Boosting Product Rankings on Walmart Marketplace: Effective Strategies for Success
Understanding the Walmart Marketplace Algorithm
Boosting product rankings on Walmart Marketplace requires a deep understanding of its algorithm. Much like other e-commerce platforms, Walmart uses a combination of relevance and performance metrics to determine which products appear at the top of search results. Key factors include product title, description, price competitiveness, and customer reviews. Ensuring your products are optimized in these areas can significantly enhance visibility.
Introduction
Walmart Marketplace offers tremendous opportunities for sellers to expand their reach and grow their brand. However, standing out in such a competitive space can be challenging. One of the most important aspects of growing your sales on Walmart Marketplace is improving your product rankings. Higher product rankings lead to increased visibility, better chances of winning the Buy Box, and ultimately, more sales.
In this article, we’ll explore proven strategies for improving Walmart Marketplace product rankings. Whether you’re a seasoned seller or just starting, these tips will help you optimize your listings and boost your position in Walmart’s search results.
Why Product Rankings Matter on Walmart Marketplace
Product rankings on Walmart Marketplace determine how visible your listings are to shoppers. The higher your product ranks, the more likely customers are to find and purchase your products. Factors that affect your product rankings include the relevance of your listings, customer satisfaction, pricing, and fulfillment methods.
Walmart’s search algorithm, known as Walmart Search & Discovery, prioritizes listings that are relevant, well-optimized, and offer a great shopping experience. So, understanding how to improve your rankings is essential to success on the platform.
1. Optimize Your Product Listings for SEO
Optimizing your product listings is the foundation for improving your product rankings on Walmart Marketplace. Walmart uses keywords to determine which products to show to shoppers, so ensuring your listings are keyword-rich is crucial for better visibility.
Here’s how you can optimize your listings:
Title Optimization: Include important keywords in your product title. Be specific and descriptive while keeping within the character limit (50-75 characters). For example, if you're selling a stainless steel water bottle, your title could be "Stainless Steel Water Bottle – 32oz – Leakproof & BPA-Free – Double Wall Insulated."
Bulletpoints: Use the bullet points to highlight key features and benefits. Focus on the product's unique selling points and include relevant keywords that shoppers might search for.
Product Descriptions: Provide a detailed, easy-to-read product description. Describe the product’s features, benefits, and specifications clearly. Be sure to include relevant keywords and phrases naturally.
Images: Use high-quality images that show your product from different angles. Walmart’s search algorithm also considers image quality, so make sure your images are clear, professional, and meet Walmart’s image standards.
2. Get More Positive Reviews
Customer reviews play a major role in improving product rankings on Walmart Marketplace. Products with higher ratings and more positive reviews are favored by Walmart’s algorithm.
Here’s how to get more positive reviews:
Encourage Customers to Leave Reviews: After a purchase, encourage customers to leave reviews by sending a polite follow-up email or through your packaging.
Provide Excellent Customer Service: Ensure that your customers have a smooth and positive shopping experience. Promptly address customer inquiries, handle returns professionally, and offer exceptional service at all stages of the transaction.
Offer Incentives: Consider offering discounts or future promotions to customers who leave reviews (while complying with Walmart’s review policy).
3. Price Competitively
Pricing is a key factor in Walmart Marketplace product rankings. Walmart wants to offer its customers the best deals, so competitive pricing can help improve your visibility.
Competitive Pricing: Regularly monitor your competitors' prices and adjust yours accordingly. Use Walmart’s pricing tools to ensure you are staying competitive in the market.
Use Flashpricer for Repricing: Flashpricer helps sellers automate repricing on Walmart Marketplace. With dynamic pricing based on market trends, competitors’ prices, and demand, you can ensure your prices are competitive without manual effort.
Free Shipping: Offering free shipping can give your listings a competitive edge. Many shoppers prefer products that include free shipping, and Walmart prioritizes listings that offer this option.
4. Use Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS)
Walmart’s fulfillment program, Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS), can improve your product rankings by providing fast and reliable shipping. When you use WFS, Walmart takes care of the storage, picking, packing, and shipping of your products.
Benefits of using WFS include:
Better Visibility: Products that are fulfilled by Walmart tend to have higher visibility in search results. Walmart’s algorithm prioritizes listings that offer faster shipping and are easier to manage.
Prime-like Shipping: With WFS, your products are eligible for free two-day shipping, which can increase customer satisfaction and improve rankings.
Faster Processing Times: WFS products tend to have quicker order processing and shipping times, which can lead to more positive customer reviews and increased sales.
5. Improve Seller Performance Metrics
Walmart evaluates sellers based on key performance metrics, and these metrics can directly affect your product rankings. Improving these metrics is crucial for ranking higher on Walmart Marketplace.
Key performance metrics include:
Order Defect Rate (ODR): Keep your order defect rate as low as possible by ensuring that your customers receive high-quality products and resolving any issues promptly.
On-Time Shipping: Make sure to ship orders on time to improve your performance metrics. Customers expect fast, reliable service, and late shipments can hurt your rankings.
Return Rate: Try to keep your return rate low by providing accurate product descriptions and high-quality products. High return rates can negatively affect your rankings and reputation.
6. Utilize Walmart Sponsored Products
Walmart’s Sponsored Products ads allow you to promote your listings and boost their visibility. While it’s a paid advertising solution, using Walmart’s ad platform can help improve your product rankings by driving more traffic to your listings.
Here’s how to use Sponsored Products effectively:
Target the Right Keywords: Ensure you are targeting relevant keywords for your product. Use keyword research tools to find high-volume, low-competition keywords that shoppers are likely to search for.
Optimize Your Ad Budget: Start with a modest budget and gradually increase it based on your results. Track your return on ad spend (ROAS) to ensure that your ad campaigns are cost-effective.
7. Consistently Monitor Performance and Adjust
The eCommerce landscape is constantly changing, and so are the ranking factors on Walmart Marketplace. Consistently monitor your performance using Walmart’s Seller Center and other analytics tools. Track your sales, traffic, reviews, and product rankings regularly to identify areas for improvement.
Adjust your listings, pricing, and marketing strategies based on the data you gather. Continuously optimizing your products and efforts will help maintain or improve your rankings over time.
Conclusion
Improving your product rankings on Walmart Marketplace is essential for boosting sales and increasing visibility. By following these strategies—optimizing your listings, obtaining positive reviews, offering competitive pricing, leveraging Walmart Fulfillment Services, improving your performance metrics, and using Sponsored Products—you can improve your product rankings and drive more traffic to your listings.
Staying consistent with these best practices will help you stay ahead of the competition and grow your presence on Walmart Marketplace.
For more expert tips and strategies on optimizing your Walmart Marketplace business, keep checking out Professional Seller Hub. We're here to guide you through every step of your eCommerce journey.