Tips

  1. If you're just starting out on Amazon, and looking to rank your product, be sure you know a bit about your competition first and do a full “SWOT” (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis of your page one competitors.  
  2. Carefully review their listing content from top to bottom.  Note how they are writing their titles and descriptions, and the overall quality of their images.  Are there areas where you could improve on the listing quality?  What is depth in terms of pricing and reviews?  What do shoppers say?  Read the 3 star and below reviews and note what their common complaints are.  Be sure you don't make the same mistakes as your competitors or else your product will be “Dead on Arrival”!
  3. Test the market in a controlled “sand-boxed” setting outside of Amazon to validate demand, through your own website store or Shopify.  Drive controlled traffic through Google, Facebook, and Pinterest to test interest and engagement.  
  4. Consider registering your brands' trademark before listing your product for sale on the Amazon marketplace, so that when you do go to sign up and list, you will be able to apply for brand registry and have instant access to all of the marketing tools and benefits only available to registered brand owners.  This will help you in protecting your listing from counterfeit abuse, listing “hijacking”, and give you access to the Early Reviewer and Vine programs (helpful in getting your first reviews).  

In Conclusion

Ranking on Amazon, either through paid or unpaid searches, will be an important consideration if you wish to drive impressions/traffic to your product listings and increase your opportunity for a sale.  

One of the most important things you can focus on to improve your chances for ranking highly in your product’s category, is to ensure you have a listing that is optimized for the best shopping experience possible for your prospective customer.

Remember that just because you’re placed on page one, ultimately does not guarantee thousands of sales.   Depending on the competitiveness of your category and the product mix served on your main keywords and search terms, you may still struggle to get sales.  This speaks directly to the overall demand for your product, the existing competition, and the shopping behaviors of your target customers.   

Ultimately, your ability to rank on Amazon will be contingent on many factors  – some that will be mostly out of your direct control.  Always focus on what you can control – which is delivering an outstanding product that people want; and focus on validated and proven advertising strategies to boost your traffic and clicks.

Do you need help with developing a Retail-Ready Brand?

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Categories
Selling on Amazon

How to Select a Private Label Product to Sell on Amazon

How to Select Your First Private Label Product

How do you select a private label product to sell on Amazon (or elsewhere online?)

In this post, you will learn about some strategies you can use to make this process as quick and frustration-free as possible.

It Starts with Building a Winning Brand

A Product Doesn't a Business Make…

-Ryan Deiss, DigitalMarketer.com Co-Founder

The key to finding products to sell online or anywhere else, for that matter, is in building a brand.

Successful entrepreneurs understand that the products themselves don't make a business.

To have a sustainable business means you are creating a customer experience that connects people to products that solve their problems and address their core needs, wants, and desires.

A best-selling brand has the following attributes:

  1. It solves a problem or a pain point
  2. It satisfies a passion, want, need, or desire
  3. There is a strong demand

For example, here is this security camera, a best selling item on Amazon in the electronics category.

Image of a security camera - Example of how a product can solve a problem

Example of how a product can solve a problem

 

Notice that this particular product addresses an immediate pain or problem for the potential customer (“I feel unsafe in my home”) and it solves this problem (wireless indoor video surveillance)

How to Choose your Product Niche

The ultimate crossroads every seller must face eventually is in picking the niche they wish to sell in.  For some, this step is easy.  They know exactly what they want to sell and who they want to sell it to.

However, for many, this isn't an easy step at all.

There is no one universal, “one-size fits all” way to product selection, but there are techniques you can use that will help reduce your risk for failure at the start.

B.E.V – A Simple System to Product Selection

B.E.V is a process I use to select, evaluate, and evaluate product ideas.

Quite simply, it stands for “Brainstorm, Evaluate,  and Validate.”

It's certainly not a revolutionary concept but it is helpful in remembering how to separate the different phases of the product selection process.

Step 1: Brainstorm

Brainstorm a list of product ideas

Think about what it is that you want to sell.

When brainstorming ideas, it is helpful to get out a piece of paper (or a spreadsheet) and start writing/typing down every single hobby, interest, need, or want that you have or that you know people have.

Avoid the temptation of thinking “Yeah, but that would never work …” – just write it all down!

Keep a running list of ideas until you have at least 20 unique niches and/or product ideas.

If you start thinking of product ideas that are sub-niches, write those down as well – sometimes the real “diamonds in the rough” are the products within these obscure sub-niches.

Step 2: Evaluate

Evaluate your products through a series of criteria

Analyze the Data.

