Erin Foley, President of Digital Brandworks | Negosentro | E-commerce has opened the doors to a new world for businesses, giving them the potential to reach customers they would not have been able to connect to 20 years ago. However, the potential of e-commerce also is something of a double-edged sword: Opening businesses to a wider marketplace also exposes them to the possibility that they will be swallowed by that marketplace. The sheer volume of choices consumers have today, thanks to e-commerce, means businesses face more competition than ever. What’s more, as e-commerce continues to grow in popularity, it will only become more difficult for businesses to set themselves apart from their competition and get noticed by customers. This is especially true for businesses that use an existing e-commerce platform such as Amazon to connect with their customers.
Amazon’s logo famously connects its “A” to its “Z” to drive home the idea that consumers can find virtually anything they’re looking for on its site. That means, not only do retailers using Amazon’s platform have to compete with other retailers selling the same items, but they also have to compete with those retailers within the framework of Amazon’s search engine. In order to ensure their products are at the top of the search results on Amazon or any other e-commerce platform, businesses need to understand how listing optimization can work for them.
There’s more to creating an effective e-commerce product listing than providing a picture of the product and a simple description. Although that technically satisfies the requirements for Amazon and other e-commerce platforms, it may do little to set that listing apart from the other similar products listed on the site. Businesses that use e-commerce platforms need to have an extensive toolbox of skills to optimize their listings and get to the top of search results.
For example, Amazon allows sellers to write lengthy product titles, which presents a good opportunity for keyword optimization. This helps the product page reach higher in the search results, providing consumers with a lot of information about the product at a glance. Lengthy product titles, when written well, can build credibility and help consumers be more confident about clicking on the link. Providing multiple photos from every angle along with infographics also can be powerful tools to motivate shoppers.
The accompanying checklist can help sellers optimize their listings on Amazon and elsewhere to push their products to the top of consumers’ search results. E-commerce makes it easier to reach consumers, but it also makes it easier to be drowned out, so don’t let it happen to you.
Author bio: Erin Foley is President of Digital Brandworks with over 10-plus years working in the e-commerce space. Her specialization in third-party platforms such as Amazon, eBay and Jett have allowed her to help manufacturers and distributors increase their sales and create smarter operational efficiencies. Foley ensures her team is at the forefront of the latest updates to the third-party selling space as it advises clients on growing their e-commerce channel.
