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“Amazon optimization today isn't just about keywords. It's about creating a compelling narrative with your images, content, and product attributes. AI now plays a crucial role in reading and interpreting your images and text to rank your listings. If you can convince the algorithm that your product is valuable, you're also convincing the customer. It's about aligning both the technical and human aspects of the shopping experience to maximize visibility and conversion.” That's a quote from Jon Tilley and a sneak peek at today's episode.
Hi there. I'm Kerry Curran, Fractional Chief Growth Officer, industry analyst, and host of Revenue Boost, A Marketing Podcast where we discuss smart strategies that drive your business growth.
In this episode titled, Cracking the Amazon Algorithm: Strategies for Increased Visibility and Revenue. I'm joined by Jon Tilley. He's the Founder and CEO of ZonGuru. Jon and I discuss cutting edge strategies for cracking Amazon's ever changing algorithm, leveraging AI for smarter listing optimization and creating winning product narrative. Jon shares actionable insights to help brands boost visibility, conversions and revenue.
Stay tuned to the end where John shares tips for adapting Amazon's Rufus AI shopping assistant.
Whether you're an established seller or just starting out, this episode is packed with tips to help you dominate the Amazon marketplace and grow your bottom line. Let's go!
Kerry Curran, RBMA (00:01.48)
Welcome, Jon! Please tell us a bit about yourself, your expertise, and ZonGuru.
Jon Tilley (00:10.136)Hey, Kerry, thanks! I appreciate being here.
We have a technology company in the Amazon space. If you are a brand or an agency selling products on Amazon, you can use our technology as a third-party software provider to help you operationally run your business, drive organic growth, and increase profits.
We offer over 18 different tools, but we are particularly known for our leadership in Amazon SEO—helping brands structure their content and storefronts to maximize organic growth by aligning with Amazon’s algorithm. We’ve been around since 2016, and that’s us in a nutshell!
Kerry Curran, RBMA (00:58.638)Excellent! Now, tell us a bit about your background and expertise.
Jon Tilley (01:04.344)Yeah, as you can probably tell, my accent is originally from South Africa, where I grew up. I moved to Los Angeles in 2006, so I’ve been here for quite some time.
I started my career in advertising, working at large global digital agencies for about 12 to 15 years. I covered everything from below-the-line to through-the-line marketing, integrated digital agencies—you know, the full evolution of the agency world.
I spent some time in Europe launching Burger King’s Have It Your Way campaign, then moved to Los Angeles, working with large brands. I also got involved in enterprise application development, which was my first real exposure to the tech world.
But I’ve always had that entrepreneurial drive. In 2013, I launched my own brands on Amazon, which did really well. That success allowed me to leave my corporate job and dive into my own business full-time.
In 2016, I saw an opportunity in the Amazon space as a third-party software provider and launched ZonGuru—short for "Amazon Guru." We bootstrapped it for several years before raising a funding round in 2021.
I’ve now spent 8 to 10 years navigating Amazon’s constant changes, which has been vibey, to say the least. It’s a massive industry, but also a rapidly evolving one. Running a business in this space means constantly adapting to new developments.
Kerry Curran, RBMA (03:14.758)That’s fantastic. You’re right—few industries have evolved as rapidly as Amazon, e-commerce, and retail media.
And on top of that, you’re incorporating a lot of AI into your technology. You mentioned earlier that it’s an AI-first world now. Let’s dive into that—what recent shifts are you seeing in AI’s role in marketing strategies, particularly in the Amazon space? What are the opportunities and potential threats?
Jon Tilley (03:59.074)Yeah, AI has been fascinating to watch. It’s a perfect example of why being first to market can give you a competitive advantage.
In our space, we have some massive competitors. But moving first on AI gave us an opportunity to differentiate.
At the same time, despite Amazon’s dominance in e-commerce, their internal technology is actually quite backward. That creates opportunities for third-party software providers like us because we can take Amazon’s data and visualize it in ways that Amazon itself struggles to do.
A lot of people worry about Amazon rolling out its own AI-driven features—like their new AI-powered listing optimization tool. But every time Amazon launches something like that, it actually provides more data, giving companies like ours the chance to do it better.
For example, at Amazon’s Accelerate conference, they showcased their AI-driven listing optimization tool—but they made a mistake by including a trademarked term (Aviators for Ray-Ban) in an optimized title. That kind of error shows how much room there is for third-party solutions to do it better.
So, rather than fearing Amazon’s AI developments, we see them as opportunities to leverage new data and refine our own tools.
