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Amazon ranks products sold on its platform in several different ways. A ranking that creates a lot of buzz among brands is the Sales Rank or Best Sellers Rank (BSR). The Amazon Best Sellers Rank goes to products with a high volume of sales. Here we answer common questions about this ranking to paint a picture of what it is and if it really matters. Continue reading for a guide to why it matters on Amazon.

How is it Calculated? 

Every product sold on Amazon receives this ranking. The biggest factor that drives a product’s BSR is sales velocity and historical data. However, the ranking is also driven by what’s going with other listings in a product’s category and subcategories.

Every product category has a separate best sellers ranking system and it updates every hour. This way, listings under Beauty & Health won’t compete with listings under Pet Supplies.

Where Can You Find a Best Sellers Rank? 

Amazon has a page dedicated to “Amazon Best Sellers”. This page displays the top three sellers in each Amazon category. Every category also includes a link to view more best sellers.

If you want to see a specific product's best sellers rank, scroll to the product information section of a product detail page. The best sellers rank is right beneath customer reviews.

Does a Product’s Best Sellers Rank Matter? 

A good BSR is something nice to have, but unless your product becomes the number one bestseller and receives a #1 Best Seller Badge, BSR isn’t easily visible and isn’t likely to impact your listing.

What’s the Difference Between a Product’s Best Sellers Rank and Organic Rank?

How a product ranks within its category’s best sellers rank is separate from its organic ranking within product searches. Simply defined, organic ranking on Amazon refers to where a product displays on search engine results pages (SERPs). Rather than focusing on a product’s BSR, we recommend brands prioritize optimizing their listings for organic search.

There are a variety of factors that go into optimizing a listing so it ranks well organically on Amazon. While the number one factor on Amazon search performance is a product’s existing sales velocity, the search terms for which the product appears at all is based significantly on its product page copy. For that reason, copy must be written with Amazon’s A9 search algorithm in mind,  and be in line with Amazon’s best practices. 

While bestseller badges are great for conversion, products with them aren't automatically listed at the top of results pages. This is further indication that ultimately best sellers rank doesn’t matter as much as simply how well your brand optimizes its listings. What really matters is the Amazon SEO expertise applied to a brand’s catalog to improve organic ranking.

A great BSR is something nice to have, but not entirely crucial to the success of a listing. It’s important to understand the best sellers rank, but more important to optimize your listings to align with Amazon’s best practices and perform ideally within an organic search. If your brand needs support from a strategic partner, schedule a free consultation.