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What would you say if someone told you that effective listings are the secret to success on Amazon? You might be tempted to label that person Capt. Obvious. If nothing else, Amazon is a platform that hosts product listings and a shopping cart for people who want to buy. So why do so many Amazon sellers seem uninterested in creating better listings?

Among our numerous Amazon consulting services is one that targets better listings. Sellers can submit their listings and, we optimize them. We will make them the productive, revenue-producing listings they were intended to be.

The key to optimizing listings is to understand two critical things: how the Amazon platform works and how customers think. If you understand those two things, you can look at any Amazon listing and get a good idea of how productive it is.

Keep in mind, most sellers tend to think of listing optimization as solely the playground of private label sellers or brand owners. While this may be largely the case, any seller with a significant inventory of any one item can greatly benefit from employing these strategies to elevate sales to their listing.

Writing Lights Out Descriptions

One of the first things sellers gain through our Amazon consulting services is well-written product descriptions. What do we mean by this? This means product descriptions that produce measurable results. Descriptions need to not only do a good job of helping buyers understand what they are looking at, but also encourage them to actually buy.

Product descriptions are important as both SEO and conversion tools. As such, they should be written more as ad copy than anything else. An Amazon listing is essentially a long-form ad that tells buyers exactly what they are getting and what they can expect from the product.

Buttressed by Strong Keywords

No Amazon listing, regardless of the strength of the ad copy, will achieve maximum productivity if it isn't buttressed by strong keywords. Our Amazon consulting services focus on this because the best among them include critical keywords in their optimization strategies. Keyword research is absolutely critical.

Keywords play a key role in both on and off-site searches. From your own experience, you know when you visit Amazon to shop, your first stop is the search bar at the top of the page. You type in what you're looking for and then wait a few seconds for the site to produce listings.

You use keywords to tell Amazon what you want. Its algorithms compare those keywords against all the product listings to render search results. Listings that are not built around strong keywords have much less of a chance of showing up in those results.

Likewise, keywords play the same role in off-site searches. Remember that not all Amazon shoppers start their searches on Amazon. Many start this on Google or other search engines. Therefore, keyword research needs to include trends for both on and off-site searches. The emphasis may be on Amazon's search first, but Google cannot be ignored.

It is Really About Knowledge

We hope you can see how Amazon consulting services can lead to better listings. The whole concept can be encapsulated in a single word: knowledge. Consultants with a proven track record bring plenty of know how and experience to the table. A good consultant knows their way around Amazon. They know how the platform works, how customers think, and how everything relates to the broader internet. Without that kind of knowledge, creating Amazon listings amounts to little more than a guessing game.

Are you an Amazon seller in search of better, more productive listings? If so, you’ve found a good fit with our Amazon consulting services. We can help you achieve better listings and better conversions.

Amazon is the world's largest e-commerce platform with millions of sellers. Simply publishing a product listing with some images, selling points and maybe a few keywords, is not enough to attract a customer’s attention anymore. Savvy sellers know that if your product pages are not optimized with professional images, snappy copy, you could be missing out on more sales and loyal customers. Here are two reasons why Amazon listing optimization is vital:

Reason #1: Amazon's Internal Search Engine

Many Amazon customers begin their shopping journey on the site's internal search engine. Therefore, it's essential to improve your listings with this algorithm in mind. Amazon's search engine uses a specific set of criteria, including keyword relevance, seller conversion rate, seller feedback rating, and product reviews, to rank products in relation to similar products. By optimizing your listings with these factors in mind, you increase your chances of appearing higher in the search results, which leads to more sales. Their Algorithms Rank Results Differently

A significant difference between Amazon's internal search engine and its external counterparts is found in the algorithms. Every search engine utilizes a series of algorithms to analyze content and rank it accordingly. In Amazon's case, the ranking criteria is much narrower. It is also different because it's intended to meet a specific need: on-site ecommerce.

Though there may be other ranking factors, Amazon's search engine keys in on four things:

• Keyword relevance
• Seller conversion rate
• Seller feedback rating
• Product reviews.

Amazon listings should be optimized with these four things in mind. Of utmost importance are keyword relevance and seller conversion rates. When both of those are spot on, a seller has a decided advantage in on-site searches.

