What is Amazon Ranking Algorithm?

When sellers talk about Amazon ranking algorithm, you often hear terms like Amazon A9 algorithm or the newer Amazon A10 algorithm. These are Amazon’s internal search engines, the systems that decide which products appear on page one and which get buried. Understanding these algorithms directly affects your sales, ad spend, and long-term growth.

For years, the Amazon ranking algorithm (A9) was heavily focused on sales velocity and PPC performance. Sellers who could drive fast sales, often through aggressive ads or giveaways, were rewarded with better placement. But Amazon has changed the rules.

Today, the A10 update values not just sales, but the overall shopper experience like click-through rates, organic conversions, and even traffic from outside Amazon.

Why does this matter for you as a seller? Because what worked in 2018 won’t necessarily work in 2025. If you keep applying old tactics like relying only on giveaways or PPC to push rank, you may see your ads drain money without improving organic placement.

Understanding the Amazon A9 Algorithm

The Amazon A9 algorithm was built on a simple idea: products that sell more must be more relevant. In reality, this made sales velocity the single most powerful ranking signal. If your product kept selling, A9 would push it higher in search results.

That’s why many sellers leaned on black-hat tactics like giveaways to create artificial sales spikes and rank within days. But under A10, these tricks have little to no impact on ranking.

A9 Algorithm Ranking Factors

1. Keyword Relevance

A9 matched shopper searches with your product’s title, bullet points, backend search terms, and description. This determined if a listing appeared for relevant queries. A10 still counts this factor for the product ranking.

How to Improve:

• Place main high-volume keyword in the first 80 characters of your title, with brand name included if appropriate.
• Use supporting keywords naturally in bullets, description, and A+ content, integrating benefits rather than stuffing terms.
• Fully optimize backend search terms, including synonyms, and foregin words. Avoid duplicates and competitor brand names.
• Fill out all relevant backend product attributes like material, ingredients, target audience, and sizes.
• Include correct Browse Node / Item Type keywords to help Amazon categorize correctly.
• Write benefit focused clear, engaging copy that encourages clicks and keeps shoppers on-page.

2. Sales Velocity

A9 rewarded fast-selling products. Consistent daily sales signaled relevance, while short sales spikes had limited impact. Launches often relied on giveaways and PPC or promotions to drive initial momentum. A10 still counts this factor for the product ranking.

How to Improve:

• Plan a launch calendar with steady sales over the first 30 to 45 days know as honeymoon period.
• Drive external traffic from your website, TikTok, or Google Ads to complement organic growth.
• Use Lightning Deals, coupons, and time-sensitive promotions strategically.
• Track sessions-to-sales ratio and maintain sustainable growth.

3. Conversion Rate (CR)

A9 measured how many shoppers clicked your listing and made a purchase. High conversion rate proved relevance and trust resulting into more sales.

How to Improve:

• Scroll stopping main image tha should cover 85% area of the image. Pure white background, and Show product in use or solving a problem.
• Test main images, bullet points, and pricing strategies for maximum impact.
• Include comparison images or infographics showing size, usage, or key features.
• Add A+ content, videos, and FAQs to increase session time and engagement.
• Adjust pricing relative to competitors and test bundles or multi-packs to increase perceived value.

4. Click-Through Rate (CTR)

CTR tracked how often shoppers clicked your listing from search results. A9 considered it lightly, but a higher CTR always helped visibility. A10 still counts this factor for the product ranking.

How to Improve:

• Use lifestyle images and high-contrast main images that stand out in search results.
• Optimize short, benefit-driven titles under 200 characters that quickly communicate value.
• Highlight limited-time badges, coupons, or deals to increase clicks.
• Test pricing psychology, such as $19.95 instead of $20.
• Experiment with secondary images showing usage, comparisons, or scale.

5. PPC & Paid Sales

A9 treated PPC sales as a direct organic ranking booster. Paid sales confirmed demand and could lift your listing in organic results. A10 still counts this, but its weight has changed.

