Many B2C brands that sell on Amazon are toying with the idea of also being found organically via their online store. Some of the same laws and principles apply as for Amazon SEO, but the Google algorithm works and ticks slightly differently in this respect.
In this blog post, we would like to present the possibilities for an Amazon B2C brand to generate orders organically via its own online store and the fundamental differences and similarities between Amazon SEO and Google SEO in this regard.
Google SEO and Amazon SEO - what do they have in common?
The right keywords are extremely important for both Amazon and Google. Both platforms determine their search results on the basis of relevant keywords. These keywords, as well as their synonyms, should be mentioned in all headings, subheadings and other texts for optimization, because both Amazon and Google have the goal of the highest ranking. Whoever ends up on top wins!
But how do you find out which keywords you should focus on?
You should be particularly thorough in your keyword research so that you don't overlook any important keywords for your purpose.
After brainstorming which keywords could be relevant for your product, you can search for keywords directly on Amazon. Enter the terms that you have identified as relevant in the search bar and check the listings of competitors who sell similar products and already have a good ranking position for this keyword. Unfortunately, Amazon Germany does not yet provide the search terms actually used.
If you are in the USA, you can use the Product Opportunity Explorer for this. In this country, however, we can still use tools such as Helium10, Amalyze, Sistrixwhich even offers its own Amazon Suite, the keywords relevant to your online store can be researched.
Product search versus universal search
It is important to mention that the goals set and the search behavior of users on Google are different than on Amazon. Searchers on Amazon generally have a clear intention to buy, which is aimed at specific products. Searches are therefore exclusively transaction-oriented.
The Amazon search then only uses your own data from the Amazon system.
Amazon is considered a vertical search engine. Results are specialized and go into more detail. When we search for a product on Amazon, we usually just enter the product name (e.g. wallet), whereas with Google we have to take into account that it is not a pure product search engine like Amazon, but Google is a general information search engine, which can be an information-oriented, transaction-oriented or navigation-oriented search query. Google searches billions of websites during each search and is considered a horizontal search engine. The results are broad and not very specialized.
Therefore, users will tend to use auxiliary terms such as "buy", "cheap", "best", "comparison", "guide", etc. in a Google search for a wallet and/or specify the search to "men's wallet", "women's wallet".
In contrast to Amazon SEO, where products are primarily optimized for transactional search queries, the classic web-based online store offers the option of setting up category pages. For example, "Men's wallet", in which various options are listed. Here it is particularly important to optimize these pages for the specific keyword. In contrast to Amazon SEO, online store operators have to take care of the maintenance and optimization of these category pages themselves. With Amazon SEO, Amazon takes care of this directly.
Due to the non-existent SEO dimensions and fewer SEO elements compared to Google, Amazon SEO allows you to focus on far fewer SEO actions and optimize them in the best possible way.
What do the two SEO services cost?
Google does not charge for clicks or completed deals. On the other hand, you need to invest more in SEO, backlinks and optimization. The more backlinks a page has, for example, the better its chances of a higher ranking.
Amazon, on the other hand, requires less investment in SEO due to the smaller search dimension. You can largely concentrate on optimizing your products. However, Amazon mainly generates its money through commission, which you receive accordingly if you sell your product on the platform as a retailer.
Therefore, another major difference between the two platforms is the role of advertising. With the Google search engine, it is possible to achieve organic visibility even without Google Ads. It is not possible to improve your organic ranking via ads.
This is not the case with Amazon, where it is almost impossible to achieve organic visibility. Ads and the sales generated from them generate more sales, which is seen as a user signal and therefore influences the organic ranking.
It should also be mentioned that Google SEO is considered more technically demanding. It requires more areas of expertise and also more manpower. Amazon FBA can be run as a one-man business.
The cost points are therefore distributed and concentrated completely differently. You have to weigh up which tool you want to use and at the same time take into account that you have significantly easier sales opportunities in e-commerce on Amazon, whereas you potentially have a larger market at your disposal on Google, which is, however, much more difficult to tap into.
Own online store or Amazon Marketplace?
The question of the right sales channel is therefore not so easy to answer, as it depends on many factors such as independence, costs and flexibility. As an online retailer, you should take a closer look at the possibilities of the different sales channels to find out which one really suits you.
Would you like to delve deeper into the topic and would like advice on which option makes the most sense for you in which case?
Then please contact our Amazon SEO expert Tobias Dziuba from Düsseldorf or our Google SEO expert Hamed Farhadian from Hamburg. We can help you find out which channel - or perhaps even both - is right for you and what synergies there are between the two disciplines.
To check which keywords are the right ones, it is advisable to use a SEO Check with a SEO agency to make!
