Amazon Product Rank in 2023: What FBA Sellers Need To Know

T‍o put it simply: if you want your products to sell on Amazon, your listings need to rank high in search results for their category. A key component to selling on Amazon is increasing the likelihood of a shopper coming across your product listing when they type in a search. For any specific category, it's inevitable for products that show up on the first page of search results to bring in the highest number of sales — for FBA sellers, and for Amazon itself. 

As professional sellers ourselves, the Mayan team works to increase the product rank for our clients on a daily basis. So whether you're preparing to launch a new product listing or looking to optimize your Amazon store, in this post we'll share some must-know insights on how to rank on Amazon.

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How To Rank on Amazon: Understanding the A9 Algorithm

One of the keys to learning how to rank on Amazon is by understanding the A9 algorithm. A9 is the name of the algorithm that Amazon created for product searches. To put it simply, this particular SEO algorithm on Amazon uses different data points to decide where products rank in its search results.

If you want to increase your product ranking on Amazon for the next quarter and beyond, take some time to consider the main elements involved in Amazon's A9 algorithm. Before getting into the best ways to optimize your listings to increase your Amazon product rank, let's take a look at the algorithm from a macro view. These are the 3 key elements of the Amazon A9 algorithm that FBA sellers should keep top of mind when optimizing their product listings:

1. Product relevance
2. Sales and conversion rate 
3. Seller feedback and customer reviews 

On top of these three key factors driving the Amazon A9 algorithm, the principal concept behind it all that we want to highlight for you is that at the end of the day, this platform wants to show active customers products that they know are going to increase sales not only for the professional sellers, but for Amazon. This is why Amazon sales and product rank is so important. 

What Is the Best Seller Rank on Amazon?

Learning how to rank on Amazon always begins with a search for the Best Sellers Rank. 

Also known as Amazon BSR, each product listing on Amazon has a Best Sellers Rank that can go from 1 to 100 or way beyond, depending on the size (inventory) of the product category. BSR is basically your product rank, which is Amazon's standard used to measure how well a certain product listing is doing compared with the other products in that same category.

How Can I Find Amazon Best Sellers Rank in My Product Listings?

Want to know how well your Amazon products are ranking? You'll want to check out the Best Sellers Rank (BSR). To find the Amazon BSR section, go to a specific product listing page and scroll down to the 'Product details' section. Right above 'Customer Reviews' you will find 'Best Sellers Rank'.

As a general rule, we recommend that professional sellers find their niche and optimize their listings for a smaller, more specific product category. The higher you rank for the smaller categories on Amazon, the better your shot at ranking higher for the major product categories as well.

It's also worth mentioning that working towards a better product ranking on Amazon also starts at the sourcing phase. Doing the proper market research beforehand means that you will have your goals aligned before you launch your new product.

5 Ways to Better Rank on Amazon for FBA Sellers

FBA sellers, take note! Integrating these tips into your product listing optimization will create a flywheel that will increase your Amazon product ranking among the top search results in any category. Here are 5 ways sellers can rank better on Amazon and maximize their product sales.

1. Work on Your Keywords and Amazon SEO 

How important is Amazon SEO? Very. Why? Because it is all related to Amazon sales and product rank.

If you want to improve your product rank on Amazon, your listings have to be properly optimized. What does this look like? Start with being specific and think about what a customer will be plugging into the search bar on Amazon. When searching for a product online, the first thing that a customer will do is enter a keyword (search term) to lead them to options for the type of product they have in mind. 

The simplest way to go about this is to optimize all the main parts of your product listing with those relevant keywords. Make sure the title, description, and features section (with bullet points) all have the appropriate keywords you want to target. The more keywords you can incorporate into your product listing page, the more relevant your product will be in a given search and increase your probability to rank higher on Amazon. 

To help with your Amazon SEO endeavors, use our checklist below when planning your keyword strategy. These key tips will help you to ensure that you’re adding the right search terms so that you will up your product ranking on Amazon.

• Keyword research either independently or using a keyword search tool
• Include top relevant keywords in: (i) Product title, (ii) Product description, (iii) Bullets
• The most relevant keywords should appear first in order, but be sure to not to keyword stuff your titles or anywhere in your Amazon product listing
• Utilize backend search terms to include multiple languages and misspellings of keywords typically used in your industry

2. Check Your Inventory Management

Availability is another key factor to work on when considering how to rank better on Amazon. This doesn't mean overstocking so that you pay increasing amounts of inventory fees at your fulfillment center, but it does mean that you need to try and avoid running out of stock whenever possible. Sudden inventory stockouts can hurt your conversion rates, which bumps you down in ranking. 

This step may seem straightforward, but it’s something that can easily sneak up on anyone. Having a solid inventory management plan is critical when it comes to Amazon showing your products in organic search results.

Don’t forget about the key rule here – Amazon wants to amplify products that will sell. If they see that you’re out of stock, or even low on inventory, they're less likely to show your product to a potential customer. 

To get ahead of this, work on forecasting your sales according to trends that may increase purchasing (this means taking into account important holidays, seasonality, etc), and keep on top of managing your inventory quantities.

3. Speedy Shipping

We are living in the age of Amazon Prime, which means that quick and efficient shipping is more important than ever. Because it's a priority for customers to receive their products in a timely manner, professional ecommerce sellers must keep their shipping times top of mind if they want their product to rank well on Amazon.

If you haven't already, sign up for a fulfillment service like Amazon’s Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA). This will help you streamline your operations while also qualifying your products for Prime free 2-day shipping.

4. Prioritize Seller Feedback and Customer Reviews 

Past sales and customer feedback tie directly into Amazon’s A9 algorithm. The ecommerce giant sends product search results to their customers that it knows will create a positive buying experience. When a customer is happy with their order from you, the seller is also happy with Amazon as an ecommerce platform.

When working on improving your Amazon product rank, it is essential that you take the time to respond to all public reviews on your Amazon page. We recommend clocking in a timeslot every week or at least every month to respond to all of your reviews, questions, and seller feedback. Respond to both positive and negative reviews to show that you are actively communicating with your customers. 

5. Perfect your Product Listings

When was the last time you updated your product images and videos? On top of optimizing your product listings with the right keywords, the media in your product listings needs some attention, too. Images with multiple angles, good lighting, concise text if necessary — these are all great ways to ensure your products are eye-catching and improve your customer's shopping experience.

The same goes for video: you want a catchy, descriptive video that shows the best of your product and the benefit that it will provide for anyone who purchases your product on Amazon.

How Mayan Can Help With Your Amazon Product Rank and More

From streamlining your inventory management to optimizing your PPC ads, Mayan is here to help you with your Amazon business. 

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