Here, you can see that these two listings are outranking most items that exactly match the branded search term organically. This happens because these products have outperformed others in conversions for that branded search term.
Dig deeper: Optimizing for Amazon branded search: Best practices to boost visibility
Breaking the sales-ranking cycle
You need sales to improve rankings, but ranking well often depends on generating sales.
This “conversion paradox” is a core challenge of Amazon SEO:
Amazon’s algorithm relies on historical conversion data for specific keyword phrases to predict future conversion likelihood, creating a cycle where sales and rankings are interdependent.
To break this cycle, advertising, promotions, and even external traffic are essential.
PPC campaigns, in particular, play a dual role – driving immediate sales and supporting long-term ranking strategies.
This approach often involves:
Running ads to establish an initial ranking position.
Gradually optimizing ad performance as organic rankings improve.
Maintaining consistent sales velocity to protect rankings over time.
With Helium 10, you can see that this listing is indexed for 1,923 keyword phrases (yellow) but only ranks in the top 10 positions for 80 of those keywords (purple). This tool also helps you estimate the number of sales needed to rank for a specific keyword phrase (purple).
Dig deeper: Amazon Ads: How to boost efficiency and reduce wasted spend
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Inventory, suppression, and compliance
Amazon SEO is uniquely influenced by inventory levels and listing suppressions.
When a product goes out of stock or is suppressed, it disrupts the momentum-based ranking system, where each sale contributes to ranking velocity.
This interruption allows competitors to continue gaining sales while your listing remains inactive, significantly impacting your organic rankings.
Once your product is back in stock or reactivated, regaining previous rankings requires rebuilding sales velocity, often with increased advertising spend.
To prevent these setbacks, successful sellers prioritize:
Inventory management, ensuring accurate stock projections and buffer inventory to avoid interruptions.
Maintaining account health and monitoring the Voice of the Customer dashboard in Amazon Seller Central to protect and sustain ranking efforts.
Voice of the Customer, part of the Account Health section in Amazon Seller Central, helps you identify SKUs that could be at risk of suppression due to negative customer experiences (NCX).
The technical side
Amazon’s structured data approach streamlines many traditional technical SEO concerns.
Unlike independent websites, Amazon’s platform:
Automatically organizes content in a crawlable format.
Standardizes page setup and structure.
Limits technical issues to specific, identifiable problems.
Products may be de-indexed occasionally due to policy violations or technical glitches. However, these issues are typically resolved through Amazon’s support system.
Finding the right balance
Success in Amazon SEO lies in balancing comprehensive keyword indexing with compelling sales copy.
Your listing should:
Index for relevant search terms.
Convert browsers into buyers.
Maintain consistent sales velocity.
Use advertising strategically to support organic growth.
Although Amazon has become increasingly “pay-to-play,” especially in competitive categories, combining optimized listings with a thoughtful advertising strategy offers a sustainable path to organic ranking success.
Modern Amazon SEO integrates content optimization, conversion rate improvement, and advertising for maximum impact.
Ultimately, Amazon SEO is about more than visibility – it’s about conversion.
Every optimization decision should prioritize ranking potential and buyer appeal, ensuring your listings rank and drive sales effectively.
Dig deeper: How to optimize your Amazon brand store
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