During the evaluation stage, most sellers rely (too heavily in my opinion) on tools such as JungleScout to help them make “intelligent” decisions with regard to selecting a product to sell online.

The primary challenge with using these kinds of tools is that literally tens of thousands of other people are using them as well.

Another challenge is that often these tools give just snapshots of data based on sophisticated, albeit fallible metrics.

Remember – just because a product looks like a great opportunity according to the software, doesn't mean that's truly the case in reality or the reality of the near future.

While these tools can be helpful, they should only be used to accomplish the following tasks:

  1. Estimate customer demand
  2. Evaluate competiti0n in the marketplace
  3. Estimate weekly sales velocity

You should avoid, if possible, using product selection tools to tell you whether or not a product is “good” or “bad.”

Ultimately, it is the consumer who will determine whether or not your product is worthy of purchasing.

Step 3: Validate

Validate your products by analyzing data

Validate your product ideas using the data.

The last step in this process is to validate your product idea.

Product validation is simply the process of running your product through a list of criteria to test against, to make sure it is a reasonable selection.

What makes a product valid or not, however, is not always so “black and white” so it's important that you step back and view your products at a “mid-level” – that is, don't become so married to a product that you succumb to classic “selection bias.”

While this isn't as easy as it sounds, what makes it easier is if you use a defined set of criteria to score your product opportunities.

Some things to look out for when looking for your first product to sell:

  1. Current marketplace price (what's the average selling price?)
  2. Current FBA fees and landing costs (how much will it cost you to manufacture, package, and ship the product to Amazon for resale?)
  3. Marketplace demand (is there enough demand to drive monthly sales?)
  4. How much competition is there already (do your competitors already have a big advantage?)
  5. Is the product easy to source (is it lightweight, relatively small, not prone to defects)
  6. Is the product something that doesn't require special certifications or safety checks (electronic, battery operated, consumable, etc.)
  7. Can the product be easily modified to create differentiation?
  8. Free of existing patents
  9. Can it be easily sourced abroad (from China) or in the USA?

How can you answer these questions?

Look at the data.  There are many tools out there to help you “cut through the chatter” but here is a list of my favorite product research tools to help you.

(Note that “*” links are affiliate links – you can thank me with your generosity by using it – since I am giving you this valuable information for nada!)

Product Research & Marketplace Demand
JungleScout Pro Chrome Extension Tool*

Helium10

Sellics Sellers Edition*

Thrive.co

Kickstarter

Amazon

Pricing and Sales Rank Data

Amazon DS Quickview

Keepa

The Camelizer (CamelCamelCamel)

Keyword Search Demand

MerchantWords

Keywords Everywhere

Ubersuggest Tool (by Neil Patel)

Serpstat*

Niche Trends and Seasonality Checks

Google Trends

TrendHunter

Step 4: Develop Your Shortlist

After you have validated your product, you should cut down your list to about 10 viable candidates to select from.

What determines the final product will have to do with answering some very important questions such as:

  1. What will your profit margin be if you sell this on Amazon FBA?
  2. How easy will this product be to modify to address the needs and wants of customers?
  3. How “problem-free” is this product?  Is it prone to a higher breakage/defect or return rate?
  4. What is the timeframe to source the product and get it produced and to FBA?
  5. How strongly do you feel about the niche the product is in? Do you have emotional “buy-in” with the niche?

Step 5:  Select your First Product

You have made it to the end of your product selection journey and it is now time to select your first product to sell on Amazon!

Now that you have a viable list of candidates to choose from, your main objective is to not dwell on this final decision for too long.

It is important to not become “paralyzed by analysis.”  Once you have developed the shortlist, it is now a matter of selecting the product that you like the best, and move forward with confidence knowing that you made the best effort to evaluate and validate it against other products.

When I get to this point, I sit down and I look at all the products on my shortlist.  Since all of these products should be in a niche you feel passionate about or have some connection to, now its a matter of determining what product will yield the best profits at the least amount of risk.  So what I recommend is looking at profit margin and product challenges as your two main deciding factors here.

For example, perhaps you're in the consumer electronics niche.  If one product is battery operated, but the other is not, and both have nearly the same profit margin,  go with the product that is not battery operated as your first choice, because battery operated products tend to have more issues and require certifications and hazmat clearance.

In Conclusion

Selecting your first product to sell on Amazon is definitely a process, but it does not have to be complicated or frustrating.  Keep it simple, follow a clearly defined plan, and you will find this process of selling online a lot easier.

