How do you improve your findability and conversion on bol?
Lars HurkmansCo-founder7 July 2023Reading time 8 minutes
You improve your findability on bol by steering on the two factors the algorithm weighs most heavily: clicks and sales. A strong listing with the right keywords and convincing content raises your conversion, and sponsored products help you build up those first clicks and sales. Together they strengthen your organic position.
Bol is one of the largest online marketplaces in the Netherlands and Belgium. With millions of products and thousands of sellers it is a good place to sell, but how do you make sure your products stand out? We walk through how consumers find products, how the algorithm works, and how you improve your findability and conversion with your listing and ads. For the full explanation of findability, see also findability on bol.
How do consumers find products on bol?
Before we go into how you improve your findability, it is important to understand how consumers find products. There are three main ways.
Outside bol, such as via Google
Bol promotes products that sell a lot and where clicks lead to purchases, on Google too. So you need high conversions before bol finds it interesting enough to promote your product on Google. Be aware that roughly half of all purchases on bol start with a search that begins outside bol. Findability outside bol therefore matters.
By clicking through within bol
Here your position in the product category matters. The popularity of your product, determined by the number of clicks and sales, plays a big role here.
By using keywords within bol
Here both your position in the product category and the set-up of your listing are important. That has to do with the keywords you use in your title and product description.
These methods influence each other and work together to determine the visibility of your products.
How does bol's algorithm work?
The algorithm determines how products are ranked in the search results. It takes various factors into account, but the two most important are the number of clicks and the number of sales. Recent sales and clicks weigh more than older ones, with a weighted average over the past 28 to 90 days. A sudden increase in sales can create a positive trend and lead to a faster rise in the rankings.
A common misconception is that price, reviews, delivery time and seller ratings directly influence the popularity position. They can play an indirect role (more reviews can lead to more clicks, for example), but they have no direct influence on your ranking. How that works exactly, we set out in how bol's advertising system works.
Buy box position versus product position
Within bol there are two positions you can aim for:
- Buy box position. The buy box is the section on the product page where customers buy the product. The seller who wins the buy box gets the sale. This position is determined by, among other things, price, delivery time and the seller's performance.
- Product position. This is the ranking of your product in the search results or on category pages, mainly determined by popularity (clicks and sales) and the relevance of your product information.
What is the foundation: a strong listing
A strong listing is the foundation for good findability. That means you set all specifications correctly and choose the right category. The title is crucial for your findability: it has to contain relevant keywords that match what consumers type in.
A good listing text also raises conversion. The text has no direct influence on the ranking, but a convincing and informative text makes more visitors go on to buy, which in turn can lead to a higher ranking.
How do you create a listing that converts?
- Use a clear, informative title with relevant keywords that describes what the product is. Avoid irrelevant keywords or exaggerated claims.
- Write a convincing product description that highlights the main features and benefits and answers the consumer's questions or concerns.
- Use high-quality images, clear and professional, from different angles and where possible showing the product in use.
- Add complete specifications (dimensions, weight, material) and make sure they are correct.
- Ask for reviews. Reviews are an effective tool for winning trust; ask satisfied customers for them honestly. How you go about that, you can read in getting more reviews on bol.
How you optimise your listing further is covered in optimising your listing on bol.
How do you improve your visibility on bol?
There are two main strategies: optimising your popularity and using keywords smartly.
- Popularity is determined by clicks and sales. So optimise your listing: correct specifications, the right category and relevant keywords in your title.
- Keywords. Think of short-tail keywords (high search volume, lots of competition) and long-tail keywords (more specific, less volume, less competition). By including them in your title and description, you improve your organic position. In the beginning you do not rank high organically yet, so you have two options: look for keywords with little competition (possible with a unique product), or use sponsored products.
Sponsored products: paid visibility
Besides organic findability, bol offers the option to increase your visibility with sponsored products: paid ads that appear at the top of the search results. You pay per click, so only when a consumer clicks on your product. Certainly if you are just starting out or want visibility fast, this is a way to build up clicks and sales.
How do you raise your organic position?
You can use sponsored products to improve your organic position. The goal is to generate clicks and sales through ads, which you combine with your keyword strategy to be found better across the board. As you rise organically, advertising becomes less important, but it remains a tool for staying visible in places you do not reach organically.
By rising organically, your popularity ranking goes up. If you achieve higher conversions on top of more sales, you also have a better chance of being found on Google: bol will then promote you because it trusts that you sell via Google. If that works and you hold on to your conversion, you get an extra boost in your popularity position. If you rank high enough, you can also be included in promotional campaigns such as the bol 7-day sale. That creates a self-reinforcing effect.
How do you keep your position? Stock management
Once you are at this point, stock management becomes important. If you are out of stock for too long, your organic ranking drops and you disappear from Google, after which you have to rebuild your position.
Where does data help you?
To improve your findability you need the right data. MarktMentor offers tools to monitor your findability: insight into your ranking, your conversion rate and the performance of your competitors. By analysing that data you understand better how to improve your findability and which strategies work.
Summary
- Clicks and sales weigh most heavily; that is what you steer on.
- Distinguish between buy box and product position, they are determined by different factors.
- A strong listing raises your conversion and indirectly your ranking.
- Sponsored products build up the first clicks and sales and strengthen your organic position.
- Stay in stock to keep the position you have built up.