How to optimize your AWS listing: Marketplace best practices followed by top percentile sellers

Let's talk about turning your AWS Marketplace presence from just another listing into a growth engine for your SaaS business. 

In the world of cloud services, standing out isn't just about having a great product—it's about strategically positioning yourself where decision-makers are looking. That's actually why marketplaces became such a desirable procurement channel in the first place. For SaaS businesses that want to establish a compelling presence, strategic listing optimization is not just an option—it's a necessity. Through this blog, we will dive into marketplace best practices employed by top-percentile AWS partners that help them achieve those massive revenue numbers.  

Needless to say, market analysis and strategic development form the bedrock of any successful cloud sales strategy. Understanding your competitive landscape and customer buying behaviors will fundamentally shape your marketplace positioning. By comprehensively analyzing where and how potential customers make purchasing decisions, you'll craft an AWS listing optimization approach that resonates and converts.

Now let’s explore how to optimize your AWS listing to elevate your marketplace performance, accelerate customer acquisition, and skyrocket cloud sales.

Why should you optimize your AWS marketplace listing 

The AWS Marketplace has emerged as a critical ecosystem for cloud software solutions, connecting innovative SaaS businesses with a global network of AWS customers. With thousands of software listings and even more active subscribers, this platform represents more than just a sales channel—it's a strategic gateway to enterprise-level visibility and growth.

Yet, the mere existence of a listing doesn’t a successful partner make. The marketplace's competitive landscape means that without a carefully crafted optimization strategy, even the most robust solutions can become invisible. The stakes are high:

• Potential customers overlook your product amid a sea of competing offerings
• Conversion rates remain stubbornly low, despite your solution's inherent value
• Revenue opportunities slip away as your market positioning falters
• Your brand struggles to establish credibility within the AWS ecosystem

Listing optimization is often thought of as a marketing tactic, but that is limiting its scope. Listing optimization is a critical business strategy that transforms your listing from a passive product showcase to a compelling solution that speaks directly to the needs of AWS customers.

Key Strategies to optimize your AWS Marketplace presence

Let’s get into the “what now?” part of your post-listing journey. 

1. Enhance the discoverability of your marketplace listing

Just as Amazon revolutionized online retail, AWS dominates the cloud computing landscape. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Your product listing is your digital storefront in the AWS Marketplace—the critical first impression that can make or break a potential customer's decision. Think of the scope of that opportunity. This is why your marketplace listing needs to do more than just exist; it needs to communicate value, credibility, and unique problem-solving capabilities. But first, it needs to be discovered. 

A majority of the traffic to AWS listing pages originates from external search engines. To ensure that your listing page is discoverable, you first have to have clarity on the keywords your customers are going to connect with and then make sure that your product listing has those keywords in each section of the page. 

Re:invent 2024 unveiled a slew of marketplace innovations and partnership breakthroughs. However, one of the more nuanced callsouts for the marketplace experience was the need for not just keyword search-optimized pages but also marketplace search-optimized pages to improve your discoverability within the marketplace environment. Remember that the majority of clicks go to the first 5 search results.

Once you optimize for discoverability, it’s time to focus on impact. Sessions at re:Invent 2024 also showcased the overhauled listing page interface that offered the opportunity for “richer media, enhanced layout, and calls to action.” 

Create descriptive, keyword-rich titles

• Distill your solution's core value in under 50 characters
• Incorporate primary keywords naturally and strategically
• Highlight what sets your product apart from competitors

Write detailed, benefit-focused descriptions

• Open with a compelling 2-3 sentence overview that captures your solution's essence
• Use crisp, scannable bullet points to showcase key features and tangible benefits
• Directly address the pain points your product resolves
• Illustrate practical use cases across different industries
• Weave secondary keywords seamlessly into the narrative

Leverage High-Impact Visuals

• Include clear, high-resolution screenshots that demonstrate your product's interface and functionality
• Create short demo videos that provide immediate insight into your solution's capabilities
• Ensure all visual assets are crisp, well-designed, and formatted for maximum impact

2. Leverage AWS partner tools

You can’t just rely on the powers of your product to stand out on the AWS Marketplace. You also must get smart about strategically positioning yourself within the AWS ecosystem. AWS offers a robust suite of partner tools and resources designed to amplify your market reach – find and leverage them.