Reason #2: External Search Engines

While Amazon's internal search engine is crucial, many customers start their shopping experience on external search engines like Google and Bing. Therefore, it's important to optimize your listings for these search engines too. This involves optimizing your product titles, descriptions, and images to include relevant keywords and phrases that customers are searching for, while quickly conveying a product’s benefits and features. By doing so, your listings are more likely to appear at the top of the search results, driving more qualified traffic to your product page and increasing your sales.

Amazon listing optimization is crucial for your business's success. Optimizing your listings for both internal and external search engines to increase your conversion rate through attractive product pages, relevant copy, and excellent product reviews, you increase your chances of attracting customers and generating sales. Don't leave it to chance. Enlist the help of Amazon listing optimization experts to ensure your listings out-perform your competitions’.

Listing Optimization Is Crucial

While Amazon listing optimization is optional – in the sense that no one is forced to do it – ignoring it is bad business. Listing optimization is crucial to being competitive on the platform. It is also key to performing well on external search engines.

If you don't know how to optimize your listings, no worries. We can help. Our Amazon listing optimization services are designed to ensure that your listings perform well on both internal and external searches. The better they perform, the better they are for your bottom line.

To keep growing your Amazon business, you must pay attention to your account health. This requires discipline and intention, as Seller Performance is constantly monitoring all sellers. As a successful Amazon seller and adviser in this game, I want to give you the best possible advice I can from my experience so you can avoid interruptions and setbacks.

Here are a few quick tips when it comes to INVOICES that will help you avoid suspension:

Make certain the information on your invoices matches the information on your seller account. Attention to detail is key here. If your address on file in your seller dashboard does not exactly match your invoices, Amazon could reject your invoices when you use them to appeal. What does this mean? Do not use your warehouse address with sourcing vendors if your office address is what is listed in Seller Central. This also means every period, dash, abbreviation, and even your middle name (or lack thereof) should match exactly between the two. A little extra effort to make certain every jot and tittle is accounted for could save you hours of hassle later on down the road! If you need more help with invoices or you aren’t sure if you’re doing it right, I created a helpful tip sheet you can find here. It walks you through what to do and how to do it. You have to be systematic in your approach to invoices.

When purchasing, use the card on file in your seller account whenever possible. Many sellers have employees who make purchases on behalf of the business. While this isn’t a problem in and of itself, it can be a source of problems when you aren’t using the card that is on file in your Amazon account. It's a lot easier on sellers to use one card for all purchases because attempting to explain to Seller Performance that your employee used a card that is not on file (or easily traced back to you) can be a headache.

Develop a system to quickly locate invoices. This may seem obvious, but I’ve seen many sellers with account issues who have never taken the time do this. The likelihood of Amazon asking for invoices at some point in the future is high, so you should plan for it. Keep invoices dating back at least one calendar year, and keep them in an organized file where you can quickly and easily find them. I remember one call in particular when a seller received a Performance Notification while he was on vacation. He didn’t have anybody left behind in the office and he was really the only one who could find a receipt or invoice in his disorganized system anyway. He had no way to comply by providing a response within 48 hours because he couldn’t supply the invoice they were requesting. Don’t get stuck in this type of situation.

If Amazon asks to see your invoices, notate them by hand. Never digitally alter an invoice, as it is one of the surest ways to get them rejected. Circle your business address and clearly mark this as your company. With your supplier information, clearly identify it as well. Note the ASIN in question, circle it, then write the ASIN next to it. Use a legible pen.

A little planning can save you hours of time, and potentially, hundreds (or even thousands) of dollars in lost revenue. The healthiest Amazon accounts practice prevention with intention! If you need assistance with your Plan of Action or any other account health related issues, please contact me. We have a ninety-five percent success rate with POA submissions!

The fact is, many Amazon suspensions ARE AVOIDABLE. Here are a few quick tips when it comes to ACCOUNT HEALTH CASES to help you keep a healthy seller account:

Address every case, and quickly. Many sellers ignore the cases in their account health dashboard, but what they do not realize is that the cases count against them. Seller Performance keeps a tally of every issue in your account. This means each time you fail to address a problem, the stack of marks against you grows, inching you closer to suspension. Just because you don’t know how to deal with a problem doesn’t mean you shouldn’t address it. Make it a policy to address every single case!

Always communicate with a humble tone which puts the buyer. I can’t tell you how many times I have witnessed sellers who put themselves in a bad situation with Amazon because they communicated with anger or defensiveness, either toward Amazon themselves or a customer. File this under Appeals 101-ALWAYS humbly apologize for the problem and NEVER blame a customer.