Good luck and happy product selecting!

Categories
Selling on Amazon

FAQ: Is it Okay to Create Backlinks to Your Amazon Product Listing?

Amazon Sellers FAQ: Should I Create Backlinks to My Amazon Product Listing?
Should I Create Backlinks to My Amazon Product Listing?

Should You Create Backlinks to Your Product Listing?

A question Amazon sellers often ask is: “Should I create backlinks (external referral links placed on other websites) for my Amazon product listing(s)?

In this post, I will attempt to answer this question, as it is very important to understand how backlinking is important, but can also create problems for you if you're not careful.

The Answer

The answer, unfortunately, isn’t a clear “yes” or “no.”

Let me elaborate.

In the context of web page search engine optimization (SEO), the number one rank factor Google looks for is the number of links directed to a site.

Logic would dictate that more backlinks to your Amazon product listing would help get it ranked in the search engines.

This is good for you as more traffic to your listing gives you more opportunities to convert those visits to an actual purchase.

But Not So Fast!

As an Amazon seller, you have some unique challenges, in part because you have little control over the amount of content you can produce on a product listing, and the type of content you can display.

This makes on-page SEO challenging outside the context of Amazon’s A9 search engine.

Another challenge is in relevancy and keyword conversions.

Just because you have a link to your listing sitting on someone’s page – doesn’t mean Google will give you credit for it.

In fact, they may just penalize you, if you end up being on a page that it determines to be non-relevant to your link.

Who & What Should You Be Linking To Is the Question…

There are a couple questions you should ask yourself in the context of promoting your Amazon product listing:

  1. Where should you be creating backlinks and
  2. What pages should you be linking to?

In 2018 and beyond, Google will be rewarding websites that show:

  1. Strong content-based relevancy on the topics visitors are searching for.
  2. Engaging content that keeps visitors on the page for long periods of time (content that people love).
  3. Are secure (with SSL encryption) and comply with worldwide data collection and privacy standards (like GDPR).

If you were to just give your product listing URL to a “service” that promised to create thousands of backlinks to your listing – think about that for a moment.

What they will probably do is blast out the links to listing agencies an article farms (which Google has become very good at sniffing out and flagging).

And then you have what is called in the SEO industry as a bad link target – a link that exhibits characteristics of poor domain authority, relevancy, and is potentially associated with black-hat SEO practices.

Link-Building Strategies That Work

For backlinks to have a positive impact on bringing more traffic and sales, you need to be focused on building backlinks on websites that are:
1. Relevant to your product and/or brand’s niche
2. Have good content
3. Practice good SEO themselves

What a Good Backlink Looks Like

To create good backlinks, you need to know what a good backlink looks like:
According to SEO expert Brian Dean, good backlinks exhibit five characteristics:

  1. They come from trusted “authority” websites
  2. The backlinks include your target keyword in the link’s anchor text (that is the visible text part of the link)
  3. The site that is linking to you is related topically to your website.
  4.  The link is a “Dofollow” Link. This means that your link tag is signaling to Google that it wants to be indexed. Otherwise, if the link is “no-follow” then the search engine will ignore it. (Most links automatically default to “do-follow” so if you’re using white hat techniques, you shouldn’t worry about this).
  5. You have links from domains that haven’t linked to you before (freshness counts!)

Backlinking Strategy for Amazon Product Listings

Use the “Next-Door Neighbor” Approach to Backlinking for your Amazon Product Listing Pages

When you’re creating organic and content-relevant backlinks to your website and posts, it helps build credibility to your website and signals to Google that your page is relevant for the keywords being targeted.

Remember that people that search on Google are in a different mindset than people who go directly to Amazon and search.

People searching on Google are usually searching for information and looking for solutions to problems.

If they were to simply stumble upon your product listing link in a post or website, and it wasn’t relevant at all to what they were originally searching for, then they will either:

a) Not click on the link or

b) Click on the link out of curiosity but not buy your product.

Think of your relationship with these potential customers as “next-door neighbors.”

You may want to invite them in for a cup of tea, but before you do, you need to be sure it’s safe to do so!

How you can do this in the context of your product listings is to develop backlinks that point to content on your brand’s blog instead.

That way people are coming to your website, where you can embed remarketing pixels.

Now you can segment your visitors based on their willingness to buy your products.

How This Helps your Ranking on Google and On Amazon

The main benefit of this strategy is that it helps keep your conversion rates high on your product listings.

