Choose relevant keywords only

Using only the most relevant keywords is extremely important, creating a thousand keyword long list is a terrible strategy for grabbing traffic. Amazon wants to see keywords that customers would think are relevant to the product. Amazon does not provide any keywords for the product but once it is live, Amazon Ads provide the most relevant and precise keywords.

For instance,​​ if you sell food dehydrators on Amazon, you’ll want to appear in the following searches: “dehydrator,” “food dehydrator,” “food dehydrator steel trays,” “dehydrator auto shutoff.”

To find the most relevant keywords, use Amazon search and keyword research tools e.g. MerchantWords, Helium 10 & Jungle Scout. Do keep in mind that it costs money to use the keyword research tools. Avoid google search because the focus is on Amazon.

Links to the tools:

• MerchantWords – https://www.merchantwords.com/
• Helium 10 – https://www.helium10.com/
• JungleScout – https://www.junglescout.com/

Why you should research keywords

• It is vital for successful Amazon SEO – the product needs to be found in order for it to sell.
• Attain a higher position in the Amazon Search Ranking – your product will display earlier in the search result page.
• Increased Promotion – product will be exposed to a larger audience.
• Capture Relevant Traffic – more people will visit the product page.
• Boost Conversion rate – an increase in traffic means a greater number of people will see your captivating product page, and be influenced to buy the product.
• Relevant searches – Product will show up for relevant searches only.
• Target Market insights – Understand the customer’s desires, thoughts, and worries. Gain insight into the exact terms used by the target audience.

In this chapter you will learn the most efficient ways for discovering relevant keywords.

Everything you should know about keywords

Types of Keywords 

1. Primary keywords​​:

• Main, most obvious and popular keywords.
• Consists of one or two words only.
• General. 
• E.g. food dehydrator

2. Long tail keywords​:

• Less searched for terms.
• Consists of more than two words, usually in the form of phrases.
• Specific.
• E.g food dehydrator steel trays

 Both kinds of keywords are necessary for garnering traffic.

Amazon Rules for keywords

Keyword research needs to be done by the seller as per the Amazon guideline. This is because Amazon wants to know what search terms the seller thinks is relevant to their product. A dedicated section for keywords is provided by Amazon during product listing, but there are many other spots where keywords can be used.

Tips & Tricks for keyword research

1. Use the most relevant keywords only.

2. Use the keywords in the following places:

• Product Title
• Bullet Points
• Product Description
• Back-end (in listing setup)
• Advertising on and off Amazon

3. Use a mixture of primary and long-tail keywords for maximum traffic.
4. Brand name of competitors must be avoided, unless the product being listed is an accessory.

Find Keywords that will get your Product to the Top

Using Helium10

Use the Helium10 Cerebro and Magnet Tool to easily compile the keywords list. The “Magic Mill Food Dehydrator” will be used as an example here.

Follow the instructions given below:

1. Locate the product ASIN in its url (e.g. B07ML4ZJQP). 
2. Go to the Helium10 website.
3. Select “Cerebro” from the drop-down menu on the left.
4. Go to the search-bar and enter the ASIN number. Click “Get Competitors”.

   Alternatively, the tool Jungle Scout can be used to get the competitors. Using both tools is the best choice.

5. All the competitors will be displayed. Select 5 or 6 top competing products that are closest to your product.
6. Click “Close”. The ASINs of all the selected competing products will auto-fill below the primary product in the mainpage.

   Alternatively, if JungleScout is used the ASINs will have to be retrieved manually.

