Amazon Raises the Seller’s Bar Again with the New Amazon A10 Algorithm
One of the most critical areas of selling and scaling a product on Amazon is ranking high in search results and landing on the first page for products sold under 40 dollars.
The reality is that no one is looking on page 7 for your product. When buyers see your product on the first page, they’re more likely to buy because they just don’t have the patience to sift through multiple pages of similar-looking products. So, how does any product land on the first page on Amazon? In one word, metrics and plenty of them determine both the ranking position and ultimately scaling on Amazon.
We are asked this same question every day- ”What's the best way to increase product rank, sales, and scale on Amazon.” We've crafted a few helpful tips and some very sage advice to help you better understand and benefit from Amazon’s new algorithm- A10.
What is the Amazon A10 Algorithm?
Amazon has its own propriety search algorithm that determines what products rise to the top of a customer’s search query. The products that are loaded onto the first page are called A-SERPS (Amazon Search Engine Results Page). Previously, the algorithm that determined this placement was called Amazon A9. Amazon's A10 works the same way, but with a few key differences that are listed below.
• Amazon A10 weighs buyer searches more carefully and with more relevance than it did with Amazon A9. With Amazon A9, the algorithm pushed users to more profitable products, while A10 has shifted the focus to giving users more accurate findings, even if the end result isn’t as profitable for Amazon. This is part of the comparative differences between the PVA (Price Value Algorithm) and the VPA (Value Price Algorithm). At the end of the day, happier customers that find their exact product match, spend more money. complain less and are more likely to shop Amazon again and again. This is a positive sign for branded products that are part of Amazon's Brand Registry.
Sponsored links don’t generate as much importance or success with A10 as they did with A9, so things like using pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns will be tougher to convert and justify the ROI. That’s not to say PPC campaigns are irrelevant, as they still hold a great deal of value on Amazon as 98% of each dollar spent on Sponsored links is pure profit for Amazon. Rather than focusing on the broad value of the search terms and trying to outspending your competitors, it’s better to mine the long tail of Amazon’s 200 million customers search to present the EXACT product match with values that resonate with the buyer. Now is the time to do a deeper dive into your product values and attributes, as well as being more strategic and sophisticated in your approach to marketing your product. One great technique is reviewing the phrases and meanings associated with the product and its unique attributes. The goal is to identify these key phrases and meanings and then update or build a new ASIN to match these phrases and meanings so they better match the customer's query.
Sellers' overall reputation and their total metric score are some of the most important factors on Amazon. This means that hustling after positive feedback matters more than with A9. It also means that your tenure on Amazon makes a difference ( the longer you have been on Amazon the better). Make sure that your ASIN-CX scores are positive with low return rates, handling returns efficiently, and avoid ALL A to Z Guarantee claims. The key is to evaluate your metrics each week to make sure you're addressing any of these issues that can deflate your reputation and total metric score on Amazon.
Another aspect of seller presence is the depth and breadth of your inventory. Having a broad array of products tells Amazon and customers that you can appeal to more users because you can meet more needs. For example, if you are offering a bamboo cutting board, instead of offering 1 size, offer a range of small to extra large which adds metric points to your offerings and range. Keep in mind that the larger and heavier your product, always do a cost analysis to determine the TRUE FBA to FBM costs. Offering a wide range of products must also be profitable for the seller as well as relevant to consumers' demand.
Another way of looking at increasing your inventory footprint is how many categories your products can fit into on Amazon. This doesn’t mean you should be putting socks in kitchenwares, but rather seeing how many uses or commonalities your product has. For example, items that can be bundled together making it easier for the customer to shop, reducing your FBA fees, and increasing your median per-unit net profit help you rank higher with Amazon’s new A10 algorithm.
Marketing your product off-Amazon by using active and elevated links to drive traffic to your exact ASIN listing is carrying a lot of weight with A10. Amazon has placed increased value on users learning about your products elsewhere and coming to the marketplace, so add your Amazon links to your websites, blogs, message boards, and any other platforms. The data shows that a direct connection via a link exchange from Google and other search engines is far more effective than a typical Broad-Reach PPC campaign. Now is the time to rethink your Amazon advertisement allocation between the dollars allocated on Amazon PPC and partnering with firms that specialize in connecting consumer’s online search to your exact product sold on Amazon. One company that focuses exclusively on this process is called InterlockDynamic.com. Their technology uses 22 advanced proprietary algorithms to establish high-performing off- Amazon link exchanges that accelerate sales and scale of consumer goods sold on Amazon.
Don’t ignore slow-moving stock or a dip in sales. If a product is not moving, reconsider the pricing or combine units to lower the per-unit cost as well as reducing your FBA fees. A great goal is to maintain a strong sales history with each ASIN and the overall account as A10 views strong daily sales as a key factor in higher search rankings. Let’s not forget that organic sales are also important, as Amazon’s new A10 algorithm will recognize the effort to drive traffic to your exact ASIN. Finding customers off-Amazon convert exponentially higher than PPC, which adds a lot of metric value to your order conversion rates and ranking ascension on Amazon.
Another area to focus on is your ASIN’s click-through rate (CTR), which is impacted by using enticing photos and easy-to-read copy that relates and supports the images shown on the detail page. The higher your CTR, the higher you will rank in searches as the metrics have a history that converts. The more you convert, the more FBA centers will include your ASIN. which in turn increases your product showing more on the A-SERP entering the Amazon Fly- Wheel. High CTR is only one part of scaling a product on Amazon. There are many other micro factors to consider and evaluate for each product sold on Amazon.
Think twice about using deep discounts and trendy promotions as a way of increasing traffic, ranking higher, and generating more sales. That’s an A9 thing and is no longer effective with higher ad costs, and not nearly as important with A10. Instead, focus on off-site traffic and creating elevated link exchanges, paid link exchanges, and passive active engagements. A good way of doing this is working with a marketing specialist that can properly populate your Amazon product link to create a diverse and distributed source of external traffic.
If your ASIN has plateaued or is stalling in sales with the A9 to A10 switch, now is the time to have INTERLOCKDYNAMIC.COM review and evaluate your ASIN.
Interlock Dynamic currently offer a Free ASIN evaluation, a $499 value for the first 20 Amazon resellers that are looking to reduce their Amazon Ad Spend, Increase their sales and exceed the new metric calculations of Amazon’s A10.