Get started with the AWS Marketplace Academy

The AWS Marketplace Academy is a great starting point for AWS-recommended optimization strategies. The academy is a hub of videos, webcasts, and self-service workshops to help you “build, activate, and measure demand generation campaigns.” It has everything from foundational “better together” best practices to guidance on retargeting tactics that drive customers to your listing from demand gen assets. 

Grab AWS co-marketing opportunities 

Think of AWS co-marketing as your strategic amplification network. These opportunities aren't just promotional channels—they're pathways to establishing thought leadership and connecting with your target audience:

• Announce the launch of your listing with a press release. Remember to work with your BDM to stay within the approved language framework. 
• Actively participate in AWS-sponsored events and webinars to showcase your expertise
• Develop compelling case studies and blog content that demonstrate your solution's impact. This is another place your BDM will be able to guide you. 
• Strategically leverage social media channels to extend your brand's reach. While you can use your social presence to direct prospects to your listing, you can also work with your BDM to submit social media amplification requests to the AWS Marketing teams as well.

Maximize AWS partner program benefits 

• Become a committed member of the AWS Partner Network (APN)
• Pursue targeted AWS Competencies that validate your technical prowess and industry expertise. Five new specializations were launched at re:Invent that you have the opportunity to certify in. 
• Find and qualify for applicable partner programs for a variety of benefits. This merits an article of its own.

"Your AWS Marketplace presence should complement greater partnership efforts established by your participation in the APN."

Tyler Althoff

Technical Business Development Manager |  AWS

Invest in AWS-provided resources and training 

Knowledge and preparation are competitive advantages. AWS provides a comprehensive suite of resources to help partners refine their skills and market positioning:

• Complete both technical and business training programs to deepen your AWS expertise
• Use AWS Partner Marketing Central to access co-branded marketing materials
• Strategically apply for AWS Partner Funding to support critical marketing initiatives

Treat these partner tools as strategic investments rather than optional extras.

3. Focus on customer reviews

A Gartner study reveals a compelling insight: 66% of software buyers heavily rely on third-party verified reviews when making purchasing decisions. These reviews represent a transparent, unfiltered narrative of your product's real-world performance, directly influencing potential customers' critical decision-making process.

The AWS Marketplace provides a robust platform for customer feedback, allowing users to submit verified reviews on your listing page that serve as powerful social proof for your solution. By integrating syndicated reviews from respected tech platforms like G2, you can amplify your credibility even more. Critically, customers can filter AWS Marketplace search results based on these reviews, making it vital to maintain a strong review profile.

Implementing AWS Marketplace best practices means strategically transforming customer relationships into a trust-building mechanism. Your reviews become more than just testimonials—they're a dynamic tool for product improvement, market differentiation, and most importantly, marketplace customer acquisition. By proactively managing and leveraging these reviews, you can make powerful inroads with your AWS listing optimization efforts.

Cultivate a robust review ecosystem

• Develop a structured process for requesting reviews immediately after a positive customer experience, either on your listing page or on G2
• Consider thoughtful incentives that encourage genuine, detailed feedback without compromising review integrity

Elevate your response strategy 

• Promptly acknowledge and express gratitude for positive reviews, demonstrating appreciation
• Use each review response as an opportunity to showcase your commitment to customer success
• Transform potentially negative experiences into public demonstrations of your problem-solving capabilities

Transform feedback into strategic improvement

• Analyze review patterns to identify recurring themes and insights
• Implement a structured framework for prioritizing product enhancements based on customer suggestions
• Create a visible feedback loop that shows customers that their input drives meaningful innovation

4. Implement smart pricing strategies

Pricing in the AWS Marketplace is a strategic lever that extends beyond simple cost calculation. Effective pricing begins with deep market intelligence. You will need to conduct comprehensive competitive pricing research and develop a systematic approach to monitoring competitor pricing structures. Analyze your solution's unique value proposition in relation to market positioning, holistically evaluate the total cost of ownership by including indirect costs like AWS listing fees, and then create a pricing framework that balances competitive positioning with sustainable business economics.

