Amazon Sales Rank Charts: What Every Amazon Seller Needs to Know

Amazon features a massive number of third-party sellers — and successful ones, too. Small-to-midsized businesses (SMBs) on the platform sell more than 4000 items per minute, which is one reason why almost 60% of Amazon sales come from SMBs. It’s also why sellers pay close attention to Amazon sales rank and use Amazon sales rank charts.

Amazon sales rank measures the popularity of a product in its assigned category, like Health & Household, and subcategories, like Foot & Hand Care. Using sales rank charts, Amazon sellers can assess the competitiveness of different categories and scout selling opportunities. Should you use these charts, though?

Not if you’re looking to improve the sales rank of products you already sell. Keep reading to learn more about why businesses don’t need Amazon sales charts, as well as how to improve your sales rank on Amazon.

P.S. If you need help improving your sales rank, contact WebFX online or call us at 888-601-5359!

What is Amazon sales rank?

Amazon sales rank, also called Amazon Best Sellers rank, measures a product’s popularity in its specific category and sub-categories. You can have multiple sales ranks for categories and sub-categories.

Rankings can range from one to over one million. The lower the number, the better the sales rank.

What is an Amazon sales rank chart?

Amazon sales rank charts (provided by third parties and updated on a monthly basis) reveal the number of products in a specific category and determine the number of products ranking in different percentiles, like the top 10% or top 20%.

Sellers can use these charts to scout products, research categories, and more.

Should you use Amazon sales rank charts?

While you can access Amazon sales rank charts for free, they’re not all that useful for boosting sales rank. That’s because sales rank charts:

• Show all the items in a category versus the items in that category that sold
• Suggest that items in the same percentile (no matter the category) would sell at the same rate

While you can use these charts to learn about the competitiveness of a category, they’re not that helpful when looking at your sales rank and how to improve it. Instead of a sales rank chart, reference the Amazon Best Seller list (and our four tips) to boost your sales rank on Amazon.

How does Amazon sales rank work?

While Amazon doesn’t share its sales rank algorithm, the following factors do influence sales rank:

• Category: Sales rank is specific to your product category. Amazon scores your product based on its sales, in comparison to the sales of other products in your category. Examples of Amazon product categories include “Home, Garden & Tools,” “Pet Supplies,” and “Beauty & Health.”
• Sub-category: Amazon also assigns a sales rank for sub-categories, like “Cat Supplies” or “Cat Window Perches.” While it’s difficult to earn a top sales rank for a category due to the number of products, sub-categories are easier because they’re specific, which typically makes them less competitive.
• Sales frequency: How often your product sells plays a pivotal role in your Amazon sales rank. For the best sales rank, you need to reduce the time between sales. When you sell your product often, it shows Amazon that your product is popular — and a bestseller.
• Sales history: Amazon also looks at your product’s sales history. Your product needs consistent sales history to earn a good sales rank. If your product’s sales fluctuate too much, like by dropping for four days or more, your sales rank will take a hit.
• Sales recency: The most recent sales of your product will have the most impact on your sales rank. For Amazon, a sudden increase in sales can show that your product is becoming popular. If you can’t maintain that momentum in sales, however, your sales rank will go up — which is bad.

Understanding how sales rank on Amazon works helps you learn how to earn a good Amazon sales rank.

What is a good Amazon sales rank?

A good Amazon sales rank depends on your product’s category and sub-categories.

Most sellers, however, agree that a sales rank between one and three is excellent. A sales rank between one and 50 is good because it places you on the first page of results for Amazon Best Sellers. Meanwhile, a sales rank above 100 isn’t desirable.

How to improve your Amazon sales rank

Now that you know the answer to questions like, “What is Amazon sales rank?” and “What is a good Amazon sales rank,” you’re ready to learn how to improve your sales rank and earn a top spot as an Amazon Best Seller.

Research (and choose) your product categories wisely

Your product category and sub-categories influence your sales rank on Amazon significantly.

That’s why you must spend ample time researching and choosing your product category and sub-categories. While you always want to choose the most accurate category and sub-categories, taking the time to research your options can help you discover niche markets. For example, if you sell cat beds, you can choose from several relevant sub-categories, including:

• Beds & Sofas
• Hammocks
• Window Perches

Depending on your model of cat bed, a few of these sub-categories may work for your business. If your cat bed can attach to a window, for instance, and matches the intent of shoppers, you could add the “Window Perches” sub-category to your product. Remember, you can always update your category and sub-categories, so research and experiment to find which options drive the best results.

Optimize your product listings for search engine optimization (SEO)

While advertising on Amazon can help drive immediate product sales, you need to maintain sales frequency to remain an Amazon Best Seller.

Optimizing your product listings for SEO can help you do that without paying Amazon every time someone clicks on your ad. Keywords are the foundation of Amazon SEO. These are words or phrases that shoppers use to find a product. For example, if you go to Amazon and search “cat perch,” you’re using a keyword.

Browse the search results for that keyword, and you’ll probably notice that the products use it in their titles, descriptions, and more.

Use a tool like Keywords Everywhere to research keywords on Amazon. This tool will reveal the monthly search volume, as well as the cost-per-click (CPC) value of a keyword. It’ll also show the competition for that keyword, too.

A higher competition score means you’ll have a tougher time ranking at the top of search results for that keyword. Once you’ve found keywords to target for a product listing, you can insert those keywords in your:

1. Product title
2. Product description
3. Product features

Outside of keywords, you can optimize your product listing by doing the following:

1. Upload high-quality images
2. Get verified product reviews
3. Make product prices competitive
4. Focus product features on how your product helps shoppers
5. Use Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA)

Optimizing all your product listings can help increase their visibility in search results on Amazon. With better visibility, your products can earn more clicks and sales, which can improve their sales rank on Amazon.

Create a limited-time product promotion

Companies selling on Amazon can also take advantage of the following promotions to drive sales:

1. Coupons
2. Free shipping
3. Lightning deals

Promotions that offer a discount on your product can drive sales fast, especially if the promotion ends soon. If you do decide to use this strategy, make sure that your promotion doesn’t cut into your profits. You don’t want to sell your product for nothing.

Investigate Amazon Best Seller lists

On Amazon, you can easily find its Amazon Best Seller lists for categories and sub-categories.

Just click “Best Sellers” from the main navigation and choose the categories and sub-categories you want to target.

Then, investigate the products with the top Amazon sales rank. Take note of how they market and optimize the product for Amazon.

Read the reviews and see what shoppers say about the product and the brand’s customer service. From there, use what you find to improve your product listing. While you won’t see a change overnight in your product sales, researching your competitors can help you discover ways to improve your product.

These improvements can help you reach more shoppers and drive more sales, which will improve your sales rank on Amazon.

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Jump start your Amazon sales rank with WebFX

Earning a top Amazon sales rank requires time, dedication, and skill. Optimizing and promoting your product listings, as well as improving your order fulfillment and customer service can help shoppers find (and buy) your product, which can turn your product into an Amazon Best Seller. If you don’t have the time for all those tasks, WebFX can help.

With our product optimization for Amazon, as well as advertising services for Amazon, we provide you with a dedicated team of Amazon marketers and advertisers that can improve the visibility (and sales) of your products.

Contact us online or call us at 888-601-5359 today to learn more!

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