7. Next click “Reverse Search.”
8. Scroll down and increase the word count to “minimum of two.” Click “Apply.”
9. Helium 10 Cerebro finds out the keywords being used by the competitors.
10. The search results return too many keywords.
11. In the spreadsheet select “Exact Search Volume”, the data will be sorted in ascending order of the keyword with the highest number of searches.  This is a good indicator for which keywords get the most traffic.
12. Go to the “Export” drop-down menu and select “To Frankenstein.” Keep a back-up copy of the results by downloading it in CSV format.
13. The list of keywords opens in a new window.
14. Click “One word phrase per line” and do not change any other settings. A new list will be generated on the right where the key phrases are broken down into one word per line.
15. Next click on the “Frequency” tab to sort the list by most popular words. For example “food”, “dehydrator”, “jerky”, “stainless”, “steel”, etc.
16. Remove redundant/ duplicate and irrelevant words. As the list is traversed, the words lose their relevance. At one point they become wholly irrelevant, then delete the rest of the list.
17. Click “Save” to download the keywords list.
18. Copy the list and move it into the original list on the left side of the screen.
19. Go to the “Output” setting and check the “Add only spaces” option. The list will once again be consolidated into a paragraph.
20. The keyword list is now ready.

Create Keyword List using MerchantWords & JungleScout

1. Understand the function, purpose and design of the product.
2. Find the most relevant keywords (one primary, one long-tail) that best describes the product.
3. Go to the Amazon search-bar located at the top and type the keyword.
4. Run JungleScout once the search results load completely.
5. Sort the products by their Best Seller Ranking on JungleScout.
6. Choose the top three products.
7. Locate the product ASIN in its url (e.g. B07ML4ZJQP), for the first product.
8. Go to the MerchantWords website.
9. Paste the product ASIN onto the search-bar.
10. In the search result page all the keywords related to the product will display.
11. You can sort and filter the keywords based on different criterias (e.g. Amazon’s Choice, Search Rank, Reviews, Results)
12. Locate and click the “CSV” button on the top left and save the results in CSV format.
13. Open the CSV file and remove repetitive keywords.
14. The keyword list for the first product is now ready.
15. Repeat the steps and for the remaining two products.
16. Go to https://www.wordcharactercount.com/remove-duplicate-words/
17. Paste all three keywords list and click “Simple removal.”
18. The final keyword list is now ready.

Summary

• Keyword research is essential for effective Amazon SEO and product ranking.
• Choose the most relevant keywords only.
• Find keywords using Amazon search and keyword research tools e.g. MerchantWords, Helium 10 & Jungle Scout.
• There are two types of keywords: primary and long-tail.
• Place keywords in all parts of the product page.

Everything you should know about Product Titles

Amazon Rules for Product Title

1. Product title length must not exceed 200 characters (including spaces)
2. No price or quantity
3. Product-identifying information must be present (e.g. shoes, cutlery set)
4. No subjective terms (e.g. hot, best)
5. No special characters for decoration (e.g. ~ ! @ # $ % ^ * <> | ; {} ©)
6. No promotional messages (e.g. sale, 100% quality, free shipping)

Product Title Tips & Tricks 

• Include the brand name.
• Capitalize the first letters of all the words, unless it’s a preposition, conjunction or article.
• All numbers should be written as numerals. E.g. 12 instead of twelve.
• Do not use ALL CAPS (DON’T CAPITALIZE ALL LETTERS)
• Place the most important keyword earlier.
• Shorten words or use synonyms that have fewer characters. E.g. (use “fit” instead of “compatible”)
• Place as many keywords as can be fit reasonably.
• Write for real people.
• Use hyphens ( – ) between phrases for readability.
• Ensure it is relevant to the product.
• Include benefits to increase conversion rate.

Character Restrictions

According to Amazon guidelines 200 is the maximum number of characters allowed for a title of any category. While some categories have restrictions as low as 50. This limit can be exceeded at times while creating the product listing, so create the best title possible but be prepared to shorten it if required.

Amazon Title Format  

Basic format:

Brand Name – Product Name – Model

Optimized format (recommended):

Brand Name – Product Name – Features –  Benefits

Include keywords in every part

Format for short titles:

Brand Name – Main Keyword of Product – Main Features in Keywords

Amazon Title Features and Benefits

It is vital to discern the differences between features and benefits. While some markets like automobiles are feature driven, others like SaaS are benefit driven. It’s easier to identify features rather than benefits, many times features get confused for benefits. It is important to spend more time and effort at this stage because these are the building blocks of a successful product launch:

