Top Tips: Being Successful on Amazon & Ranking in 2025

If you're interested in selling on Amazon for the first time, or helping a client sell their products on Amazon, READ THIS ARTICLE FIRST.

I recently went to State of Search, a marketing conference that focuses on all-things search (paid and organic). And one of the sessions I attended with speaker Robyn Johnson specifically about ranking on Amazon... and her specialty is marketplaces, like Amazon. This session was eye-opening, as if we were getting the insider scoop of how to win on Amazon, so I wanted to share those insights.

Because let's face it — selling on Amazon for the first time can feel like an intimidating and daunting task if you don't know what you're doing. It's as true of a jungle out there on the digital Amazon as it is in the real rainforest.

Here's the top tips you need to know in order to be successful on Amazon, and ranking in 2025:

Amazon SEO (Search Engine Optimization) & Ads: A Unique Ecosystem

• Amazon SEO is NOT like Google in ranking products organically —it has its own system, centered around sales and conversions, not just keywords. Meaning, the more sales and conversions you get, the higher chance you have to rank.

• Amazon Ads directly impact organic rankings, unlike other platforms. Meaning, if you want your product to show up organically faster, you need to start with ads.

• Your goal: rank within the top 10–25 listings.

Ranking = Conversions

• Amazon rewards sales with better visibility. But you must be visible to get sales—creating a difficult cycle for new products.

• Indexing = showing up in search. Ranking = converting better than competitors.

Strict Policies Can Make or Break You

• Violations can permanently kill your account, EIN, and product history if you don't follow their policies. It would be highly difficult if not impossible to come back from being kicked off.

• Reviews must come from verified purchases—not friends, family, or the same source (e.g., IG followers)—or your account could be flagged. Never ask friends or family to leave a review unless they have directly purchased the book on Amazon, to be a verified purchase.

New Product Launch Tips

• Without existing brand affinity, you’ll need PPC (ads), coupons, and promotions to help your products succeed.

• Use “benefit + feature” in product headlines (e.g., Perfect Casserole Size: 6x9 Pan).

• Use A+ content to expand on your brand and reasons to buy.

• It's crucial to Disqualify the wrong customer to avoid returns and poor feedback. Do this by putting as many details as possible in your product description, have lots of images about the product (including graphics to complement who the product is for), video if applicable, etc. You want to avoid returned products and negative reviews (which usually only happens if you have a low quality product or the wrong customer bought your product, hence a negative experience).

• Ensure your brand messaging is consistent with your broader presence.

Smart Selling Strategies

• Encourage search-based discovery, not just direct links—this improves keyword rankings. Amazon knows when a user buys from an external link (i.e. email, facebook, text message, etc) and ranks products higher when a user buys from a manual search. Find out which manual searches will help your product appear and tell people to manually search that term to find your product to buy (i.e. daily devotionals layman - this term pops up my dad's book).

• Keep inventory full; too many out-of-stock variations hurt rankings. 

• Use competitor SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages), customer Q&As, and “frequently bought together” to guide listing optimization. 

• Always back up your listings via flat file uploads in case Amazon removes content.

Ad Tactics & Tools

• Use sponsored product, brand, and brand video ads (if available).

• Tools like Helium 10 help with SEO and research.

• Focus your ad spend on a small number of products.

• Long-tail keywords attract the most relevant and highest-converting buyers. (long tail example: "fictional texas history book that talks about [insert topic]" -- short tail keyword example: "texas history book")

Logistics & Operations

• Offering Prime or fast/free delivery is essential.

• Buy Box management is key to winning sales.

• Test features like Amazon Posts for at least 6 months before judging ROI.

Final Notes

• Sales and discounts work best after collecting 30+ days of data—don’t start too early.

• Avoid relying too heavily on Amazon reps—they’re often inconsistent.