Competing with Amazon on Page One of Google

by imnewbie6

Posted: 11 years ago 11 replies

Hey all,

I am interested in promoting Amazon products as an affiliate.

After selecting a keyword that I will use to try and rank for/build a small website around, I notice that almost always on Page 1 of Google is the Amazon page for that very product somewhere in the top results. Is it bad that if I made it to Page 1, I would essentially be competing with Amazon for the very product I'm trying to promote THROUGH Amazon?

So, basic hypothetical example: Let's say I want to promote a portable jump charger that Amazon is selling. And let's say after some basic keyword research my keyword is something like "jump and carry 300xl jump starter". If I were to go to Google and type that keyword in, the actual page for that Amazon product (the one I would be attempting to send traffic to with MY website) is almost always listed somewhere on Page 1 in the top results.

Is this an issue/problem? This has happened with almost every product I look at on Amazon where the keyword includes the name of the product. Keep in mind I WANT the keyword in most cases to include the brand or the name of the product I'm promoting because it is more specific and relevant to the person conducting the search and the person is probably more likely to buy.

EX: Someone typing in the keyword "Jump and Carry 300XL Jump Starter" = much more specific and commercial than just "Car Jump Starter". So that's why I like to find keywords that include the specific model or brand name associated with the product.

Hope I described this all right. I would really appreciate any and all thoughts.

Thanks.

#amazon #competing #google #page

andersce99

11 years ago

Originally Posted by imnewbie6

almost always on Page 1 of Google is the Amazon page for that very product somewhere in the top results. Is it bad that if I made it to Page 1, I would essentially be competing with Amazon for the very product I'm trying to promote THROUGH Amazon?

In my opinion, no. If you use the SEOQuake plugin you can check the page rank and back links, for the top ten sites that rank for your keyword, and determine how likely you are to outrank one of those sites. For your example keyword phrase Amazon has the highest page rank and back link scores but it is number three on the page with two pretty weak sites above it.

So you don't have to worry about outranking Amazon. You just have to worry about outranking one of the websites above position eight (my arbitrary number). And then providing content in your meta description that entices the customer to click on your link.

Just my 2 cents.

Thanks

Chris

Thanks
1 reply

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imnewbie6 11 years ago

Thanks, Chris. Kinda what I thought. So just as long as I think I can make it to Page 1, give it a go, correct? I was just concerned that people might be more enticed to go straight through the Amazon website versus a website (mine) that will take them to the Amazon website.
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- andersce99 11 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by imnewbie6
  
  concerned that people might be more enticed to go straight through the Amazon website versus a website (mine) that will take them to the Amazon website.
  
  As you know amazon ranks for LOTS of keywords but lots of 'buyers' are looking for more information than Amazon provides. That gives us affiliates an opportunity to 'convince' the customers that the product we're reviewing (or whatever your doing) is really what they want and Amazon is the place they want to get it.
  
  In a way finding Amazon on the first page is a good sign. That tells me that the competition for that keyword isn't very tough because Amazon doesn't make any effort to rank. You can see that from your example keyword. The two sites that outrank amazon are very weak, as far as page rank and back links.
  
  Must my 2 cents.
  
  Thanks
  
  Chris
  
  Thanks
  
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onSubie 11 years ago

Along with Chris's point.

Everyone knows what they want can be found on Amazon. They can just go to Amazon, type in the product and it will come up.

So ask yourself: Why are they entering it into Google instead of Amazon?

Maybe they are very close to buying and want to have their decision confirmed by some reviews or feedback. So they are looking for a review site that will confirm there isn't another model that might be better.

Maybe a friend/commercial/ad recommended it and they aren't ready to buy but want to find more info. So they want more information.

Maybe they aren't sure that Amazon has the best price so they want to see if it is online at Best Buy or Barnes and Noble or Wal-Mart for a lower price. Maybe it is on sale at Overstock.

That is why things like price comparison charts, star ratings and in depth reviews increase click-throughs and conversions for Amazon sites.

Even if your site is right next to the Amazon link, someone searching Google is very likely to choose you over Amazon in the SERPS for any of the above reasons.

Mahlon
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Jason Perez O'Connor 11 years ago

They are looking for more than Amazon provide, simple as that Very rarely are people searching because they don't know Amazon exists.

Either way, one tip for outranking them is to nofollow the link you make to Amazon which many forget to do. If your site is ranking for the same keyword but is passing a vote of confidence regarding that keyword to Amazon, without them linking back, it means their content may rank above yours no matter what you try.
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wolfmmiii 11 years ago

The short, short answer from someone who does very well as an Amazon Associate:

No, it's not a problem. Yes, I love it when I see Amazon on page one (easy competition).

I always assume the searcher has already been to Amazon anyway. They are still looking for social validation before buying (that's why they are still searching). I'm more than happy to provide that "validation" and a path (my affiliate links) back to Amazon.

Tom
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- imnewbie6 11 years ago
  
  Great insight everyone - thank you so much.
  
  I will no longer worry if I see Amazon on page one for a keyword I'm trying to rank for.
  
  Wolf - can you provide a little insight into the purchase of a domain name for a website that will be promoting an Amazon product?
  
  I know you're not allowed to use a branded/trademarked name (e.g., fisher price) in a domain name, correct? (which Amazon products have a lot of)
  
  So if you have a trademarked name in your keyword, what solution do you have for your domain name? Something related to the keyword/product, but not quite an exact match of the keyword itself?
  
  Let me know how you handle this.
  
  Thanks.
  
  Thanks
  
  1 reply
  
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  wolfmmiii 11 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by imnewbie6
  
  Wolf - can you provide a little insight into the purchase of a domain name for a website that will be promoting an Amazon product?
  
  I use domain names that I would use to name a brick/mortar shop. Depending on a client's name, I may take parts of their first and last name to form something catchy. Other times, I'll take partial names of cities, counties, etc. Yet other times, I'll just take some combination of random words that flow nicely. It takes some creativity. I never use trademarked names/brands.
  
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Stevie C 11 years ago

I'd use something that is related to what you are selling and not to long and I wouldn't stick to just promoting one product either it isn't worth the bother.
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imnewbie6 11 years ago

Hey guys,

Thanks. One further question.

Someone had informed me that if the top 3-5 sites listed are all e-commerce sites...

Example: #1 is Amazon, #2 is Walmart, #3 is Target, etc

...then I might have trouble ranking for my keyword because Google only wants e-commerce sites for that listing.

Is this true?

I find that with a lot of the Amazon products you can promote, you're probably going to find a slew of e-commerce sites on Page 1 of Google, no?

Wolf, can you provide any input here?
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- andersce99 11 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by imnewbie6
  
  I might have trouble ranking for my keyword because Google only wants e-commerce sites for that listing.
  
  imnewbie6,
  
  In my opinion no. For the same reasons as my earlier post. None of the big retailers make any effort to rank, for a specific product keyword, so you have a very good chance of outranking them by providing quality content that google will really like.
  
  Of course you don't have to out whever is in the top three positions. You only have to outrank someone is the top ten.
  
  Just my 2 cents.
  
  Thanks
  
  Chris
  
  Thanks
  
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Competing with Amazon on Page One of Google

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