Best Practices Guide for Amazon Product Listings

Being an Amazon seller, it is highly likely that you would need to create an Amazon product listing and optimize it in order to generate sales and higher revenues. The process is similar for a private label product, new retail arbitrage, or unique bundle products. Having persuasive and informative product listings can prove beneficial in improving your sales revenues as well as the ranking of your product listings.

If you have ever had the chance of purchasing from Amazon yourself, you would most likely have come across poorly constructed listings that can be taken as a reference point to learn “how not to make your listings”. 

Some of the typical mistakes in such listings can be in the form of product titles spammed with keywords, low-quality or confusing images, and product descriptions. In this article, we will be a guide containing ways you can optimize and improve your Amazon product listings.

Overview

Your Amazon product listings can be divided into eight broad elements, namely:

• Product Title
• Product Images
• Key features of the product
• SEO Keywords
• Search term field
• Reviews
• Rating of the product

To become successful Amazon sellers and attract maximum shoppers to your listings, you need to pay heed to each of these individual elements. Doing so will engage the buyers and help them to decide if they should opt for your product or not. Try to keep your listing as ideally unique and search-friendly as possible.

Now, let’s look at each element in detail to see how you can effectively optimize your product listings.

Product Title

For most categories, Amazon allows product titles to be as long as 200 characters. It is, however, advised to keep the length of the title within 200 characters. 

Although Amazon allows product titles to extend up to 250 characters, there is still a suppression rule where the Amazon algorithm suppresses listings with titles above 200 characters.

You should keep in mind that titles are meant to provide information to buyers at first glance. So, the title should provide sufficient information to the buyer to help them decide whether or not to continue. Include the most important details in the title of your Amazon listing. Now, an effective method is to critically analyze your title from your buyer’s perspective. Think of it as what you would want to be in the title if you were to make the purchase. Consider incorporating information such as the brand, the model of the product, quantity, size, colors, etc.

The screenshot taken from an Amazon product listing can serve as a good example of a product listing title.

You should also consider the questions the shoppers may have regarding the product. Think about how you can answer these questions within your product title. Also, consider what can be added to your product title that would be engaging to your customers and incite them to click on your listing.

Using the above example, a customer might want to know what consoles the headset might be compatible with, or any other features the gaming headset might have.

What to do if you could only choose a single key phrase? Well, as per our example, SteelSeries Store has used the “SteelSeries Arctis 3 Console”. Such a phrase needs to be in the first 80 characters of the product title.

SteelSeries Store has skilfully crafted the title of their product while also balancing the needs of the Amazon search engine as well as the human site visitors. Notice the use of primary keyword upfront, with the features and compatibility of the product also included.

While selecting the right keywords for your product title, try to maintain a balance between relevance and high search volume. 

As discussed earlier, sellers often overdo their listing titles by excessively adding keywords regardless of their relevance. By sending this irrelevant traffic to their page, sellers might experience an increasing number of bounces (a fall in shopper conversion rate). Amazon also monitors such accounts and can reduce your Amazon listing ranking if your shopper conversion falls below a certain point. 

Some Keypoints to Consider

• Avoid using all caps
• Use capital letters for the first letter of each word
• Avoid “&” and use “and” instead
• Use numerals for numbers
• Do not include price and quantity in product titles
• No symbols should be used
• Avoid promotional messages such as sale or discounts in product titles.

Product Images

Amazon allows sellers to upload eight product images in addition to a main/lead image. So a total of 9 product images are allowed by Amazon. You should include high-quality images featuring different angles of your products (product details are a plus), sized as per Amazon guidelines i.e., 500 pixels high and 1000 pixels wide.

For most products on Amazon, I would advise you to use a white background, especially for the main image. It is best to feature your product from different angles, also the use of the product, an image of the product’s packaging, etc. As per Amazon recommendations, your images should be such that the product covers 85% of the total image. 

The images you use in your Amazon listings should demonstrate the scale and size of the product you are selling. This not only helps buyers get an idea of the product’s actual size but also reduces negative feedback in cases where buyers are not content with the actual size of the product.

SteelSeries Store has shown the product in use to give the buyers an idea about the actual size of the product.

All in all, you should always upload several images of your product in high-quality and 1000×500 pixels to clearly explain your product to buyers. 

Key Product Features

Amazon has set a limit of 1,000 characters for product descriptions. Sellers should use this to engage their potential buyers and persuade them that their product is better than its rival products by elaborating on the benefits and uses of your product.