• Feature: Characteristics of the product. It means what a product is or has. Features target the general problem faced by a large audience. E.g Digital Adjustable Temperature and Timer Control
• Benefit: The results a buyer will experience by using the product. In other words, why the product matters to the customer, and how it adds value to a customer’s life. Your product is a solution to someone’s problem, and its benefit is the reason why someone will choose it over other products. The term “benefit” is not to be confused with “advantage”, which is more of a middle ground between feature and benefit. E.g. Overheat protection

Effective Title creation using Helium 10

1. Use the tool Helium10, specifically the feature called Scribbles to create a traffic-grabbing title. Follow the steps below :  
2. Navigate to the Scribbles option under Frankenstein.
3. Paste the keywords list into the box on the left.
4. Write the brand name and main keywords in the “Title & Description” box. Keywords are automatically deleted from the list as they are written in the title. This prevents repetitive words in the title.
5. Add product features to the title using the remaining keywords.
6. Use the most popular keywords, basically ones at the top of the list.
7. Use dashes to enhance readability. Do not cross the 200 character limit.
8. e.g.:  Magic Mill Food Dehydrator Machine – Digital Adjustable Temperature and Timer Control – Auto ShutOff – 7 Steel Drying Trays for Jerky, Fruit, Meat – Keep Warm Mode – BPA free – Overheat protection

Summary

• Create a traffic grabbing title using keywords, product benefits and features.
• Amazon’s search algorithm determines product relevance based on the title.
• Product title length must not exceed 200 characters.
• Recommended title format is: Brand Name – Product Name – Features – Benefits
• Do not write price, subjective terms, and promotional messages.
• Use the Scribbles feature of the Helium10 tool to create the title.

Everything you should know about Bullet Points

Why are Bullet Points so important?

1. It improves conversion by increasing customer engagement.
2. Keyword relevance for better search rankings.
3. Aids in increasing product sales volume.
4. Increase product visibility in the marketplace.

Amazon Rules for Bullet Points

Always adhere to the following bullet points rules set by Amazon:

1. Five bullet points slots are available.
2. Character limit of each bullet point ranges from 255 to 500, depending on the category, seller, and vendor.
3. Begin each bullet with a capital letter. Do not capitalize the first letters of prepositions, conjunctions or articles. 
4. Do not use ALL CAPS.
5. All numbers should be written as numerals. E.g. 12 instead of twelve.
6. For bundled products, state the number of items in each package. E.g. set of 12 kitchen utensils.
7. Use semicolons to separate phrases in a bullet.
8. Do not use symbols, hyphens, exclamation points or periods.
9. Do not write company or shipping information.
10. Do not write pricing or promotional details.

Bullet Points Tips & Tricks

• Let the customer know why they should purchase this product.
• Write the main features, such as dimensions, country of origin, age group, warranty information.
• Write a mix of features and benefits.
• Use as many keywords as sensibly possible, in every point.
• Indirectly address the major competitor’s flaw. However, NEVER mention the competitor by name.
• Write about the uniqueness of the product. How is it different from the other products?
• Use all the bullet points space available, but do not write irrelevant information.
• Bullet points should be skimmable, i.e. they should be short and to the point.
• Never provide false information or hide information regarding the product.

Bullet Points List Format

We uses the following format for writing the bullet points:

• Great distinction
• Main Feature showcased as a benefit to the customer.
• Feature showcased as a benefit to the customer.
• Emphasise the problem and how the product removes it.
• “Manufacturer” guarantee/promises to eliminate risks.

How to write the perfect Bullet Points for conversion

1. Open Helium10, then navigate to Scribbles. Below the “Title & Description” section is the bullet points section.
2. Click “Exporting as JSON” followed by “Save in History” to save the title.
3. Reset the page by clicking on “Scribbles”, then repaste the keyword list in the “Master Keyword” section.
4. Use the bullet points layout shown above and create the bullet points list. Example is given in the next section.
5. Place as many keywords (even the ones used in the title) as sensibly possible in the bullet points.
6. Gain more insights regarding the keywords once the product listing is live, alter the bullet points if necessary. Observe the effect they have on the conversion rates.

