Amazon SEO means preparing a product listing so it shows up in the store's search and persuades the people who land on it. What the term covers and where its jargon comes from is in our entry on Amazon SEO. This guide is about how to do it.
Two things changed in 2026 that not every guide reflects. Since 27 July, a product title can't exceed 75 characters, and in May the Rufus assistant became Alexa for Shopping in the United States. On 6 November we opened the 6 pages we could read among those Sistrix placed in the US top 10 for amazon seo the day before. None mentions 75 characters, and 3, including Amazon's own guide, still give 200.
The rules below come from public Amazon and Google pages, checked on 6 November 2026. Amazon doesn't publish how its algorithm works, so we separate what it says from what people assume.
How it differs from Google SEO
What you know about Google only half applies. This table covers only what each company says about itself. For a broader comparison, see our entry on Amazon SEO.
| Aspect | Amazon | |
|---|---|---|
| What gets searched | A catalog, built from data supplied by sellers | Pages it finds by crawling the web |
| Condition for appearing | A buyable offer and a browse node, among others | A crawlable, indexed page, with no guarantee of appearing |
| External links | Not named as a factor on any of the Amazon pages we cite | Used as a relevance signal, and PageRank is one of its systems |
| Price | Adjusting it can improve ranking, according to its guide | Not named in its guide to ranking systems |
| Advertising | Ads can help offers rise through search results, without saying whether that means organic ones | Doesn't accept payment to rank pages higher |
| Ranking documentation | Doesn't release official documentation on its search algorithms | Publishes a guide to its ranking systems |
| Your own search data | Brand Analytics dashboards, for brands in Brand Registry only | Search Console: queries, clicks and impressions |
Amazon competes inside Google too: 20 searches measured
We looked at how far Amazon and Google overlap. On 5 November 2026 we checked 20 hand-picked product searches in Sistrix for Spain and 20 for Germany. In Spain: zapatillas running, auriculares bluetooth, freidora de aire, cafetera, robot aspirador, silla de oficina, mochila, taladro, crema solar, proteina whey, lego, aspiradora, colchon, smartwatch, impresora, bicicleta estatica, patinete electrico, barbacoa, altavoz bluetooth and maleta cabina. Germany used the German equivalents. We have no such count for the US. The query set neither a device nor a data date, so we can't say which ones Sistrix applied.
| Domain in Google | In position 1 | In the top 3 | In the top 10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| amazon.es (Google Spain) | 0 of 20 | 6 of 20 | 17 of 20 |
| amazon.de (Google Germany) | 1 of 20 | 7 of 20 | 13 of 20 |
Amazon wasn't alone in the top 3. Counting places, mediamarkt.es held 10 and amazon.es 7, while mediamarkt.de and amazon.de held 8 each in Germany. A domain can hold more than one place in the same search.
If you run your own shop, the reading is this: for these searches, Amazon is also a rival inside Google, though not the only one. The limits are clear. We chose the terms, it's a snapshot of one day, and Shopping blocks aren't counted. It doesn't show which type of Amazon page appears, and none of it explains how Amazon orders its own results.
What Amazon says about its ranking, and what it doesn't
An Amazon community manager put it plainly in the US seller forums, in a thread the forum dated a year ago when we read it on 6 November 2026: the company doesn't disclose information or release official documentation on its search algorithms. That's a forum comment, not a policy. Even so, any list of "Amazon ranking factors" is largely the author's own inference.
What Amazon does state on its pages:
- Customer search terms are matched against data such as the title and description, and the search terms you enter are used for lexical matching.
- Keyword stuffing can hurt rankings.
- Adjusting your list price to stay competitive can improve ranking.
- Listing quality and account health can contribute to rankings.
Amazon also reserves some room: it may not use all the search terms you enter, or all the content of the description and bullet points, when retrieving products.
The names A9 and A10 don't appear on any of the Amazon pages in our sources, apart from a seller's question in that forum thread. Treating A10 as an official algorithm has no basis. Where both names come from is in our entry on Amazon SEO. One public technical clue is old: a 2016 Amazon Search talk describes how the engine moved from hand-tuned functions with a handful of inputs to machine-learned ranking within categories.
