What is an Amazon Super URL Do they work Are they legal?



Since Amazon’s marketplace started to become competitive, a ton of strategies has evolved to rank products higher than the next one.

Super URLs are one of those strategies. Many sellers believe these can play a big part in ranking high for valuable keywords. But knowledge around super URLs is a bit of a grey area.

Do they work? Did they ever work? Are they legal?


What is an Amazon Super URL?

A Super URL is a way to link directly to an Amazon product listing while making the ranking algorithm think the click came from an organic search.

This is done by making a URL that replicates certain parameters, which are meant to show Amazon the exact source of a click.

The whole point of this is to attribute the same, specific ranking power to a sale from external traffic as one from organic traffic.

See, if Amazon sees a lot of sales for one product coming from a particular search term, they’re going to rank the product higher for that search term (since it appears popular and relevant).

Since some search terms have a lot more searches than others, sellers want to tweak the rankings so that their product shows up for these high-volume terms.

They can do this by driving sales to their product through a specific URL, with a keyword and unique timestamp attached. This is a Super URL.


How do Super URLs Work?

To understand a Super URL, we first need to understand is the elements of a URL.

You’ll often notice long strings at the end of the link to a listing, which seems like gibberish. But the link actually contains information on how the person came to that listing.

The numbers after “qid” are the search’s timestamp. This is the UNIX Epoch time of the product search – the exact number of seconds since January 1st, 1970.

The “sr” section shows what position it was for this specific search.

Why does all this matter? It helps the Amazon A9 search algorithm’s ranking process – connecting relevant listings with customer searches. If a lot of customers buy a product after searching a particular keyword, rankings for that keyword go up.

The rest is a control to avoid manipulation – an identifier of the time and search placement. A unique timestamp means Amazon can track a purchase to a single source. The ranking algorithm can ignore multiple purchases from the same search.


When to use a Super URL?

As mentioned earlier, Super URLs simulate search results from externally driven traffic. These sources might include:

  • ·         Social media ads (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest)
  • ·         Pay-per-click advertising campaigns (e.g. Google Ads)
  • ·         Email marketing
  • ·         Blog posts
  • ·         Links on the seller’s own e-commerce website

External traffic is already extremely beneficial for Amazon sellers. Even more so if it helps the listing rank for specific keywords at the same time.

There is an obvious problem. Static Super URLs (links containing the same timestamp and identifier) won’t work too well. Once a single user clicks the link and converts by making a purchase, all other sales through the same link are “duplicates”. This means the ranking system will omit them.

Some services offer the solution of a dynamic Super URL generator. The seller links to the Super URL service. This service redirects the traffic through a unique link with a specific timestamp and the desired keyword before they land on the Amazon listing. Each external click is then treated as a new search by the ranking algorithm.

Super URLs increase perceived search volume for the listing, from the specific keyword(s) desired by the seller. But it is important to remember that these links don’t increase sales, which remain the most important factor in ranking on Amazon.

In fact, funnelling a large volume of non-converting traffic through a Super URL may actually damage your search rankings. The search engine’s goal is to optimize purchases. So, if a search term is not resulting in purchases, the listing will stop appearing for that search term.

Keep this in mind: one should only use Super URLs for the traffic you are confident will convert. Offering the customer, a discount at the same time will greatly increase your chances of a sale. (Using a tool like Landing Cube you can easily distribute single-use promo codes and boost your sales).


Are Super URLs allowed within the Amazon terms of service?

Amazon doesn’t make specific mention of Super URLs. However, they do explicitly state that manipulating their search algorithm is against the TOS:

It is likely that Amazon will be able to tell if a link is manufactured, by cross-examining the keyword, timestamp and search rankings (if they care to check). For this reason, a less sophisticated Super URL generator may put you in danger of running afoul of Amazon.


Should I be using Super URLs?

New and improved tactics are constantly discovered to optimize search rankings. Amazon is adjusting its algorithm and policies at the same pace.

Some sellers are already claiming that Super URLs no longer work for optimizing keyword rankings. But since Amazon doesn’t make the details of their search rankings public, we can’t know for sure if they have stamped it out or not.

In general, Super URLs are something of a grey area. There is a chance that directing traffic this way might benefit your rankings. But knowing Amazon’s history of preventing ranking manipulation, it’s safe to say you are not missing out if you choose not to direct through Super URLs.