How to Improve:

• Run exact match PPC campaigns for keywords you want to rank for organically.
• Use Sponsored Brands or Sponsored Display campaigns to drive awareness and click engagement.
• Pair PPC with external traffic sources for a blended signal that A10 favors.
• Analyze search termreports and adjust bids for high-performing slots.
• Avoid over-reliance on PPC for ranking; focus on improving listing content simultaneously.

6. Reviews & Ratings

Amazon A9 ranking algorithm considered the number of reviews and average rating as trust signals. More reviews with high ratings improved credibility and ranking. A10 still counts this, but its weight has changed.

How to Improve:

• New products: enroll in Amazon Vine to get early, credible reviews.
• Existing products: automate review requests with tools like CaptainAMZ, FeedbackWhiz, or Helium 10 Follow-Up.
• Monitor negative reviews to fix recurring issues and improve ratings continuously.
• Encourage repeat purchases to generate natural reviews via Subscribe & Save or loyalty programs.
• Maintain steady review growth to avoid spikes that appear unnatural.

Understanding the Amazon A10 Algorithm

The A10 algorithm marked a subtle but important shift in how Amazon ranks products. While A9 was primarily sales-driven, A10 places stronger emphasis on customer experience and long-term trust signals. It still values sales, but it rewards listings and brands that prove they can consistently deliver value, attract outside traffic, and satisfy customers beyond the first purchase.

Key A10 Ranking Factors

1. Click-Through Rate (CTR)

CTR measures how often shoppers click your listing when it appears in search results. A10 gives this more weight than A9 because it reflects how appealing your listing looks before the sale happens.

The main image is one of the key factors that influence CTR. The A9 algorithm considered the main image in ranking, but the A10 algorithm places even more weight on CTR compared to A9. Below is an example of an optimized main image.

2. Organic Sales Performance

Unlike A9, which heavily boosted rank through PPC sales, A10 favors organic sales as a cleaner signal of true customer demand. Paid sales still help, but they no longer carry the same direct ranking weight.

How to improve organic sales:

• Use Sponsored Products Exact campaigns with top 5 keywords in single campaings for organic ranking.
• Focus on competitive pricing until you build organic sales momentum.
• Launch with aggressive promotions (discounts, coupons) to trigger organic orders.
• Aim for 70% organic sales and 30% PPC sales for stable organic rankings.

3. External Traffic

A10 rewards sellers who bring shoppers from outside Amazon because this expands Amazon’s reach at zero marketing cost to them. Google traffic, TikTok ads, influencer posts, and blogs all feed into stronger ranking signals.

How to drive external traffic:

• Run TikTok, Instagram, and Google ads targeting your niche.
• Collaborate with micro-influencers to showcase your product.
• Create SEO blog posts that link directly to your Amazon listing.
• Use Amazon Attribution to track and measure external traffic impact.

4. Session Duration & Engagement

Amazon looks at how long visitors spend on your product page and whether they engage (scrolling, reading reviews, checking variations). A short bounce often signals poor listing quality.

How to improve engagement:

• Add lifestyle images and infographics to educate shoppers.
• Use Premium A+ Content to keep customers scrolling.
• Include FAQ sections that address objections.
• Add videos to demonstrate the product in real use.

5. Brand Authority

Brands with larger catalogs, active storefronts, and repeat customers often see higher rankings because they prove credibility. A10 increasingly favors recognized brands over single-product sellers.

How to build brand authority:

• Set up a professional Amazon Brand Store with full product lines.
• Enroll in Brand Registry for access to A+ Content and brand protections.
• Build repeat customers with Subscribe & Save or consistent product lines.
• Use Amazon Posts to create social-like content under your brand profile.

6. Seller Authority

Your seller account’s trustworthiness matters more under A10. Metrics like late shipment rate, order defect rate, return rate, and fulfillment reliability all shape how Amazon views your account.

How to strengthen seller authority:

• Use FBA for faster shipping and higher trust.
• Maintain healthy account metrics (aim for <1% defect rate).
• Keep inventory in stock avoid long gaps.
• Actively respond to customer messages within 24 hours.

