Ecommerce SEO vs Amazon SEO: What You Need to Know

Google ecommerce SEO drives traffic to your own site for branded and product searches. Amazon SEO ranks your listings inside Amazon’s search box for the shoppers already on the platform.

They’re different platforms, different algorithms, different traffic intent, and different goals and most US ecommerce brands need both, not one. This page covers what each optimizes for and where to put effort.

What Each Optimizes For?

Google ecommerce SEO optimizes for the user searching on Google informational, commercial, and transactional queries that end up on your site. Amazon SEO optimizes for the user already searching on Amazon high-intent commercial / transactional queries that end up on an Amazon listing. The user, the intent, and the conversion path are fundamentally different.

How the Algorithms Differ?

Google considers relevance, page experience, trust, links, content depth, schema, and hundreds of signals to serve the broadest match for the query. Amazon’s algorithm (commonly referenced as A9 / A10) optimizes for the metric Amazon cares about: revenue per impression.

That means conversion rate, click-through rate, sales velocity, price competitiveness, in-stock availability, and seller performance carry weight Google barely cares about. Reviews matter on both, but differently.

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Why Most US Brands Need Both?

Google SEO captures the shoppers who don’t start on Amazon searches for guides, comparisons, branded discovery, niche products. Amazon SEO captures the shoppers who do and Amazon search is the starting point for a meaningful share of US product searches.

Choosing one platform is choosing to ignore meaningful demand. Smaller brands sometimes start with one, but mature ecommerce programs run both. Centric designs Google-side ecommerce SEO programs through its ecommerce SEO service.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Amazon SEO different from Google SEO?

Yes different algorithm, different signals (conversion rate, price, availability), different platform context. Both matter for most US ecommerce brands.

Which should I prioritize?

Depends on your share of demand. If most of your shoppers start on Google, prioritize Google. If most start on Amazon, prioritize Amazon. Most mature brands do both.

Does Amazon ranking help Google ranking?

Indirectly. Strong Amazon presence can build brand and product reviews that support Google trust signals, but they’re separate algorithms.

Are the same product descriptions OK for both?

Usually no. Amazon and Google reward different content shapes Amazon rewards keyword-density and bullet-point clarity in product listings; Google rewards unique long-form copy on PDPs.

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 Conclusion

Ecommerce SEO and Amazon SEO aren't competing priorities they're complementary channels capturing different segments of the same buying journey. Google catches shoppers before they've decided where to buy. Amazon catches shoppers who've already decided to buy and are choosing between you and a competitor.

The brands winning US ecommerce aren't picking sides. They're building Google-side authority to own branded and category searches, while optimizing Amazon listings to convert the high-intent traffic already on the platform. The two programs reinforce each other: stronger brand presence on Google lifts trust on Amazon; a winning Amazon track record builds the product credibility that supports Google rankings.

If your Google-side program isn't generating the organic traffic your products deserve, that's the gap worth closing first. Centric builds ecommerce SEO strategies designed specifically for US brands from technical foundations to content programs that rank and convert.