Before optimizing: check that the product can be found
No listing improvement helps a product that isn't in search at all. Amazon gives five common reasons:
- Parent ASIN: not indexed by design, so check the child ASIN instead.
- No browse node: without one the ASIN isn't indexed. Pick the most specific node that fits.
- No offer: if the buyable offer expires, the ASIN stops appearing.
- A future launch date.
- Listing quality: an ASIN that is search suppressed or has its detail page removed doesn't appear.
Finding keywords
Google Keyword Planner measures searches on Google. It tells you whether a topic has interest, not what people type into Amazon's search box. For that, Amazon's guide suggests these routes:
| Route | What you get | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon search box suggestions | Phrases offered as you type | None |
| Competitor listings | Words and phrases in their visible text | None |
| Product Opportunity Explorer | Top search terms and search trends | Not specified in the guide |
| Top Search Terms (Brand Analytics) | Search frequency rank and the three most-clicked products | Brand in Brand Registry |
| Search Query Performance (Brand Analytics) | Queries leading to your brand, with impressions, clicks and cart adds | Brand in Brand Registry |
Note the fourth row: that's a rank, not a volume. And Amazon says you can't see a competitor's exact keywords. Once you have a list, mix short terms with long-tail keywords. According to its guide, short terms might have more visibility and be harder to rank for, while specific phrases might get fewer searches and convert better.
Writing the listing, field by field
| Field | Limit | Visible to customers |
|---|---|---|
| Title | 75 characters including spaces, media excepted | Yes |
| Item Highlights | 125 characters | Yes, below the title |
| Bullet points | At least 3 and up to 5. Length varies by product type | Yes |
| Search terms | Under 250 bytes | No |
Title
Amazon announced the change in its seller forums, in a post updated on 10 June 2026: from 27 July, 75 characters including spaces in every category except media. The help page's reason is that mobile screens truncate long titles. It excludes media products and the stores in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Türkiye and the United Arab Emirates, and warns that a listed title that doesn't comply may be corrected automatically or not appear in search. The rest comes only from the announcement, posted in the US section of the forums: longer titles will gradually be replaced by an AI recommendation, and brand owners get 14 days to review it.
Amazon's SEO guide, dated 3 September 2025, still says 200 characters with a recommended 60. Where two Amazon pages disagree we follow the help page, because it defines the requirement and matches the announcement.
What that help page asks for:
- No promotional phrases such as "free shipping".
- No word more than twice. Prepositions, articles and conjunctions are exempt.
- No characters such as !, $, ?, _, {, }, ^, ¬ and ¦.
- A set order: brand, flavor or style, product type, main attribute, color, size or pack count, model number.
- Numerals rather than spelled-out numbers, and no subjective comments such as "best seller".
An invented example, 51 characters long: "BrandX Programmable Drip Coffee Maker, Steel, Black". Whatever doesn't fit moves to the next field.
Item Highlights
You get 125 more characters here, as comma-separated phrases rather than full sentences. They show below the title in search results and on the detail page, and the US forum announcement says the content is searchable. In our example: "12 cups, glass carafe, 24-hour timer, auto shut-off". A change can take 24 to 48 hours to appear.
Bullet points
Amazon asks for at least three and allows up to five, each with different information. It suggests a header with a colon, such as "Cotton fabric: …", and fragments with no end punctuation. The maximum length depends on the product type. Its guide suggests an explanation of 100 characters or fewer, as writing advice. Bullets containing guarantees, links, contact details, emojis or all-caps text may be removed or changed.
Description
This is the place for uses, benefits and technical data: materials, dimensions, care instructions or warranty. The guide warns against stuffing and offers a rule of thumb: if you've used a phrase once, you probably don't need it again.
Search terms
This is the hidden Generic keyword field, for whatever doesn't fit in the visible text. What Amazon's help says:
- Stay under 250 bytes. Go over and search ignores the whole field, not just the excess.
- Count bytes, not letters, leaving out spaces and punctuation, which Amazon doesn't count. In English one letter is one byte, while a more complex character such as ä can take two or more.
