How to Drive External Traffic to Amazon and Dominate the Search Results

You've optimized your Amazon listing perfectly, yet your product still languishes on page 3 while competitors with fewer reviews rank higher. The missing piece? External traffic. Amazon’s A10 algorithm has evolved to reward sellers who bring customers to the platform, making external traffic a game-changing factor in organic rankings.

Let's explore how to drive external traffic to Amazon, why these off-platform visitors impact your visibility, and the proven strategies that can boost your product rankings.

Understanding these tactics is crucial - while internal optimization remains important, external traffic has become a key differentiator between average and exceptional Amazon performance.

Watch our detailed breakdown on why organic rank matters and key ranking factors in our full video below:

Why External Traffic Is Key to Amazon Success

External traffic refers to visitors coming to your Amazon listings from outside platforms, such as Google Ads, social media, or email campaigns. Amazon’s algorithm rewards sellers who bring new audiences to the platform, recognizing this as a signal of relevance and desirability. Here are the key reasons external traffic is crucial:

1. Boosts Sales Velocity: Sales velocity, or the number of units sold in a given time frame, is a core factor in Amazon's ranking algorithm. Off-Amazon search channels have proven particularly powerful, driving 41% of total sales and an impressive 58.6% cart-to-purchase conversion rate. This high purchase intent directly impacts your sales velocity, signaling to Amazon that your product is in demand.
2. Strengthens Algorithm Recognition: Amazon reportedly gives higher weight to sales originating from external sources compared to internal Amazon traffic. Search engine channels like Google demonstrate this clearly, achieving a 2.6% click-to-purchase conversion rate (rising to 3.1% when including non-promoted products). Additionally, some experts suggest that sales from external traffic could carry up to three times the ranking benefits of organic sales​.
3. Enables Long-Term Brand Building: By learning how to drive external traffic to Amazon listings, you build brand awareness outside Amazon. This can lead to more direct searches for your brand on the platform, further enhancing your organic rankings.

For a deep dive into these strategies, watch our video segments on external traffic importance and Amazon's external traffic incentives:

How to Increase External Traffic to Your Listings with Offsite Ads? 

1. Leverage Google Ads

Google Ads remain one of the most effective external traffic sources. Focus on high buyer-intent keywords relevant to your product. For example, a seller offering high-ticket items like $200 home appliances can benefit significantly since advertising costs don’t scale with product price. If you’re unfamiliar with Google Ads, our guide to driving high-conversion traffic provides a detailed roadmap.

2. Use Social Media and Influencer Marketing

Social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube are excellent for engaging potential customers. Collaborate with influencers who can showcase your product to their audience. Learn more about optimizing influencer campaigns to amplify your results.

3. Implement Email Marketing Campaigns

Email marketing is a powerful tool for retargeting previous customers and driving traffic to your new or underperforming listings. For example, announcing promotions or product launches through your email list can lead to immediate sales spikes.

4. Retarget Visitors Across Platforms

Utilize tools like Facebook Pixels to retarget audiences who interacted with your ads. This keeps your product visible and increases the likelihood of conversions. Learn more in our blog on retargeting for Amazon success.

The Role of Amazon’s Attribution Program

‍Amazon Attribution is a game-changer for tracking the effectiveness of your external traffic campaigns. By creating unique tracking links, sellers can measure which sources generate the most conversions. Additionally, the Brand Referral Bonus rewards sellers with a 10% rebate on sales driven through external traffic. This means that if you sell a $100 product, you can earn $10 back—a compelling incentive to prioritize this strategy​.

Best Practices for Amazon External Traffic Campaigns

Watch our detailed Google Ads to Amazon playbook and learn about product criteria for driving external traffic:

• Ensure High Product Ratings: Products with a rating of 4.3 stars or higher perform significantly better when driven by external traffic. Lower-rated products may struggle to convert, negatively impacting your rankings​.
• Optimize Landing Pages: Your Amazon listing should feature high-quality images, compelling product descriptions, and keyword-rich content to maximize conversions. For tips, explore our listing optimization blog.‍
• Choose Products with High Buyer Intent: Focus on items that solve specific problems or fulfill a clear need. These products typically convert better.

How Does External Traffic Improve Amazon Rankings

The synergy between traffic and organic rankings can be summed up in two words: sales velocity. When external visitors purchase your products, Amazon's algorithm takes note, boosting your rankings for the targeted keywords. This creates a halo effect, where improved rankings lead to more organic sales and reduced advertising costs.

Watch our real-world case studies showing TACOS & ACOS results:

Consider a home organization brand that launched a new closet storage system. Initially ranking on page four for “closet organizer,” they implemented a targeted Pinterest campaign showcasing before-and-after transformations.

Within three weeks, the surge in off Amazon traffic generated 50 sales per day—triple their previous average. This spike in velocity catapulted their listing to page one, resulting in an additional 75 daily organic sales without increasing ad spend.

In another case, a premium coffee roaster struggled to compete in the crowded "organic coffee beans" category. They leveraged their 10,000-subscriber email list, driving targeted traffic to their Amazon listing through a limited-time promotion. The campaign generated 200 sales in 48 hours, causing their ranking to jump from position 87 to 15. More importantly, their conversion rate from email traffic was 22%—significantly higher than Amazon’s average of 9.8%—signaling strong relevancy to Amazon’s algorithm.

These scenarios illustrate a crucial point: external traffic isn’t just about immediate sales. When high-intent visitors from targeted sources make purchases, Amazon interprets this as a strong indicator of product relevance and quality. This interpretation translates into improved organic rankings, creating a sustainable competitive advantage that becomes increasingly difficult for competitors to overcome.