Organic search results keep on disappearing
Sorry for the long post but I want to be as thorough as possible.
The organic search results for one of my products keep on disappearing.
When I search for my product using the two search terms “skinny ties” and “skinny ties for men” my product keeps on disappearing. These search terms are where I generate my highest sales and my product is even listed as “Amazon’s choice” for the search term “skinny ties”.
My sponsored post for the product is high up as expected but the organic result keeps on disappearing. This is happening despite it getting sales and it never used to happen before, this problem has only started since the delivery of my latest shipment to an Amazon fulfilment centre.
Typically what happens now is that I will get a sale (through the sponsored post) and the product will show up quite high organically for a couple of days then it will suddenly vanish altogether, it won’t even be on page 10 of the results (however as mentioned the sponsored listing will still show up). In the past my product would maintain a high position among the organic search results for these search terms with similar sales.
I’ve been in contact with Amazon about this issue but so far they haven’t been able to rectify it although the case is still open. In fact in one of my messages I wrote “I would wager that should I get another sale soon (through the sponsored post) then the product would return high up in the organic search results briefly before suddenly vanishing altogether again”, and this is exactly what has happened. The product sold through the sponsored post on Sunday, was 5th in the organic search results for 2 days and had an organic sale, and now today the product is totally gone from the organic search results, not even on the final page of the search results.
I am also aware that products that have low sales feature lower on the organic search results but this cannot explain what is happening to my product because firstly, when there is low sales the product gradually declines in the organic results rather than disappears altogether and secondly, my product has similar if not greater sales than other products that do display in the organic search results, even on the first page.
If you have any information on why this is happening please let me know.
Happy to answer any questions that may help.
Cheers
19 replies
Seller_YEFxcfQls1c3L
I don’t have a specific answer for you, but you should keep in mind that search results are different depending on which browser you use/your buyer account history/where you are etc - so this might be just what you’re seeing, but not what your customers are seeing. 
Seller_sFEUMUfeW5484
From the research I’ve done in the past, were a listing has a sponsored advert, the organic result performs much worse and sometimes seems to go completely. I can see why Amazon would do this, to get the clicks. But who knows.
Seller_EJIX7rqDNQJi2
There were lots of reports from other sellers complaining about their listing position dropping in the search results, we discussed it in the following related thread:
It looks like Amazon recently updated their algorithm to start displaying different results to each buyer based on multiple factors such as their location, purchase history or browser, so you seeing poor results doesn’t necessarily have to mean that this is what your buyers see as well.
If you posted the ASINs, someone would be able to check it for you.
Seller_EJIX7rqDNQJi2
It looks like Amazon indeed changed the search algorithm, which now results in each site visitor seeing different results in terms of Amazon’s Choice badge or position of listings in the search results.
Seller_LKjg1QRrO36Yq
I wasn’t sure what everyone meant by ‘organic search’ in this thread so I goggled 
it…
and now I know…
It seems to me that Amazon search is almost never ‘organic’ in that sense. It’s always thrusting things at you that it ‘thinks’ you might like rather than the things you specifically searched for. It treats us like stupid children.
I’m basically a books and media seller and I’m finding it increasingly difficult to filter out rogue search results.
Here’s a typical example…
A search for a book entitled ‘The Last Days of the Renaissance’ throws this up as the first and only match:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B00SLUUTCK
yet that ASIN is an overpriced duplicate of the genuine ASIN which is ‘hidden’ behind the ‘See all 6 formats and editions’ expansion link:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/0465068022
I cannot see any obvious reason why the bogus duplicate is given preference in search. It certainly isn’t better value for money.
My guess is that it’s due to publication date (which is bogus) being a month later than that of the real publication.
This all goes to demonstrate that rogue sellers can easily game Amazon search, to the great detriment of buyers. 