Example

This example is based on a Food Dehydrator Machine

• Capacity: 7 stainless steel, removable and height adjustable trays (13″ x 12″), 2 fine mesh sheets, and 2 fruit leather trays (can be used as drip trays) provides the perfect space for dehydrating fruits, nuts, vegetables, herbs, fish, meat for jerky and for making fruit leathers, tea, bread crumbs and natural pet treats. Also contains 1 set oven mitts.
• Time and Temperature Control with Keep Warm Mode: The Digital Adjustable Thermostat ranges from 95°F to 165°F, and the Timer can be set from 30 min to 24 hours (30 minute increments). The preset FAST setting runs at 165°F for 10 hours and RAW setting runs at 115°F for 24 hours. Unique KEEP WARM function enables the dehydrator to run automatically for another 24 hours at 95°F keeping the food warm.
• Easy to Use and Clean: Automatic shut off when timer is done and dishwasher safe trays and liners. The transparent front door lets you see the drying process and use a few racks without dirtying them all. Runs quietly and small enough to be placed on countertops.
• Even Air Flow and Safety feature: No need to rotate trays, the rear mounted drying fan distributes the heat uniformly. Built with food-grade 100% BPA FREE materials with overheating safety protection. Functions at 480 Watts.
• 100% Satisfaction Guarantee: Our food dehydrator machine is backed by the manufacturer with a 30 day MONEY BACK guarantee and 1 YEAR free replacement warranty.

Summary

• Bullet points highlight the products features and benefits in a concise manner.
• Place keywords wherever sensibly possible.
• Bullet points improve customer engagement, which results in higher sales volume.
• Amazon provides five bullet slots, with a character limit of 255 to 500 for each.
• Emphasize the problem your product solves and its uniqueness.
• Mention manufacturer’s guarantee.

Product Description: Highlight your products worth

Everything to know about Product Description

The purpose of a Product Description

• Provide reassurance to the customer. Make them feel that they are taking the right decision by purchasing this product.
• Review the product features.
• Review the product benefits.
• Risk removal. Highlight the problem this product solves.
• Ask for sales.

Amazon Rules for Product Description

• Write within the 2000 character limit placed by Amazon.
• Write in professional, conversational, and logical English. Ensure that grammar, sentence structure, and punctuation are correct.
• Mention correct product dimensions and instructions for handling/ caring.
• Provide warranty information.
• Mention all main features.

Restricted Information

The information given below is not allowed.

• Personal information (name, contact number, etc.) of the seller.
• Links to websites.
• Email addresses.
• Company details.
• Details regarding other products sold by the seller/ company.
• Promotional information. E.g. sale, free shipping.

Product Description Tips & Tricks

The following guidelines are essential for writing a description that captivates the customer and leads to higher conversion. Ensure that the description:

1. Is legible and formatted properly.
2. Mention all product features.
3. Mention all product benefits.
4. Use as many keywords as sensibly possible.
5. Write only relevant information, and not fillers.
6. Informs the customer that the product can deliver as promised.
7. Provide the manufacturer’s guarantee to remove risks and inform the customer that it is safe to give the product a try.
8. Coerces the customer to purchase the product.

Designing the Product Description

HTML Format

Limited HTML commands can be used to change the look and style of the description.

These are the main three tags that can be used: 

• <b>​Your text here ​​ </b> – Bolds the text in between the tags 
• <p>​Your text here ​​ </p> – Creates a paragraph 
• <br>​Your text here ​​ </br> – Creates a new line 

Formatting the description

If you have no knowledge regarding HTML or coding, there is no need to worry. The website www.wordtohtml.net can automatically add the HTML code to your text body. Follow the instructions below to format the product description: 

1. Go tohttp://www.wordcharactercount.com/ then paste the product description into the box with all the formatting (paragraphs, spacing, etc.). Check if the description crossed the 2000 character limit.
2. Go towww.wordtohtml.net then paste the formatted product description into the box on the left. The HTML version displays automatically in the box on the right.
3. To alter HTML tags, select/ highlight the desired text and choose a formatting option (bold, italics, list, etc.) from the format editor placed on top.
4. Changes in the HTML code is reflected on the right.
5. Once editing is over, copy all the text including html tags and paste it in notepad . This will be the text used when listing the product on Amazon.
6. NOTE: wordtohtml.net has a tendency of replacing the tag <b> with <strong>, both have a similar function but it takes up more characters.

