Explore how Amazon and Google – the world’s two most popular websites – differ from each other in terms of SEO practices. Keep reading and see for yourself!
Google is undoubtedly the most popular search engine, with more than 5.6 billion searches on a daily basis. On the other hand, Amazon makes a name for itself by being the biggest online shopping platform, hosting approximately 6.3 million retailers all over the world. Therefore, it should be no surprise why many business owners flock to these two giants in an attempt to showcase their products.
Still, you cannot expect to apply the working mechanisms of both Google and Amazon to your store. If the highest ROI possible is what you are after, consider the unique characteristics of Google and Amazon SEO before reaching a conclusion.
5 Main Differences Between Google SEO Vs. Amazon SEO
In some aspects, Google and Amazon have a few things in common. For example, they both aim for a higher ranking with relevant keywords. Furthermore, they take advantage of listing optimization, keyword quality, and the amount of money brands are willing to spend on each bidding to curate ad placement. But the similarities end there. Below are the four most significant areas in which Google and Amazon vary from one another.
Purposes
By nature, Google is more suitable for showing ads for literally everything. Whether your business offers full-package tours, designer clothes, or English-learning courses, Google will handle it all. The high level of versatility makes Google an ideal choice for non-commercial ads, like those from educational institutions, non-profit organizations, or governmental entities. The possibility is endless.
Also read: How Does Mobile-First Indexing Work, and How Does It Impact SEO?
Vice versa, Amazon is more focused on ads selling specific products. Since Amazon itself is an e-commerce platform, the users are slightly different from those surfing Google. When these people go to Amazon, their intentions cannot be clearer: they are looking for an item. Hence, ads about whatever is not available on Amazon will not be allowed on this website.
Main metric
As stated above, Google SEO is not product-centered. Thus, the most important metric to measure the performance of each ad is the clicks and click-through rate. Google will examine the number of people taking action on your ads and the time they spend on each ad. Usually, the longer a user spends on your landing page, the more interested they are in what you have to offer. From there, it captures this angle and evaluates the quality of your ads for future references. This statistic also plays an irreplaceable role in determining your ads’ Quality Score.
Unlike Google, Amazon SEO bases the success of your ad campaigns on the conversions and conversion rate. If you manage to acquire more traffic and persuade potential customers to seal the deal, it means your ads are working. How high your ranking is will depend on the number of sales your ads elicit.
Frequency
Any Google ad must include the keyword at least two to three times to gain a higher Quality Score and win the desired ad placement. But this does not mean you throw in the target phrase anywhere without considering its relevance to the overall message. While keyword repetition is crucial, over-writing it in your ad copy risks the coherence of what you are trying to convey.
When it comes to Amazon ads, the requirement is not that harsh. Even if you mention the keyword once in an entire wall of text, the algorithms would still consider it. However, most experienced digital marketers would advise you to include the keywords twice: once in the title and once in the listing’s content. When combined together, they are more likely to work in your favor.
Availability of external links
Google is partnered with at least 2 million websites, all of which can easily be linked back to your landing page. As Google ads aim to expand your current traffic and bring in new leads, they are remarkably easy-going when it comes to external links.
Suppose your presence is spotted in numerous sites, blogs, or channels irrelevant to the landing page. In that case, Google will speak highly of your reputation next time it assesses your ad placement. Therefore, when it comes to Google SEO, establishing your appearance all over the Internet will boost the chance of winning the keyword bidding auction.
Amazon does not share the same working mechanisms in terms of external linking. It is because this platform is self-governing and does not have any close ties to things outside its control. When calculating the ranking of each keyword bidding, A9 cares about the relevance and volume of phrases in your listings.
Even if you have put your store’s name on a map outside Amazon, the clicks and conversions this practice brings back are not ad-attributable. Furthermore, any attempt to direct customers from the platform to other sites will also be blocked. So whatever you do on Amazon stays within Amazon only.
Most suitable keywords
When crafting the ad copy and designing the landing page for your Google SEO ad campaign, the use of long-tail keywords is highly recommended. It is because long tail keywords are higher-intent and more likely to attract potential customers.
On the other hand, Amazon is more favorable towards shorter keywords. Individual terms allow shoppers to look through the available listings easily. At the same time, they enable retailers to tap into the general target audience and exploit their existing traffic most efficiently. Still, it does not mean that Amazon forbids long-tail keywords. As long as they serve the purpose of introducing your products, Amazon would let them work.
Conclusion
The functions of Google and Amazon SEO are widely different as far as ad running is concerned. If not careful enough, you may end up wasting lots of money and not achieving the goal you set out initially. This is when you need to visit www.olifantdigital.com, a website fully dedicated to providing SEO solutions for businesses. Check out the most competent marketing approaches and learn how to apply them right away!