- Use synonyms and spelling variations. Common misspellings aren't needed, according to the same page.
- Write in lowercase, separate with spaces, avoid repetition and pick singular or plural.
- Skip articles and prepositions.
- Leave out brand names, ASINs, temporary words such as "new" and subjective ones such as "best".
In our example: filter americano office home thermal carafe breakfast, 47 bytes without the spaces. The limit isn't a target, since Amazon may choose not to use terms it doesn't consider relevant.
Images and A+ Content
The main image rules are specific: pure white background (RGB 255, 255, 255) and the product filling 85% of the image. With 1,000 pixels or more on the longest side, zoom is enabled.
A+ Content adds image and text modules, video and comparison charts to the detail page. It takes a Professional plan plus either a Brand Representative or Reseller role on a brand in Brand Registry, or generic products in your catalog. Amazon says it's free for sellers who meet the requirements. Amazon states that Basic A+ can increase sales by up to 8% and well-implemented Premium A+ by up to 20%. Two cautions: it says "up to", and the footnote points to Amazon internal data, with no sample or method. Read those figures as a ceiling Amazon reports, not a forecast for your product.
To measure it for yourself there's Manage Your Experiments, an A/B test that randomly splits customers between two versions of a title, image or other content. It also requires a Professional plan and Brand Registry.
Price, stock and fulfillment
Several sellers can offer the same product on one page, so there are two contests: appearing in search and becoming the Featured Offer, the one with the buy buttons. Amazon is more explicit about the second:
- Price: Featured Offer prices are commonly at or below the lowest-priced alternatives. The total counts, shipping included.
- Shipping: offers with fast, free shipping and a narrower delivery range are more likely to be featured.
- Order experience: shipping the correct item undamaged helps.
- Stock: an offer can't be featured if the item is out of stock.
On fulfillment, two things need separating. For the Featured Offer, Amazon says fulfilling orders yourself can be just as effective as using its network. Search rank is a different matter: none of these Amazon pages says FBA gives an advantage there.
Reviews: what's allowed
Amazon sends automated review requests for most products. It also allows the following:
- The "Request a Review" button in Seller Central, one of the two methods it recommends.
- Amazon Vine, the other recommended method, where available. It requires Brand Registry, an active FBA listing and fewer than 30 reviews on the product, and there's an enrollment fee per parent ASIN, unless the product gets no review within 90 days.
- Buyer-Seller Messaging, only if you haven't used the button for that order.
- A card in the package with a neutral request.
Offering any incentive is prohibited (money, gift cards, discounts, refunds or future benefits), as is asking only for positive reviews or asking customers to change or remove one. You also can't review your own product or a competitor's, or use services that sell reviews. The consequences Amazon lists run from removing the product to revoking selling privileges, withholding funds and legal action. The US help adds that customer service after a negative review must go only through Amazon's messaging.
The pages we cite don't say how much reviews weigh in ranking. They do say what reviews are for: helping customers inform themselves and decide.
External traffic: measure before you believe
Does sending Google visitors to a listing improve its rank inside Amazon? We found no Amazon page confirming it, and Amazon doesn't document its algorithms, so we treat it as a hypothesis.
What does exist is a way to measure the sales that traffic brings. Amazon Attribution is a free tool that measures the on-Amazon impact of campaigns across search, social, display, video and email. For sellers, the page limits it to Professional accounts enrolled in Brand Registry, and it addresses those who use sponsored ads. To test the hypothesis on your listing, tag the link, note the position before and after, and keep in mind that one product doesn't prove a cause.
Rufus and Alexa for Shopping
Amazon's own announcement carries a note that Rufus was renamed Alexa for Shopping on 13 May 2026. Its US seller help says the experience is available to US customers. The help pages for selling in Spain and Germany still describe Rufus as of 6 November. That shows what those pages say, not what every customer sees in the app.
For a listing, the useful part is in that help:
- The assistant draws on the catalog, reviews, community questions and answers, detail pages and information from the web. (That list is from the Spain and Germany pages and the original announcement.)