Because if you were to simply create a backlink farm to your product listing, you would get a lot of junk hits to your listing without any sales.

And each time that happens, it signals to Amazon's algorithms that you are not relevant for the keywords the referring page was linked to, and you just get buried deeper in the pages.

So just think about relevancy here, just like in real life – would you try to sell a steak to a Vegetarian?

Same thing with SEO. Be genuine with what you're selling.

Identify the pain points and problems and develop content around that.

Drive traffic to that resource and establish yourself as the authority figure for your niche.

Conclusion

While driving external traffic to your product listings is important, avoid the temptation of settling for low-quality traffic in the form of backlinks that sit on websites that are not relevant to your product, your brand’s niche, or have questionable SEO practices.

You can improve your conversions and page rank by using a backlink strategy that focuses on quality rather than quantity. One high-quality backlink can legitimately be worth more than 100 lesser quality links.

To help your efforts focus on creating a backlink strategy that incorporates the points mentioned in this post:
1. Associate your link with sites that are relevant to the niche you’re selling in.
2. Ensure your link is being shared within useful and engaging content.
3. Audit the sites that your link will be placed on and audit them regularly. Are these sites practicing good SEO? Are they “Google-friendly”?

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Categories
Selling on Amazon

How to Optimize Your Amazon Product Listing Title

How to optimize your Amazon product listing
Increase your page rank and keyword relevancy

How to Write an Amazon Product Listing Title in 2019

A common question many Amazon sellers have is: “How can I improve organic search traffic to my listing and improve my rank?”

An easy answer/solution to this question is:  Optimize your product listing title! 

Just a few simple fixes to your title will help you in three basic ways:

  1. Products will be easier to find organically (because Amazon's algorithms scan titles a certain way)
  2. Conversion rates will improve (because you are giving shoppers descriptive information)
  3. Your rank will improve (because your conversion rates improved)

How to Write your Amazon Search-Friendly Listing Title in 3 Easy Steps

Amazon wants sellers to answer questions in the title.

  1. WHO is selling the product.
  2. WHAT the product is.
  3. WHY the product is special.

In that order.

Start with “WHO”

Amazon considers the brand name a “credibility and trust” factor in search.

For example, Nike and Adidas both sell men's running shoes.

But, many shoppers have a preference between the brands for a number of reasons (style, fit, comfort, the perception of quality, value, etc.)

Some people like Nike, while others like Adidas.

Establishing your brand name in front of your main keywords helps to separate yourself from all other sellers in the marketplace selling similar products.

Follow with “WHAT”

This is where you are going to describe as accurately as possible, WHAT your product is.  It's not about features or benefits.

It's about WHAT you are selling.

Is it a stainless steel garlic press?

Or is it wireless noise-canceling Bluetooth earbuds?

Convert with “WHY”

This last part is crucial to selling your item as much as it is for improving search rank.

You want to stand out from the rest of the crowd by giving shoppers a reason to click to your listing and learn more about why your product is better than the competitors.

The best way to do this is by following your main product keywords with main product features that people are looking for that are associated with your product.

For example, most people will start a search on a product they are looking for with some basics.

Like “portable powerbank”

So what?

WHY is your portable powerbank better than some other sellers?

-It's “fast charging”

-It is “compatible with iPhone 7, Samsung Galaxy 8”

-It is “high capacity”

 

amazon product title example

Know the Rules

It is important to understand Amazon has specific rules with regard to writing listings.  Here they are for titles:

Product title guidelines

Length:

Use 50 characters maximum as a general rule.

Capitalization:

  • Capitalize the first letter of each word
  • Do not use ALL CAPS
  • Conjunctions (and, or, for) and articles (the, a, an) should not be capitalized
  • Don't capitalize prepositions with fewer than five letters (in, on, over, with)

Numbers and symbols:

  • Use numerals (2 instead of two)
  • Spell out measurements ( 6 inches not 6″ )
  • Don't use symbols, such as ~ ! * $ ?
  • Don't use Type 1 High ASCII characters (Æ, ©, ô, etc.)

Product information:

  • Include the size and color in “child” ASINs for variations1
  • Don't include price or promotional messages, such as “sale” or “freeship”
  • Don't use subjective commentary, such as “Hot Item” or “Best Seller”
  • Your merchant name for Brand or Manufacturer information should not be included unless your product is Private Label.

In Conclusion

Optimizing your title isn't difficult, but it does take some practice.

If you don't know if you're doing it right, look at what the page one sellers in your product's category are doing.