At re:Invent 2024, AWS highlighted a critical insight into customer purchasing behavior: marketplace subscribers repeatedly engage with pricing sections before finalizing their purchase. During the "Optimize your AWS Marketplace listings for better conversions" session, experts emphasized the strategic importance of pricing flexibility, particularly recommending free-trial options wherever possible.

Native AWS data reveals a compelling narrative: 25% of customers consider free trials essential to their purchasing decision, with Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) experiencing a remarkable 3X higher conversion rate from free trials to pay-as-you-go (PAYG) plans compared to direct contract conversions. The recommended AWS Marketplace best practices suggest a nuanced, customer-centric pricing approach.

The optimal AWS listing optimization strategy follows a strategic progression: onboard customers through a free trial, seamlessly transition them to a usage-based PAYG model, and ultimately convert them into long-term contracts. This phased approach not only reduces initial adoption barriers but also allows customers to experience your solution's value incrementally, increasing the likelihood of long-term contract conversion.

5. Make the procurement experience frictionless

While the journey from organic listing discovery to contract signing takes its course, you can take steps early on to set the stage for a smooth procurement experience. Prospects consider many factors before making a purchase, but certain actions can help shorten their decision-making process significantly.

Streamline the risk assessment process with Vendor Insights 

Vendor risk assessment is a crucial part of the purchase evaluation process, especially for enterprises. According to AWS experts, this step can extend procurement timelines by 8–10 weeks. To address this challenge, AWS introduced Vendor Insights, a dashboard feature designed to “centralize security and compliance artifacts and give your customers a self-service access experience.”

Getting started is simple: build your product profile by uploading audit and compliance reports and completing a software risk assessment. This includes key compliance documents like SOC, ISO, HIPAA, or GDPR reports. By simplifying this critical process, you can transform a potential 8–10-week delay into a streamlined, low-touch experience. Setting up AWS Marketplace Vendor Insights for your listing could make all the difference.

Vendor risk assessment can delay procurement by 8 - 10 weeks

Leverage the standard contract

One of the key advantages of the AWS Marketplace as a procurement channel is the option to use standard AWS agreements to simplify the contracting process. These agreements provide a universal template that you can customize with add-ons, eliminating the need to start from scratch each time.

Using a standard contract significantly reduces back-and-forth negotiations because customers are already familiar with the baseline terms. Be sure to communicate clearly that the starting point for your negotiations is a standard AWS contract—it’s a crucial step in streamlining the process and building trust with your customers.

Optimizing your AWS marketplace listing is an ongoing process that requires dedication, strategic thinking, and a willingness to adapt. By implementing these best practices, you'll be well-positioned to stand out from the competition and drive significant growth through the AWS marketplace. 

We’ll say it again, success on the AWS Marketplace isn't just about having a great product—it's about effectively getting your customers to find your listing and ensure that it communicates your value proposition in the fastest and most impactful way. With the right approach, the AWS marketplace can become a powerful channel for reaching new customers and scaling your business. 

Using standard contracts instead of a custom EULA can accelerate sales cycles by as much as 80%

Optimizing your AWS marketplace listing is an ongoing process that requires dedication, strategic thinking, and a willingness to adapt. By implementing these best practices, you'll be well-positioned to stand out from the competition and drive significant growth through the AWS marketplace. 

We’ll say it again, success on the AWS Marketplace isn't just about having a great product—it's about effectively getting your customers to find your listing and ensure that it communicates your value proposition in the fastest and most impactful way. With the right approach, the AWS marketplace can become a powerful channel for reaching new customers and scaling your business.

Ready to take your AWS Marketplace presence to the next level?