Give Amazon the exact information they are asking for. If Seller Performance asks for the root cause of the buyer complaint, it is your job to do the research necessary to determine why they complained. You must convince the representative who reads your case that you understand why the problem occurred, and demonstrate how it will not happen again. You must be as specific as possible. I always advise clients to look at the issue from every angle, then address every variable in the equation. If your issue is product condition, address the source, the sourcing methodology, your quality controls, your software, your research methods, and even your employee training. Most of the time, appeals are lost because the seller does not give the information Amazon is asking for, and this is wholly avoidable with just a little effort.

Don’t just delete the listing and remove your inventory. Many sellers believe this fixes the problem, but it actually does nothing to resolve the underlying cause of the problem or give Amazon a reason to believe it won’t happen in the future. You must make verifiable changes to the way you do business, then explain how you did so in simple terms. This will give you the best chance of avoiding the same problems moving forward, and hopefully, help you avoid suspension as well.

Selling on Amazon can be a puzzle at times, but you are not alone! Ecomsellertools is here to help your business thrive. We have won 98% percent of the appeals for our clients over the past six years, and we can help YOU reinstate your ASINs and your account selling privileges. Don’t hesitate to contact us, as the small investment could very well mean the difference between a beautiful future of profits or time on the sidelines.

I have seen it countless times. One minute an Amazon business is thriving and making great profits. Then, BOOM! Amazon suspends the account.

It can be both terrifying and maddening.

It causes incredible anxiety, and in their panic, sellers start making desperate decisions.

Losing your head when Amazon suspends you is natural, but acting out of emotion can only make things worse.

Hundreds of clients have come to me in this heightened state of emotion, convinced they are going to lose their businesses. Yet, I have been able to help nearly every single one of them get reinstated, so long as they were willing to follow one, simple piece of advice: adjust your mindset before taking action.

Reacting to a suspension with fear, anger, or desperation is the most surefire way to lose an appeal.

Approaching the situation with the proper perspective goes a long way toward guaranteeing reinstatement.

Here is the basic advice I give every seller who comes to me with a suspension:

First, STEP AWAY and give yourself some time to catch your breath. Don't write your Plan of Action when you are upset or angry. Do whatever is necessary to get your emotions under control. Distract yourself. Go for a run. Hit the gym. Engage in a healthy activity that will reset your brain. In doing so, you will be able to adopt a positive mindset. Use this an an opportunity to affirm yourself that you can solve this dilemma one way or another.

Secondly: Once your emotions are under control, you are ready to be proactive. Use the downtime away from selling for contemplate the reasons for the suspension. Evaluate your operation from top to bottom. Physically investigate your inventory. Look at your budget, and analyze your finances.

Third, Formulate a plan on how to fix what is broken before even thinking about responding to Seller Performance. Develop alternate strategies in the event your selling privileges are lost for a month or more. Begin your Plan of Action by thoroughly researching the root causes, as this is the most important step in the process. Be exhaustive in your digging. Look at your feedback, returns, account health cases, messaging, and sales reports. ONLY write your POA after determining the root cause, after having looked through every area of your account.

Although it may seem like it, an Amazon suspension is NOT the end of the world. You can recover from it. In most cases, as long as sellers adopt the proper attitude, not only will they be reinstated, but their businesses will thrive like never before.

You simply need to view your suspension as an opportunity, rather than a crisis. This is the perspective you must adopt for long-term success.

If this is your second or third suspension, keep in mind that all suspensions are different. Don't assume you will be reinstated a second time if you were successful on your own the first time. Second and third suspensions can be much more challenging to resolve.

If your first POA is denied on the first attempt, consider the help of a professional. Keep in mind, not all suspension service providers are equally proficient or successful. We have achieved reinstatements in 98% of cases.

If you are dealing with a suspension, feel free to schedule a time to review your situation at any stage by contacting us here.

Also, check out my new book Amazon Plans of Action: Proven Tactics for Winning Appeals here.

Great interview where Scott discusses Plans of Action and Account Health. Scott has just released his new book AMAZON PLANS OF ACTION: PROVEN TACTICS FOR WINNING APPEALS. If you are in need of help with an appeal, please see our services page for special deals on Plans of Action and more. To purchase the new book on Amazon, please visit here.