Amazon SERP Layout Changes: How They’re Reshaping Click-Through and Visibility

A product detail page might be excellent, with polished copy, engaging A+ Content, and well-optimised bullet points. However, none of this matters if no one clicks on your listing in the first place.

Recently, Amazon has been testing and rolling out subtle, yet significant, changes to the search results page (SERP) layouts. This is especially true on mobile devices. Consequently, these updates are influencing the content that customers see first, which directly impacts click-through rates. Therefore, brands that do not adapt to these shifts risk losing traffic before a customer even reaches the product detail page (PDP). Here’s what’s changing and how we’re helping clients respond:

Mobile-First Compression

Amazon is making quiet changes to its SERP layouts, particularly the mobile experience. The platform is increasingly compressing titles and thumbnails, which is especially true in high-traffic placements like carousels and deals. Shoppers may not see a product’s key benefits if they appear later in the title.

Therefore, a new approach to title strategy is necessary. This involves prioritising the most important messages and pricing cues at the beginning of the title. These tasks must be done while still preserving indexing power. The result is a strategy that ensures relevance and visibility for products without compromising their discoverability in Amazon’s search.

Badges Are Driving Click Bias

Badges like ‘Limited Time Deal’, ‘Climate Pledge Friendly’, and ‘Highly Rated’ are now prominent features on Amazon’s Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). These visuals occupy more space and are significantly influencing customers’ click behaviour. Essentially, these signals act as crucial trust anchors within a crowded search environment. Consequently, they can significantly impact how many customers view a listing at a glance.

Layering incentives like coupons, Subscribe & Save, and brand-tailored promotions is also crucial these days. This strategy is not solely about optimising the conversion rate. Instead, these incentives also play a vital role in supporting visibility, particularly within highly competitive categories.

Creative That Doesn’t Assume Context

A product listing is never judged on its own. Instead, it is being compared directly against the three or four listings positioned right next to it. The price, product title, and thumbnail image must thus instantly convey to the customer the product’s value and relevance. For this reason, creative assets should be designed with the Search Engine Results Page (SERP) as the primary focus. Building visual hierarchies that prioritise contrast, clarity, and conversion triggers in less than a second is crucial.

The Risk of Standing Still

Brands often fail to notice these SERP changes until performance metrics, such as glance views or Click-Through rate (CTR), start to decline. For instance, if advertising budgets and bids remain constant but traffic is dropping, the layout of the Search Engine Results Page (SERP) could be the reason. Therefore, it is important to track these shifts in real time across various categories and marketplaces. Strategies are proactively updated to ensure clients maintain a competitive advantage.

The Commercial Impact

Following an update to a client’s main product listing, which included new thumbnails and title structures, the brand’s lead SKU saw a 41% jump in glance views. This uplift occurred even though there were no changes to bidding or budget. Ultimately, the improvement resulted from aligning the listing’s creative elements with the new search result page’s (SERP) behaviours rather than increased spending.

Is the performance of the brand’s listings still strong under Amazon’s new SERP layout? The team would be pleased to review the current creative strategy and evaluate how it compares. Moreover, the team can identify any potential performance issues before they escalate.

Want to see your Amazon performance skyrocket?  Book a call with our team or email us at amazon@marketrocket.co.uk to take your brand to the next level.