Summary

• Reassure customers that your product is worth buying.
• Review the products features and benefits, but do not repeat the bullet points.
• Write within the 2000 character limit placed by Amazon.
• Write in professional, conversational, and logical English.
• Provide the manufacturer’s guarantee to remove risks.
• Do not write personal information, emails, website links, and promotional information.
• Format the text using ​www.wordtohtml.net.

Product Images: Most important element for impressing customers

Know everything vital about Product Images

Why images contribute the most towards sales

• They capture customers attention at first glance.
• Provides a near brick-and-mortar shop experience.
• Helps customers to better understand the product.
• Boosts the brand image and makes it more recognizable.
• Helps the product gain a competitive edge.
• Increases sales volume by decreasing returns.
• Contributes to SEO and boosts product ranking.

General Amazon Rules for Product Images

• Minimum image resolution is 1000*1000 pixels. The larger the image, the clearer it will be when the zoom function is used.
• Maximum image resolution is 10,000*10,000 pixels.
• Image should be clear and easy to understand. No filtered, blurry, pixelated image is allowed.
• Images should be in JPEG, TIFF, or GIF format, JPEG is the best choice.
• Animated GIFs are not accepted.
• 9 image slots available for product listing.
• No obscene material is allowed.

Amazon Rules for Main Product Image

• Display the product only (no packaging, accessories, external props, people featured).
• Product must be placed on a pure white background (RGB – 255, 255, 255), so that it blends in with Amazon’s web pages.
• Professional photographs only. No image placeholders, illustrations or graphics are allowed.
• No badges (e.g. Best Seller, SALE, Amazon’s Choice, Top Selling).
• No watermarks, trademarks, borders, or logo.
• Square image is best for displaying on Amazon’s website.
• Product should occupy a minimum 85% of the image.
• No part of the product should be cropped out in the image.
• Multiple photos of the same product in one image.
• For clothing items, models must be standing unless it’s a baby.
• For clothing items, mannequins should not be visible. Socks and stockings are exceptions.

Product Images Tips & Tricks

• Be careful while editing. For instance, too much brightening or removing shadows can change the product’s color.
• Use keywords for naming the image file.
• Provide Alt text rich in keywords, this helps with SEO.
• Consistency is key. Photograph and style all the images (secondary) in the same way.
• Try to create unique images.

Tips & Tricks for Secondary Product Images

• Square image is perfect
• The higher the quality/ resolution, the better.
• Any color background.
• Lifestyle images are very effective. Some tips to create them:
• Place the product image on a stock photo.
• Hire a graphic designer (freelance, part-time)
• Use a photo enhancement service.
• Place a video demonstration of how to use the product in the final slot.

Design the Images like a Pro

If you haven’t received your inventory yet, follow the instructions below to create images of the product: 

• Photograph the sample product (against an uniform background if possible).
• Go to www.pixelz.com to remove the background.
• Upload the image
• Pay $1.00 for their services.
• Receive the edited image in your email the next day.
• Alternately use fiverr.com, which is more expensive.
• After receiving the label, hire a graphic designer (fiverr, upwork) to add it to the sample photo.

Note: Also you can hire us for image editing and graphic design

Summary

• The most important aspect of maximum conversion rate is image.
• Provide a near brick-and-mortar shop experience with professional photos.
• Two types of product images are: Main and Secondary.
• 9 image slots are available for product listing.
• The minimum image resolution is 1000*1000 pixels.
• Images should be clear and the recommended format is jpeg.
• Main Image should display only the product on a white background.

Product Price: Set the optimum price in the market

Pricing Phases

The technique recommends uses for setting the price:

1. Base price, until the product is launched. 
2. Pre-launch price.
3. Post-Launch price testing, i.e. increase the price by $1 per week until the sales start to drop. At that point, go back to the most recent price.

