When I first started my Amazon FBA journey, the Best Seller Ranking (BSR) figure didn’t concern me as much as other factors, such as worrying if I would sell anything at all! Through my own successful Amazon FBA journey, however, I’ve come to understand the significance of BSR and how to improve it.
Here’s the quick answer on how to improve it, then we’ll get into the details…
In general, increased sales will improve your product’s Amazon BSR. To increase sales, you should improve your product listings and brand pages, optimize pages for sales conversions, and improve your PPC search marketing to target the right keywords associated with your product.
But there’s more to it than that, so let’s get deeper into this topic.
What is Amazon Best Seller Ranking?
Amazon Best Sellers Ranking, or BSR, is one of the most important numbers Amazon assigns a product, as it indicates the overall sales of that product relative to other products in the same category. You can find Amazon’s description of BSR here, but here is how I define Best Sellers Ranking:
Best Sellers Rank, known also as “BSR”, or just “sales rank”, is a number assigned to products based on their sales on Amazon. This ranking is automatically calculated every hour by Amazon, relative to other products within the same product category. A lower number is better, so #1 is the best rank any product can have in its category.
Keep in mind that Amazon BSR is specifically related to the product itself, and how well it sells on Amazon.
The BSR applies equally whether you’re selling your own branded product or you’re selling someone else’s product that already exists on Amazon.
It’s important to note that distinction, because if you’re the only one selling your product, it’s completely up to you to make changes aimed at improving your Amazon BSR.
How the Amazon Best Seller Ranking Works
Amazon doesn’t say how exactly BSR is calculated, but there are known factors that likely dictate the specific rank.
First, BSR takes into account all sales. That means current sales and historic sales. If you have a large number of sales in a short period of time, it may or may not improve the score immediately, as Amazon will look at the complete history of sales when assigning the sales rank.
This can also help you if your product is seasonal or if you have a slow sales period, because a short period of slow sales won’t swing the ranking up or down too much.
The main point is the longer you have consistent sales of a product, the better your Amazon BSR gets.
What Else Should You Know About Best Seller Ranking?
There are a few more things to know when it comes to the Best Seller Ranking.
Rank Varies by Marketplace
First, the same product has a different BSR for each marketplace. If you’re selling globally, your product’s BSR on Amazon.com will be different than the BSR on Amazon.de or Amazon.co.uk.
Categories and Subcategories Rank Separately
Another thing to know is that your product will be ranked differently in its main category and subcategory.
For example, your product can be ranked #674 in the subcategory Ice Pop Molds, but ranked #195,462 in the main category of Kitchen & Dining.
Not All Rankings are Equal Across Categories
Another thing to note is that not all rankings are equal, due to the different number of products within different categories. A product ranked 50,000 in Baby, for instance, will not have the same number of sales as a product ranked 50,000 in Toys.
If you’re interested in seeing current best sellers separated by category, Amazon has a page dedicated to the best sellers here.
Why Amazon Best Seller Ranking is Important
You may not think much about your Amazon BSR for your products. However, success on Amazon depends on understanding your product’s relevant data points, and BSR is one of the most important of all.
First, having a good BSR indicates steady sales. Amazon is highly competitive for sellers, and having a good BSR means your product is staying competitive when measured against your competitors’ products.
Another reason why BSR is important is that it’ll help you gauge your monthly sales volume. This is an important metric to review often, because it will help with restocking and inventory management.
It’s also important to know you can be successful on Amazon without the best BSR in the category. Many of the products I sell have BSR’s over 100,000 in their respective categories, but sell regularly.
So How Can You Improve Your Amazon Best Seller Ranking?
There are several things you can do to improve your product’s Best Seller Ranking:
- Improve Your Product Page: Whether you’re building out your product page for the first time, or have been selling for a while, make sure that your product page is as good as you can make it. That means having great product images, engaging videos, impactful bullet points to describe the product, and any other information that best markets your product to customers.
- Optimize Page Conversion: You want to make sure that when people get to your page, it converts to a sale. Use positive sales-focused text and sales related info. Talk less about what the produce does, and more about how it helps the buyer solve their problem.
- Optimize PPC Campaigns: The other thing to focus on is your PPC campaigns. You should ensure that you have the right keywords associated with your product so that when people are searching, they find your product. It takes time, and some trial and error, to ensure you’ve selected the right keywords. Ideally, you’ll combine this with other marketing through Amazon, such as discount coupons or Lightning Deals. Sitting and waiting for your product to sell rarely ever works, because there are thousands of other sellers competing with you, so optimizing your PPC campaigns is a must.
Amazon’s Choice Badge
Another thing to understand is that Best Seller Ranking is not synonymous with the Amazon’s Choice badge.
The Amazon’s Choice badge is given to products that best match the keyword the customer searched for.
You can increase the likelihood of getting an Amazon’s Choice Badge for your product if you have a combination of:
- Keywords matching customer search intent
- Prime eligibility
- Competitive pricing
- Positive customer reviews
Just know that Best Seller Rank and Amazon’s Choice are different things.
Consistency and Patience Improves Your Amazon Best Seller Ranking
When it comes to Amazon Marketplaces and being an Amazon Seller, overnight success rarely exists. It’s all about consistency, and Amazon likes to see its sellers grow and manage that growth properly.
You’ll have to be patient, and put in the effort required to understand metrics like BSR, make improvements, and wait for the results. Given enough time, these changes will improve your product’s sales and rank.
Whether you want to know how often to restock your inventory, or you want to make changes to take your sales to the next level, understanding BSR’s importance allows you to choose whichever option makes sense for you today.
Want to read the story of how I became an accidental mouse pad seller on Amazon? Check it out here.
Curious to know which tools I use in my Amazon business? See the full list here.