- For specific questions, such as dimensions or whether something is machine washable, it uses information from the detail page.
- If an answer is wrong, Amazon asks you to verify that the detail page is current and then open a ticket with the ASIN and a screenshot.
The conclusion is a modest one: data missing from a listing can't come from that listing. Amazon doesn't publish how the assistant orders its recommendations, so we know of no documented technique for "ranking in Rufus".
Amazon, your own shop, or both
What follows is our judgment, not a study. It depends on your margin and catalog, and we didn't measure it on real cases for this article.
- Who you talk to: on Amazon, contact with customers runs through its channels, and the US help prohibits outside channels after a negative review. If you need a direct relationship with customers, your own shop gives you room Amazon doesn't.
- What data you see: brand-level queries on Amazon require Brand Registry. On your site you have Search Console once you verify it.
- Where you compete: in our count, Amazon was in Google's top 10 for 17 of 20 searches in Spain. Before investing in a shop category, check whether that search is already held by Amazon and large retailers.
- What you measure: use Attribution, if you're eligible, for what you send to Amazon and Search Console for what reaches your site, without adding the two as if they were the same thing.
For the shop side there's our guide to e-commerce SEO. If you'd rather have us go through the listing and keywords with you, that's what we do in Amazon SEO.
Frequently asked questions
How many characters can an Amazon title have?
75, including spaces, except for media products and the stores in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Türkiye and the United Arab Emirates. You also get 125 characters in Item Highlights. The 200 that some guides still quote is the earlier limit.
Is there an Amazon A10 algorithm?
The Amazon pages in our sources don't use it as a name of their own. The one mention is a seller's question in its forums, where a community manager replied that the company doesn't release documentation on its search algorithms. Treat it as an industry label, not a fact.
Do backlinks help you rank on Amazon?
Amazon doesn't name them as a factor on these pages, and doesn't expressly rule them out either. If you're eligible, Amazon Attribution measures the sales coming from outside.
How many backend keywords fit on Amazon?
Under 250 bytes in the Generic keyword field. Go over and Amazon ignores the whole field. Amazon says a character such as ä can take more than one byte.
Do you need FBA to rank a product?
Amazon doesn't claim that here. For the Featured Offer, it says fulfilling orders yourself can be just as effective. FBA is a requirement for other things, such as Amazon Vine.
Sources
Pages checked on 6 November 2026. Seller Central help pages apply to the store named on each; we link the US versions unless noted.
- Amazon seller forums: updates to product titles from 27 July (updated 10 June 2026)
- Seller Central: product title requirements
- Amazon: Amazon SEO guide (3 September 2025)
- Seller Central: optimize your product discoverability
- Seller Central: use search terms effectively
- Seller Central: keyword attributes explained
- Seller Central: product bullet point requirements
- Seller Central: my ASIN is unsearchable
- Seller Central: product image requirements
- Amazon: A+ Content
- Amazon: Manage Your Experiments
- Amazon: Brand Analytics
- Amazon: Featured Offer
- Seller Central: answers to questions about reviews
- Seller Central: customer product reviews policies
- Seller Central Spain: Amazon Vine
- Amazon Ads: Amazon Attribution
- About Amazon: Rufus announcement, with the renaming note (1 February 2024)
- Seller Central US: Alexa for Shopping
- Seller Central Spain: Rufus
- Amazon seller forums: A10 thread, with a community manager's reply
- Sorokina and Cantú-Paz: Amazon Search, the joy of ranking products (SIGIR 2016)
- Google Search Central: link best practices
- Google Search Central: ranking systems guide
- Google Search Central: how Search works
- Search Console Help: performance report
Related concepts: long-tail keyword, A/B testing, conversion.
How this article was made
The first version of this article dates from March 2026 and compared Amazon with Google. This revision drops two of its claims that we couldn't find at Amazon: that FBA gives a ranking advantage and that external traffic improves rank. It was rewritten in full in November 2026 with AI support, from the pages linked above, and reviewed before publication. To write it we didn't log in to a seller account or test anything on a real listing. The Sistrix count is ours, and its limits are in its section. The title and search term examples are invented.
