Do Amazon Sellers Still Need SEO Outside Amazon?
Is the Amazon search bar your entire world? Do you even care about what happens outside of it? Is that someone else’s problem?
It makes sense if you think like this. If 90% of all your sales go through that one single platform, there’s no reason why you should bother with Google rankings or blog posts. It’s a waste of time because your focus is on winning the Buy Box and mastering the sponsored ads. If you already have traffic there and your wallet feels it, why look elsewhere?
Hang on, though. Let’s put ourselves in our customers’ shoes.
They’re looking for, say, wireless headphones. Before they type ‘best wireless headphones’ into Amazon, they’ll probably Google it. Maybe they stumble upon a guide on some tech blog and watch a YouTube comparison. They didn’t start off on Amazon but outside it. And out there, you’re nowhere on the map.
Nobody is suggesting that you abandon Amazon SEO; that’s your bread and butter. But don’t you think that you’re missing out if you ignore everything that happens before that ‘Add to Cart’ button?
What Buyers See Before They Open Amazon
Some buyers open their Amazon app and scroll out of boredom, true. But the ones that are ready to buy right now and know what they want have done a ton of homework before the app even crossed their mind.
They don’t just trust Amazon search results blindly.
They went on Google and/or social media to research. A ‘best of’ article here, a guide there, a few videos to see the product in action, etc.
This is where they formed their opinions. Did they see you mention anywhere? If they have, and it wasn’t an ad but an actual article, then you’re no longer a random string of letters in an Amazon listing. They’ve heard of you before, so they naturally gravitate towards your store once they get to Amazon. That’s gold.
That familiarity is a huge plus, and it’s one of the benefits of guest post placements on sites that have already built some level of authority. These placements work because they basically introduce your brand to buyers during the research phase while buyers are still browsing/looking and forming preferences – this is long before they’d see any of your competitors on Amazon, which means you’ve basically secured a massive headstart compared to other Amazon listings that sell similar products.
And, as you may have guessed, that’s an SEO strategy that you’d do outside of Amazon.
Now, you seem safer and more legit to a customer, which means you have a much better shot at getting that sale.
That visibility you built outside the platform basically generated the pre-sale for you.
How (and Where) Will You See the Most Benefits of Off-Amazon SEO
Now you’re probably wondering what all that research the customer does to move the needle. You know, how does it affect your bank account? That’s a fair question, and the difference isn’t always a flood of orders.
Here’s where this outside-type work gives you an advantage over your competitors.
(Familiar) Brands Convert Differently
You’re walking down a familiar street. You see a stranger and your neighbor. Who do you say hello to? Your neighbor, of course, because you know them.
It’s the same deal with a potential customer scrolling through listings. If they’ve seen you mentioned somewhere outside of Amazon already, you’re no longer a total stranger to them.
They sort of already trust you.
So, in the sea of random products by random companies, yours is the name they recognize.
And if they’re choosing between you and your competitor, who has the same rating as you do but they’ve never heard of them, who do you think gets that click?
Buyers Look for Brands, Not Just Products
This is a huge deal, and every single seller should be aware of it.
People don’t search for a thing as much as they search for a specific brand. Let’s say your brand is called AudioTech and you sell headphones. If a buyer reads a good review on your brand, they’ll search for ‘AudioTech headphones’, not ‘headphones’.
A generic search is pretty much a battlefield.
You and your competitors are all fighting for things like price, listings, the photos, etc. It’s basically chaos.
But is it the same with a branded search? Branded is a different thing entirely. That’s a straight line to your listing. The person already knows what they want, and they’re coming with high intent to buy your specific product.
Short-Term Wins vs Long-Term Visibility
Amazon PPC ads do a great job at driving sales right now.
You turn them on, traffic comes, and the next thing you know – ka-ching! But these ads are like paying attention because, as soon as you turn them off, ka-ching is nowhere to be heard. Traffic stops.
Google SEO, however, isn’t like this. With it, you’re building a piece of property.
Sure, it takes time, and it’s not easy, but once you rank for useful terms, that visibility becomes an asset. It keeps sending people to your store without spending on ads all the time.
Conclusion
So to answer the question from the title: yes.
You absolutely need to care about SEO outside of Amazon, and it’s pretty obvious why. You don’t need to dedicate hours every day to SEO, though.
Keep crushing your A+ content and PPC ads, but every once in a while, peak over the fence.