Base Price, your Products basic cost

8Base price is the most basic cost of a product to a customer. Excludes common additional fees that raise overall price, such as tax, shipping cost, extra equipment, and etc.

Pricing Method Recommended

The base price is based on its profit margin in this method. This is the starting point​​. Follow the instructions below:

1. Calculate the break-even point of the product. Cost, shipping, and Amazon fees are needed for it.
2. Calculate 10% profit off the break-even price.
3. Add both digits to get the final price point.
4. Example:
1. Break-even price = $17
2. 10% profit = $1.80
3. Add both numbers $17 + $1.80 = $18.80
4. This is the final price.

Alternate Pricing Method

1. Scout the prices of the primary and competing products.
2. Then set your base price in the middle range of these products.
3. Example:
   1. if the products are priced at $27.99, $19.99, and $31.99
   2. then set yours around $26.99

Pre-launching Price of your Product

Pre-launch pricing point for boosting product rank, is a technique where a product is ranked as high as possible on its first launch. For the first launch, set the product at a price lower than the base. The price can be changed over time, but setting it lower at the product launch can give the boost needed to start a business. Do keep in mind that a lower initial launch price results in a lower profit margin, which is completely normal. Getting sales velocity out of the gate is the main objective. After the launch, increase the product price.

Post-Launch price testing

Continue to split-test the product during its lifespan to get that perfect price. Take advantage of the fact that it is the easiest factor to split-test. Use the base price for the product listing until the inventory arrives in hand, and you are ready to launch. It might be discovered later on that a higher price results in less sales, but higher conversion rate and profit margin compensate for that lacking. Don’t forget that the perfect price is ever changing, various internal and external  factors like economical fluctuations, government control, competition, brand image, and production cost affects the final price.

Summary

• Set a product price that covers all costs and increases sales traffic.
• Product price can be changed on Amazon Seller Central, at any time.
• The technique we use is setting Base price, LBR and finally post-launch price testing.
• Base price is the basic cost, and the recommended method for setting it is explained.
• Launch, Blitz, & Rank pricing point, is a technique used to rank a product as high as possible on its first launch.
• Test the price continuously after launching the product.

Product Listing Setup: Setup everything you have learned so far

Upgrade the Amazon Product Listing

Follow the instructions below to update the Amazon listing:  

1. Log into the Amazon Seller Central account.
2. Click “Settings” located at the top right corner.
3. Select “Fulfillment by Amazon” from the drop-down menu. NOTE:​​ If “Fulfillment by Amazon” is not available in the drop-down menu, then it’s still an Individual account, which needs to be upgraded.
4. Re-check these settings:
• Repacking Settings​​: “Disabled”
• FBA Product Barcode Preferences: “Amazon Barcode”
5. Go back to the main page after checking those settings.
6. Click the “Edit” button to make changes to the current product listing.
7. In the “Vital Info” section, update the field “Product Name”
8. In the “Offer” section, update the following fields:
• Sale Price
• Sale Start Date
• Sale End Date (this is flexible, so put a date few months from the current date)
• Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (higher than the normal price, 1.5 times higher than normal price is recommended)
9. In the “Images” section, update the field “Upload all of your product photos”
10. In the “Description” section, update the following fields:
• Product Description
• Key Product Description (aka Bullet points)
• NOTE: remember the character limitation for each category.
11. In the “Keywords section”, update the field “Search Terms”
12. In the “More Details” section, update the following fields:
• Shipping Weight
• Package Dimensions (located at the bottom)
• NOTE:​​ Amazon will weigh and measure the product themselves, but giving the information beforehand speeds up the process.
13. Go back to the “Vital Info” section, and click “Save and Finish.”
14. The listing might display “Suppressed”, which is normal as it takes time for Amazon to approve the changes.

Summary

Log into your Amazon Seller Central account. Go to settings, click edit and start updating your product listing. Here the product title, bullet points, images, description and price you created is finally published.