Use listing analytics tools like JungleScout Pro to view listings by “Listing Quality Score” and search for listings that have a score of 7 or higher.  This would indicate a listing that contains an optimized title, bullets, images, and description.

Take note of these optimized listings and use these as a framework for building out better listing content for your products.

Categories
Selling on Amazon

Barcodes for Amazon Explained

Barcodes for Amazon Explained

If you are new to selling on Amazon, then no doubt you are scratching your head about UPC Codes, FNKSU Codes, and ASINs.

Don’t worry, you’re not alone! All these codes can even trip up those who have already been selling successfully on Amazon (but maybe have been doing things the old way and need a refresher).

This article will help you navigate the waters of product codes for Amazon selling.

What does it all mean?

-Do I need a UPC code to sell an item on Amazon?

-What is an FNSKU code and what’s the difference between FNSKU and a regular SKU?

-What does the ASIN mean?

-Do I need the UPC code printed on my product package?

This short guide is going to break it all down for you so you will feel empowered to move forward with selling on Amazon without all the confusion!

Types of Codes Used in Selling on Amazon

There are several types of codes used for selling products on Amazon.  Some of these are required for listing your products only, while others are generated by Amazon for internal tracking and shipping.  Here is a breakdown of what each type of code means:

The GTIN (Global Trade Identification Number):

It is the umbrella term for UPCs and EANs and is usually a numerical code between 12 and 14 digits. Each unique product should have its own unique GTIN.

A UPC barcode number is a 12 digit Universal Product Code

When you register for a UPC number, you typically receive a scannable barcode that looks like this:

UPC Barcode Example

 

You need a UPC barcode number so you can list a product within Amazon.com!  This is mandatory.  Amazon will not let you list an item without a valid UPC code.  

For some categories, you may apply for an exemption. Amazon will assign your products a Global Catalog Identifier (GCID), which can be used in place of a UPC. You can find the requirement for applying for an exemption here (Seller Central login required).

IF YOU ARE AN FBA PRIVATE LABEL SELLER:  With changes made to the Amazon Terms of Service and the introduction of Brand Registry 2.0, we highly recommend that you obtain an official GS1 code directly from the US GS1 authority website here: gs1us.org.  

This will ensure that your brand name and company are directly associated with the UPC code created for your product.  Not using a GS1 sourced code will likely result in your brand registry application being rejected. 

An EAN barcode number is a 12 or 13 digit European Article Number

EAN-13 example

It’s basically the European equivalent of the UPC code.  Similarly, with the UPC codes, we recommend you obtain an EAN through the official GS1 authority for issuing EAN codes through the GS1 UK website: http://www.gs1uk.org

ISBN Codes

The ISBN Code is the International Standard Book Number and is either 10 or 13 digits in length depending on when the book was published.  All books published after January 1, 2007 have 13 digit ISBN codes.

ISBN barcode example

FNSKU Codes

This is AMAZON’s “UPC barcode” – it is their way of tracking your products inside their warehouses and this is what they scan and match to your listing ID.  

FNSKU barcode example

This is what you will ultimately print out on labels and will want to apply to each product unit.  

If your product also has a scannable UPC barcode, you will need to affix the FNSKU barcode label OVER the UPC barcode so that it is covered entirely.

ASIN codes

This is AMAZON’s internal catalog number.   Amazon Standard Identification Numbers (ASINs) are unique blocks of 10 letters and/or numbers that identify items. You can find the ASIN on the item's product information page at Amazon.com.

For books, the ASIN is the same as the ISBN number, but for all other products, a new ASIN is created when the item is uploaded to the Amazon catalog.

You will find an item's ASIN on the product detail page alongside further details relating to the item, which may include information such as size, number of pages (if it's a book) or number of discs (if it's a CD).

For example, the ASIN for Hasbro's “Monopoly” game is B00005N5PF.ASIN example

Barcodes “Frequently Asked Questions”

Question -I have seen cheap UPCs on eBay – can I use these?

Answer –No. Never purchase barcodes from eBay as they will definitely get rejected by Amazon. You also risk getting your Amazon account closed. They will show a totally different company as the registered owner. Why spend thousands of dollars on launching a Private Label product and then only be willing to spend $10 on a UPC?

Question -Do I need a UPC to list in the Handmade category?

Answer -No – you can apply for GTIN exemption for handmade products.

Question -The product I am selling already has a barcode – do I need to purchase my own?