7. Impressions

In the A10 Amazon ranking algorithm, impressions show how often your listing appears in searches and category pages. They reflect visibility, not sales, but a steady rise in impressions signals that Amazon considers your product relevant to shopper intent. Running Amazon PPC campaigns gets you a lot of impressions and of the all factors this is the easiest way to improve.

8. 180-Day Sales

A10 shifted from rewarding short bursts of sales (A9) to valuing consistent 180-day sales history. Sustained sales over months show reliability and build trust, which directly strengthens organic ranking.

Implementation Roadmap Based on the Amazon Ranking Algorithm

One of the biggest challenges Amazon sellers face is figuring out which factors actually move the needle. Both A9 and the newer A10 algorithm look at dozens of signals, but not all carry the same weight. If you try to improve everything at once, you’ll waste time and resources. The key to rank higher in search results is knowing which levers matter most today.

The Amazon ranking algorithm now prioritizes buyer behavior more heavily than before. CTR, conversion rate, reviews, and sales history are all tied directly to how customers interact with your listing. Other elements like backend keywords, attributes, and PPC play a role, but their weight has shifted compared to the old A9 system.

To make this simple, here are the core factors and their importance based on current data:

How to Apply These Factors at Different Seller Stages

Knowing the percentages is one thing. But what matters more is how you implement them depending on your current situation. A new launch can’t rely on 180-day sales history right away, while a struggling seller with high ACOS must prioritize conversion rate before anything else.

That’s why we built this implementation framework as it shows which actions can deliver immediate impact and which ones need consistent effort over time. Each action is tied back to its algorithm weight, so you know exactly why it matters.

The Role of Amazon Rufus and AI-Driven Discovery

Amazon introduced Rufus in early 2024 as a generative AI shopping assistant. It’s integrated into the Amazon Shopping app and desktop, designed to answer shopper questions, compare products, and guide customers in a conversational way. Rufus pulls from Amazon’s catalog, reviews, Q&A, and select external data sources to provide helpful, natural responses.

What Rufus Can Do

• Handle broad customer queries like “best birthday gifts for a toddler.”

• Answer detailed questions on product pages such as “is this lightweight?” or “is it machine washable?”

• Allow follow-up questions in a chat-like experience, shifting discovery from pure keyword search to dialogue.

What We Don’t Yet Know

Amazon has stated that Rufus does not directly alter the Amazon ranking algorithm. A product showing up in Rufus doesn’t automatically gain higher organic rank.

• There’s no confirmed data yet on whether Rufus signals (like shopper conversations or clicks) feed into the Amazon product ranking algorithm.

• No reporting tools currently measure “Rufus traffic → organic rank.”

What Early Studies Suggest

An analysis of 1,300+ products by AMALYTIX highlighted patterns in Rufus-recommended listings:

• Almost all were Prime-eligible and in stock.

• Listings with A+ content, 6–9 high-quality images, strong ratings (4.3–4.7+), and many reviews appeared more often.

• FBA and Prime fulfillment were heavily favored.

This suggests Rufus rewards well-optimized listings that already align with best practices Amazon search algorithm’s value.

Practical Steps for Sellers

To increase visibility through Rufus (and align with the Amazon ranking algorithm):

• Ensure Prime eligibility & reliable fulfillment (use FBA where possible).

• Upgrade content quality: add A+ content, multiple images, and FAQs in premium A+ content that mirror customer language.

• Strengthen reviews & ratings: aim for 4.3+ and keep reviews flowing steadily.

• Stay in stock: avoid gaps in availability.

• Use natural phrasing: weave customer-style questions into bullets and descriptions.

Why Rufus Matters for Amazon Ranking Strategy

Rufus doesn’t replace the Amazon ranking algorithm, it complements it. Many signals that help with Rufus visibility (CTR, engagement, strong reviews, external traffic) overlap with what A10 already values.

Think of Rufus as a customer-facing filter: if your listing meets its standards, you’ll gain more visibility, which can indirectly boost conversions and strengthen your overall Amazon product ranking performance.