Ready to drive more traffic to your Amazon listings? Winning the Buy Box can put you in a prime position for increased sales. But optimizing your Amazon listings is only the halfway point.
While Amazon search is a crucial piece of the e-commerce marketing puzzle, there’s another platform that deserves your attention.
That’s right — Google.
As the world’s most powerful search engine, optimizing your Amazon listings on Google can help you get even more ROI mileage out of your marketing.
But how exactly do you do it? What SEO strategies will help you rise to the top of the Search Engine Results Page (SERP)? And how long will it take for you to rank on the world’s most popular search engine?
Read on to find out.
Rank Your Amazon Listings on Google
- Amazon SEO vs. Google SEO — How to Get the Best of Both
- Practical Ways to SEO Your Amazon Listings
- FAQs about Optimizing Amazon Product Listings for Google
Amazon SEO vs. Google SEO — How to Get the Best of Both
Both Amazon and Google have powerful search engines, but you’re dealing with two very different algorithms here. So how are they different?
The first major difference between Amazon SEO and Google SEO is the use of keywords.
Optimize Amazon Product Listings for Google: Use Long-Tail Keywords for Google, BoF Keywords for Amazon
When optimizing Amazon product listings for Google, you typically choose a long-tail keyword and center your content around it.
This keyword or phrase should appear in your product title, image alt text, throughout your copy, and in the page’s meta description to tell Google’s search bots exactly what it is.
But no one goes on Amazon and types in “What’s the best cleaning product for cars?”
Instead, they’ll just enter “car cleaner” into the search bar and see what pops up.
That means your listing needs to focus on bottom-of-the-funnel keywords for Amazon, while still going after long-tail terms for Google.
We’ll dive deeper into keywords in a minute. First, let’s take a quick look at the importance of linking on Amazon vs. Google.
Building Links for Authority and Clicks
External “backlinks” are key for Google SEO.
When you generate links back to your product pages on relevant and authoritative sites, it’s like a letter of recommendation to Google. It says, “This page is an authority on this topic, and I stand by its content.”
With Amazon SEO, links alone won’t affect your page’s performance.
However, when someone clicks these links, you can see a boost. Amazon’s A10 algorithm update in 2021 placed more importance on external traffic. That also includes traffic from advertising platforms like Facebook and Google Ads.
Practical Ways to “SEO” Your Amazon Listings
Amazon and Google SEO are two different animals. But they can come together to create a more profitable e-commerce store.
Let’s take a closer look at how you can bring your Amazon listings further in line with Google’s SEO guidelines to expand your reach and increase conversions from both platforms.
1. Incorporate Long-Tail Keywords into Your Listings
Google loves its long-tail keywords because it ranks results based on search intent.
When you type in “car cleaner,” you’re not telling Google what you want. You could be looking for a product, a car detailer, or photos of cars that are cleaner.
As voice search becomes more common, Google has also become more conversational. The more information you can give it, the better it can determine your intent when creating a new search.
This means long-tail keywords will continue to become more important, even for Amazon Alexa.
People speaking to Alexa or a Google Home unit aren’t saying, “Hey, Google, car cleaner.” They’re saying something like, “Hey, Google, what’s a good car cleaning product I can buy online?”
By adding a long-tail keyword, you’re getting results geared toward actual products.
The first place to start is to add relevant long-tail keywords to your product descriptions to make sure they can be easily found in a Google search.
One thing that’s important to note is that you may not see a significant boost overnight. Longer search terms often get less overall search traffic than shorter keywords. But you’re going for quality here, not quantity. Long-tail terms allow you to reach people looking for exactly what you’re offering, which can lead to a higher conversion rate.
2. Optimize Your Product Titles
Your product titles are another great way to appeal directly to Google’s search bots. Much like a meta title on a webpage, your product title is one of the first things Google will see when indexing your listing.
But don’t just stop at telling Google what your product is.
Position your title to say not only what the product is, for example, a ‘keychain bottle opener’, but also add other important information, like who it’s for ‘Men, Husband, Dad, Grandpa, Boyfriend’.
Someone shopping for this kind of product might not type “keychain bottle opener” into Google.
Instead, they might be looking for a Father’s Day present and type in “Gifts for Dad.” Because this title specifically references gifts and dads, Google will understand who this is for and recommend your product page based on search intent.
3. Build Links on Other Sites
Link building is an unavoidable part of Google SEO. It’s one of the most difficult aspects of the process and one of the most important.
As we mentioned earlier, link building isn’t as important for Amazon SEO, but it’s vital if you want Google to pick up on your listing and recommend you.
So why does Google require these digital letters of recommendation?
Because in addition to intent, it also ranks results based on authority. Similar to how your customers are going to read reviews before purchasing, Google will use backlinks to verify your authority.
So where can you get links? If you have your own website, look for organic places to add links to your top Amazon listings. You can also write blog posts and shop them around to authoritative websites with one to two links to your product listing included. Just note that they can’t be affiliate links.
You can also pitch yourself as a guest author to authoritative websites that allow do-follow links. Just make sure you choose websites that write content that aligns with your brand and follow the pitching guidelines exactly.
You can also try to get listed in product round-up articles that are already ranking high in the SERP.
Articles like these often require regular updates to stay fresh and relevant. Pitch your product to the author or site owner and include a link in case they want to include you in their next refresh.
If you can build a strong link portfolio over time, both your Google rankings and Amazon listings can rise as more searchers click through to view your products.
FAQs About How to Optimize Amazon Product Listings for Google
Before we close out, let’s discuss a few frequently asked questions about driving more traffic to your Amazon listings through Google SEO.
1. How Long Does It Take to Rank #1 on Google?
Google SEO takes time and effort to show results. Typically, you’re looking at anywhere from 6-12 months before seeing a return on your efforts. You may want to hire an SEO professional to help you optimize your Amazon listings for Google. The right consultant will understand how Google works and can make sure you take all the right steps to improve your results over time.
2. Who Can Optimize Amazon Listings for Google?
Anyone can optimize Amazon listings for Google but it’s important to note that Google’s search algorithm is constantly changing.
Consider enlisting the help of an SEO professional or agency to guide your efforts. However, if you’re determined to do it on your own, consider taking a quick course via a trusted site like HubSpot Academy.
3. How Much Does Google SEO Cost?
On average, an SEO freelance professional’s services run around $500 per month. When you consider that SEO takes 6-12 months to generate a return, you’re looking at an initial investment of somewhere between $3,000 and $6,000.
Scale Your Amazon Store Faster with SellersFi
While Amazon optimization is critical, you can’t afford to overlook Google. The combined SEO power of both can work wonders for increasing your store’s visibility and driving increased traffic and conversions.
Because there comes a time in every seller’s growth journey when you’ve got to level up. Whether it’s embracing advanced marketing techniques, working with professionals for a stronger multichannel presence, or simply staying a step ahead with inventory, the right funding partner can help make it happen.
If you’re to grow on Amazon, SellersFunding can help. With Working Capital funding or the Amazon Revenue Advance, you’ll have plenty of cash on hand when you need it.