Answer -No. If this is an existing product you have not manufactured yourself then you need to check the Amazon catalog to see if the product already exists. Simply go to Inventory> Add a Product and enter the barcode. It should find a match. If it does not then you will have to create a new listing using the existing barcode.

Question -If I am creating a bundle do I need to buy a UPC?

Answer -Yes, you will need a UPC just like with a private label product or apply for an exemption.

Question -I already have Private Label products launched using barcodes purchased on eBay. What should I do?

Answer -Eventually, Amazon might get around to investigating existing listings. Although it will be painful you should probably create a new listing with a legitimate UPC purchased from GS1.

Question -If I am brand registered do I need to apply for GTIN exemption or purchase a UPC?

Answer -No. If you are brand registered you can use a unique identifier instead.

Question -Do I need to use a different barcode for each color or size variation?

Answer -Yes. Every unique product will need a unique barcode.

Categories
Selling on Amazon

How to Open An Amazon Sellers Account

How to open an Amazon Sellers Account
Step by Step Instructions on How to Open an Amazon Sellers Account

How to Open An Amazon Sellers Account

If you're interested in selling on Amazon.com, the first thing you will need to do is learn how to open an Amazon Sellers Account.  In this post, we will show you how to do this.

Why Amazon?

Amazon.com attracts over 180 million unique visitors every month.

With that amount of customer reach potential, it makes sense for many small businesses to expand their market exposure and scaling opportunities.

It also allows for individuals interested in starting their own business to do so with relatively minimal investment compared to starting a “brick and mortar” retail shop or franchise.

“Fulfillment by Amazon” (FBA) for example, allows businesses to leverage Amazon's huge logistics, distribution, and customer service infrastructure to ship products directly to Amazon for warehousing and fulfillment for a monthly fee. The benefit of this service is that products sold through FBA are “prime eligible” (2-day free shipping).

Sellers do not have to worry about storage or shipping the products when orders come it.  They simply send their products to the designated fulfillment center Amazon tells the seller to send it to.

This frees up time for business owners to focus completely on marketing their brands and driving more traffic to their product listings.

How to Open an Amazon Sellers Account

Here's how to open an Amazon Sellers Account in 3 Steps.

Go to Amazon Seller Services

Step 1: Choose your Selling Category

  1. Individual Seller
  2. Professional Seller

If you're signing up as an individual seller, you need to know that you are limited to 40 sales per month.  This is ideal if you're intending to just do this as a “side business” and do not intend to sell products consistently.  You are charged $0.99 per sale plus other fees.

It is also ideal if you're still learning how to sell online and are looking to “get your feet wet” with selling on Amazon.

If you're looking to sell more than 40 products per month (this would be most businesses) – then a Professional Seller account is what you are after.  This is $39.99 per month plus other fees.

Remember: You can always upgrade to a Professional seller account at a later time.

Step 2: Create your Amazon Seller Account

Once you decide whether to go with an Individual or Professional account, you will need to create your account by providing information to Amazon.

  1.  Your Business Name (this will be the name visible to your customers in the marketplace)
  2. Your LEGAL business name and address (this won't be shown to customers but it must be the exact name and address as it is registered with the State your business is registered in).
  3. Contact Information that will be used for Amazon and Customer correspondence.
    Ship From Location – this will be applicable for Sellers that are shipping products to customers (“fulfilled by merchant” or “Merchant Fulfilled”)
  4. Business Banking Information – you will need to provide Amazon with your banking details to receive payments.  Amazon pays you once every 14 days to your business bank account.
  5. Shipping options – choose as many shipping options as possible if you are fulfilling orders on your own – this will improve your chances of making sales.

Step 3: Create your Seller Profile

Your seller profile is like your social page for customers.  When a customer clicks on your business name on the product listing, they will be taken to a page showing your logo, a brief “about” paragraph describing your business, and other vital information such as customer service contact information and return/warranty/guarantee policies.

Be sure you fill out all this information and make it as complete as possible.  Also be aware that Amazon requires sellers maintain at least a 30-day return policy on products sold.

International Seller Considerations

If you're living in another country outside the United States and wish to sell on Amazon, please be sure to read the special rules and restrictions for international sellers here.

Some key tips for International Sellers:

  • You need to provide a bank account in a country supported by Amazon in order to get paid.
  • If you choose to send inventory directly to Amazon from outside your Elected Country (such as China), you must use an import broker (either one of your own choosing or one designated by Amazon).
  • Amazon DOES NOT provide customs clearance, inspection service, or freight forwarding (at least not yet!) so please be sure you finalize these logistics before sending inventory to Amazon.