Kerry Curran, RBMA (05:55.213)That’s such a great perspective—seeing AI as a tool to enhance opportunities rather than a threat.
Talk more about how you were able to move so quickly when AI started gaining momentum.
Jon Tilley (06:13.444)We recognized the potential of AI early—back in November 2022, when ChatGPT was first gaining traction. We immediately saw it as a game-changer, not just for our industry but for consumer experiences overall.
Much like how Amazon Prime’s one-day shipping changed shopping behavior forever, AI is transforming how people interact with brands.
So, in December 2022, we dedicated a full month to integrating ChatGPT into our platform. We were one of the first companies to get API access and use it for Amazon listings.
Before AI, optimizing an Amazon listing could take up to an hour. With our AI integration, sellers could generate a baseline optimized listing in under a minute—structured correctly for the algorithm right out of the gate.
Kerry Curran, RBMA (07:18.47)That’s incredible.
Jon Tilley (07:41.102)Yeah, but here’s the key—we never positioned AI as a replacement for human creativity.
Coming from the agency world, you’ll appreciate this: AI should be a tool, not a substitute for expertise.
We use AI to create a well-structured baseline, but then we provide additional insights and tools so that brand owners or agencies can refine and enhance it.
Instead of spending hours building a listing from scratch, experts can now focus on elevating it from 9/10 to 11/10. That’s where AI truly shines.
Kerry Curran, RBMA (08:38.342)That’s such a smart approach. It makes you more efficient and effective—helping you quickly understand what works while leaving room for human creativity and brand identity.
Tell us more about how you’re using AI for your clients.
Jon Tilley (09:34.468)Sure. AI plays a few critical roles:
- Listing Optimization – AI helps structure content for Amazon’s algorithm while leaving room for creative refinement.
- Amazon’s Rufus AI Shopping Assistant – Amazon is shifting toward AI-driven shopping experiences, and we’re helping brands optimize their listings for Rufus (Amazon’s AI).
- AI-Driven Visual Optimization – AI now reads product images, so we optimize both text and visual content for ranking.
For example, we can analyze product images using AI to see what the algorithm actually detects. If there’s too much text overlay or the images aren’t aligned with key search terms, AI will identify that, helping brands improve their conversions.
Kerry Curran, RBMA (13:55.496)That’s brilliant. Understanding how AI reads images and refining them accordingly is a huge opportunity.
Let’s shift gears to the broader AI landscape. You mentioned how AI is also impacting Google Search, ChatGPT, and Perplexity. What’s your take on those shifts?
Jon Tilley (17:31.062)Organic traffic from Google is dropping as AI-powered search engines like ChatGPT and Perplexity gain traction.
Consumers prefer AI-generated results over paid search results, and that’s changing the game. Now, brands need to optimize not just for Google, but for AI-driven search engines too.
Perplexity, for example, has launched its own AI-driven shopping assistant, pulling in results from Google, Amazon, and beyond. Understanding how AI ranks and surfaces content is the next frontier.
Kerry Curran, RBMA (20:38.436)That’s such an important takeaway.
Jon, this has been an amazing conversation. Where can people find you and learn more about ZonGuru?
Jon Tilley (22:45.698)You can check out zonguru.com. There’s a demo, a free trial, and live chat if you're an e-commerce brand and curious about what we offer.
You can also reach me directly—email me at jon@zonguru.com or connect with me on LinkedIn
.Just mention Kerry’s podcast and I’ll be happy to set up a free growth audit.
Kerry Curran, RBMA (23:23.342)Awesome—thank you, Jon! Looking forward to checking back in six months to see how AI has evolved even further.
Jon Tilley (23:37.57)Yeah, you'll be speaking to my avatar AI intelligent form rather than me. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Yeah, there you go. Thank you.
Kerry Curran, RBMA (23:39.698)That's true. I won't even need to, our avatars will speak to each other.
I hope you found this episode of Revenue Boost: A Marketing Podcast as valuable as I did. Jon shared great tips on leveraging AI tools for Amazon's success.
If you found this helpful, be sure to subscribe to Revenue Boost: A Marketing Podcast for more expert advice on smarter marketing strategies. We can be found in all of the top podcast directories.
Please connect with me, Kerry Curran, on LinkedIn or at https://www.revenuebasedmarketing.com/
where I share more expert advice and past podcast episodes. If your revenue needs a boost, ask me about my consulting and fractional chief growth officer services. Thank you!
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