Amazon is the single largest marketplace in the world. It connects buyers and sellers around the globe, and offers the ability to gain traction within pretty much any product niche, from electronics to books to clothing and more. However, there are other ways to build success on this platform than just through direct product discovery. Amazon’s Sponsored Product system can be a great way to enhance your sales and profitability.

What Are Sponsored Products on Amazon?

In the traditional product discovery paradigm, a customer arrives at Amazon’s main page. They type in the product they’re looking for in the search bar at the top, and then they are provided with a list of corresponding items. They can then refine their search based on metrics like brand, condition, cost, Prime eligible and more. However, it does not have to be that way. You can turn the power of SEO in your favor and use Amazon’s incredibly vast number of daily product searches to get more eyeballs (and hopefully more buyers) to your individual product pages. You do this through the Sponsored Products program.

Sponsored Products is both a program offered by Amazon, and the term used to describe the products so promoted. It works a lot like Google’s AdWords program. In a sense, it’s the same thing, as it operates on the same underlying principle – pay-per-click advertising. The primary difference is that with AdWords, your ads are displayed in Google SERPs. With the Sponsored Products program, your ads are displayed within Amazon searches.

How Do Sponsored Product Searches Benefit You?

You’ll find a host of benefits to using the Sponsored Products program to promote your products to interested customers. These include:

• Already Interested: Unlike other types of ads, Sponsored Products ads are only served up to searchers who are already interested in what you have to offer, or related products. This means you aren’t targeting a cold audience that might not be interested in what you’re selling at all.

• Better Targeting: Because Sponsored Products relies on keywords, like Google’s AdWords program, you can better target your ads to your ideal customers. Simply use the right keywords, and your ads will be served up to customers looking to buy exactly what you’re offering.

• More Visibility: In an organic Amazon search, your product might show up two, three or even more pages down the line. That’s not good for sales. Within the Sponsored Products program, you get first page placement, as well as being highlighted on other product pages. That boosts your visibility significantly.

• Money in Your Pocket: While some people do use Amazon to window shop, or to price compare while shopping in a physical store, most of those who visit the site are ready to buy right then. They have money in hand, and know what they want. Sponsored Products ads put your product front and center, boosting your sales and profitability.

• Affordability: Digital marketing can be expensive. However, because Sponsored Products is a pay-per-click program, you only pay when someone actually clicks through your ad to your product listing. Because these ads are highly targeted, there’s a much greater chance that this person will make a purchase immediately, dramatically reducing your marketing spend.

As you can see, the Sponsored Products program from Amazon has a great deal of potential. However, you cannot afford to go into it blindly. You need to do your due diligence – know the keywords that your customers and potential customers are using to find products like those you offer, and make sure you’re creating keyword-rich, targeted ads to maximize your traction and success.