Here at TurnKey Product Management, we know that beyond having a great product, the key to success on Amazon is optimized listings. We help our clients fully optimize every aspect of their listings to drive more conversions and sales. In this comprehensive guide, we will walk through the listing optimization process we use for the brands we manage.

The Importance of Competitor Analysis

One of the first steps our team takes when optimizing listings is conducting competitor analysis. We dive deep into analyzing the listings and strategies of competing products and brands. To pick a competitor to analyze we suggest considering the following: 

  • Who are the top brands in your space? 
  • What products are similarly priced to yours? 
  • Who do you compete with off of Amazon? 
  • What brand has a similar demographic to you? 

Once you have your list of competitors to research it is crucial to identify strengths and weaknesses in attributes like:

  • Sales copy effectiveness, what are they focusing on in their copy? What are they doing well and what are they not doing well? 
  • Unique value-added extras, are they offering any add-ons that you are able to also offer? 
  • Imagery and infographics, what images and graphics are they using? 
  • Common customer complaints, what can you do to your listing to ensure you do not get the same negative review? 

A competitor analysis is important to do prior to launching on Amazon but here at TurnKey, we recommend conducting competitive research quarterly. This way you are always a step above competitors. By understanding what’s working well for other brands in our space, we can apply those lessons learned while also looking for potential differentiating factors.

Crafting Standout Listing Copy

Our team pays extremely close attention to every element of listing copy. For titles, bullets, and descriptions, we ensure all copy is optimized for maximum conversion performance.

When writing or optimizing listing copy, we make sure to answer key questions like the ones listed below:

Titles

  • Are the keywords with the highest search volume in your title? 
  • Are you using the full character count in the title?
  • Do you mention key benefits and features?
  • Are the most important keywords towards the front of the title? 
  • Is the title readable and conversational?

Bullet Points

  • Do your bullet points sell the reason why customers need this product?
  • Does it convey your brand story and ethos?
  • Are the top keywords that have the highest search volume included? 
  • Are there attention-grabbing taglines to start the bullet? 
  • Is a value-added bonus or guarantee mentioned?
  • Is the listing optimized for skimmable mobile view purchases?

Product Description

  • Does it describe the product clearly as if to a new customer?
  • Are all key benefits, features, and uses explained?
  • Are there instructions on how to use or get started with the product?
    Did you add any remaining keywords that did not make it into the title or bullet points? 

Here at TurnKey, we have seen our client’s conversion rates increase by 5 to 20% by finding the balance between strong SEO copy while also selling the why with engaging listing copy. It is important that you do thorough keyword research prior to writing out your listing copy to make sure you are including the top searched terms within your copy. Once you have written your first listing copy we highly suggest having a second person read through it to make sure you are clear on your product’s features. 

Standout Product Imagery

The image block is one of the most important parts of any listing. We ensure our clients’ listings have premium images that build confidence and drive conversion.

For the main image block, some essential images we recommend are:

  • The main image should have the product on a pure white background to ensure you are Amazon TOS-compliant
  • Lifestyle images showing product in use, if you are struggling to find ideas for this you should check out your competitors to see what they are doing 
  • Close-up images of key features of the product 
  • Infographics or charts, talking about the benefits and features of the product, if you do not know what graphics to create use your competitor analysis as well as past reviews left for your products  
  • Multiple angles and sides of the product so the customer has confidence in their purchase 
  • Product packaging 
  • Product video, at TurnKey we feel video is key to increasing your conversions we have seen clients have swift conversion increases once implementing even simple videos.  

With a combination of lifestyle images and infographics, our team at TurnKey has seen conversions grow while also seeing a decrease in product returns and negative reviews. Images and video are key to making sure the customer has a full understanding of what they are purchasing. 

Harnessing Amazon A+ Content

A+ Content allows enhanced listing optimization by integrating detailed product descriptions, expanded lifestyle imagery, infographics, brand story, FAQs, and more.

We advise our clients to maximize A+ Content with elements like:

  • Additional lifestyle images and product imagery, which should really bring your product to life and show the benefits and features 
  • Graphics highlighting product features and specifications
  • Your brand origin story and values
  • Usage guides, recipes, or detailed instructions, this will vary from category to category we suggest adjusting this to fit your niche
  • Responses to frequently asked questions
  • Complementary cross-sell product recommendations
  • Backend search terms behind each image to help in the SEO efforts 

When we build A+ content at TurnKey, the goal is to essentially make it look like it is straight off of a brand's website. A+ Content is a major opportunity to build brand awareness, decrease returns through education, and drive conversions. We also recommend upgrading to A+ Premium Content for the added real estate, if you have submitted 5+ A+ content in the last year this is something you should be eligible for. 

Post Launch Tracking and Optimization

After fully optimizing or launching listings, at TurnKey we believe our work is not done. We closely track listing performance and continue optimizing.

After you launch or update your listing you should be tracking the following: 

  • Listing conversion rate, did we see a change good or bad after making our adjustments? 
  • Sales velocity, did we see an increase or decrease when implementing our changes? 
  • Review rating, did we see a decrease or increase in negative reviews? 

Once you gauge how your listing is doing, you can make optimizations by using Amazon’s A/B experiments tool to test copy, images, and A+ content as well as conducting your own competitor analysis each quarter.

The intense competition on Amazon demands that listings stay a step ahead. With continual optimization and conversion rate tracking, we help our clients maximize their Amazon channel success. Contact TurnKey Product Management today to optimize your listings and gain an edge over your competition.

About TurnKey Product Management

Jeff and Jenna Lieber from TurnKey Product Management provided this article. TurnKey is an Amazon consulting company that sells over 8-figures in revenue for its clients each year. Whether you're just starting or are an Amazon expert, TurnKey can help take your sales to the next level. Visit TurnKey's website for free resources and training on how to scale to 8+ figures on Amazon. Plus, you can contact TurnKey there to help scale your business.