Amazon SEO & Retail Media: Visibility on the Most Important Marketplace

Anyone selling products online cannot ignore Amazon. The platform has long surpassed Google as the primary search engine for product searches. If your products do not appear on the first page there, they essentially do not exist for the majority of your target audience. However, the marketplace has become a shark tank: rising fees and aggressive competition are forcing sellers to professionalize their strategy. From our 10 years of experience, we know that organic ranking and paid advertising (Retail Media) now form an inseparable unit.

Amazon SEO refers to optimizing product pages so they rank at the top of the internal A9 algorithm for relevant search terms. By combining precise keywords, high-quality images, and a strong conversion rate, you improve your organic position, while targeted Retail Media ads further accelerate sales and visibility.

How does the Amazon ranking algorithm (A9) actually work?

The Amazon algorithm has only one goal: to maximize the purchase probability per search query. It prioritizes products that show a high click-through rate (CTR), a strong conversion rate (CR), and a low return rate, as this promises Amazon the highest revenue.

Customers often ask us why their technically perfect listing still doesn’t climb in rankings. The answer lies in the harsh reality of the marketplace: Amazon is not a knowledge database like Google, but a sales machine. If your competitors sell more units, Amazon will prefer them—even if your text is better written. This means we must not only optimize for the algorithm but also emotionally engage the buyer so they click the “Add to Cart” button. Every purchase is a direct ranking signal for the next search query.

What role does keyword research play in your success?

In-depth keyword research identifies exactly the terms potential buyers type into the search bar. You need to place these keywords strategically in the title, bullet points, and backend search terms to create relevance for the algorithm.

From our experience, we know that many sellers forget the most important terms because they are too stuck in their own technical language. We dig deeper and analyze what your customers are actually searching for. Use the title for the strongest keywords, but maintain readability. We use the bullet points to sell benefits rather than just features.

If you already run a strong online shop, you can use data from your internal searches to refine your Amazon strategy. We often discover goldmine search terms there that are still barely used on Amazon. A smart integration with your overall SEO strategy saves valuable time and resources.

Amazon SEO & Ads: The Checklist for Marketplace Dominance

To ensure you don’t give away your margin, we have structured the critical success factors in this overview:

Why is Retail Media the accelerator for your organic ranking?

Retail Media Ads (Amazon Advertising) place your products directly in front of customers’ eyes, even if you are still ranking on page 3 organically. The sales generated from this improve your sales history, which in turn pushes your organic ranking higher over time.

This “flywheel effect” is the core of every modern Amazon strategy. We don’t run ads just to generate direct profit, but to show the algorithm: “Look, this product is being purchased!” Clients often ask us about the optimal ACoS (Advertising Cost of Sales). Our answer: ACoS is important, but Total ACoS (the ratio of ad spend to total revenue) is the real metric for your success.

Professional online marketing never views Amazon in isolation. We use data from your Google Ads to identify profitable niches on Amazon—and vice versa. Anyone managing these channels separately is wasting budget unnecessarily.

How do you optimize your images and A+ Content for maximum sales?

Images are the most important sales tool on Amazon, because users make a visual decision first and only then read the text. High-quality A+ Content (enhanced product descriptions) replaces the in-store consultation by explaining details, communicating brand values, and leveraging cross-selling potential.

Stop relying solely on simple product cutouts on a white background. From our experience, lifestyle images that show the product in use significantly increase the purchase rate. Show solutions. If you’re selling a kitchen appliance, show the finished dish and the happy family at the table. Infographics that clearly highlight the three biggest benefits at a glance also work extremely well. Customers want to understand within seconds why your product solves their problem.

What mistakes cost you real money on Amazon?

The biggest mistake is a “set it and forget it” approach, where listings are created once and then left untouched for months. In addition, out-of-stock situations lead to a massive drop in rankings, from which many products struggle to recover.

We often observe that sellers lower their prices too aggressively to win the Buy Box, sacrificing their entire margin in the process. Another risk is neglecting the return rate. If Amazon notices that your product is frequently returned, the algorithm will mercilessly downgrade your ranking. Monitoring is essential here. We review the data every week to detect trends early and take corrective action.

Conclusion: Amazon is no longer a self-running system

Anyone who wants to succeed on Amazon must understand SEO and Retail Media as two sides of the same coin. An optimized listing without traffic will starve, while expensive ads on a poor listing will burn your budget. Only the combination of data-driven keyword work, psychologically optimized content, and a smart advertising strategy will secure you top positions in the long term.

Do you want to know how much potential your Amazon portfolio really has and where your competitors are currently outperforming you?

Let us analyze your listings and advertising accounts in detail: Request your free Amazon analysis now.