Again, put yourself in your customer’s shoes – helping them visualize the benefits of the product and experience its usage.

How can you do that? Simply, help your customers imagine themselves using the products you are selling.

This might refer to providing lifestyle uses or real-world examples, or showing your customers how the product is of value to them and how it solves their problems.

Now, another thing is using bullet points in your product description. The length of these bullet points varies from one category to the next. However, generally speaking, bullet descriptions of approximately 200 characters are enough to explain the product features and incorporate key phrases in the bullets.

At present, Amazon only ranks the initial 1,000 characters of the bullet descriptions. This means that when using 200-character bullets all five bullet points would be indexed. Some recommended/useful bullet styles include

• Attention-Grabbing: Use a short phrase to grab the attention of shoppers (your potential buyers) and then provide information.

• Benefit First: Start with the benefits of the product and then shed light on features and specifications.

• Feature: Elaborate its benefits.
• Informational: List answers to questions that your customers might have in mind before the purchase.

Always Keep Mobile Optimization in Perspective

On the Amazon mobile app, bullet descriptions are displayed below the A+ descriptions. In certain cases, they are truncated with almost around 400 characters and the customers have to click “Read More” to read further.

If your bullets are wordy and overly long, you’ll end up with a wall of words that would be difficult to read on a smartphone.

Tips

• Highlight the main 5 features of your product that you want your customers to consider.
• Start each bullet with a capital letter.
• Be specific about the product attributes and features.
• Avoid including company, pricing, and shopping information.
• Keep your tone consistent.

Product Description

This section of your product listing lets you demonstrate why your product is of higher value to the customer as compared to rivals. It also lets you describe the key selling points of your product.

Amazon allows 2,000 characters to elaborate on the uses, features, and specifications of your product. Try to use as many of the 2,000 characters to make your product descriptions detailed. Be sure to cover all the features and product specifications that you have mentioned in the previous sections as well.

Remember to use short sentences to make it easier for your customers to read and understand. Bold keyphrases or information to highlight them and make them stand out from the rest of the text. Any key information or details about the company can also be included in this part.

Do not exaggerate as you would not want to mislead your customer or create false expectations about your product. Stating something you cannot deliver on would not yield a good impression on the customers.

What Can be Added to Your Product Description?

• Expand Bullets – If you feel that the 200-character word limit was not enough to fully explain all the information relating to the product’s features or specifications, the product description section can be used to elaborate on those points. 

• • Introduce Additional Benefits/Features – Let’s say your product has more than five features that you would want to mention. Then this would be the right place to incorporate them.

• Highlight Uses – Despite putting in your best efforts, sometimes just listing benefits and features is not enough. The customers may not comprehend how your product will be of value to them or the positive impact it will have on them. 
• Support Claims – Your opinions regarding your product are subject. So when you say something about your product, you need to back your claims with industry professionals or another business. Thai adds validity to your claims and helps engage your customers. 

Tips

• Use HTML for breaking paragraphs and also to highlight key information.
• Include keywords that have not been used in the backend keyword section or the product listing title.
• Avoid using your seller name, company information, or website URL.
• Do not use promotional language or terms such as free shipping, free, or discount.

Keywords

To optimize product listings, it is useful for sellers to know what keywords they are targeting and trying to rank.

Common mistake sellers make is the misuse of keywords in their product listings. Remember only to use relevant keywords. Keywords can be added to the product listings title or the features of your product. 

You should add keywords to your Amazon product listings in suitable places, for instance, the title of the listing as well as the product features.

An effective strategy to find keywords is to think of yourself as your customer and think about what you would search for if you were to look for your product on Amazon. You may even have to think outside the box to think as your customers would.

To further improve your product listing’s discoverability, Amazon allows you to use backend keywords. You need to be innovative and smart to cover all the keywords relevant to your product.

Always make sure that the backend keywords are different from the ones used in the product title. Using the same keywords would be a waste of “precious space” Amazon allows and would also lead to low discoverability.

Researching keywords on Amazon may seem like running down a rabbit hole because one keyword leads to another and the cycle continues. Here are what you should look for when researching keywords:

• Product Types – What is your product called? For instance, in our example, the product is a gaming headset. Always start your search with a core word and see what other options may appear.
• Features – When you discover additional terms, you should look for specific features related to your product. This can be terms such as wireless, lightweight, etc.
• Benefits – Emphasize the key features of your product. Ask yourself what is the key selling point of your product. It can be a certain feature or a group of features/benefits that you should highlight.
• Related Terms – Use terms related to your product features. You can also use synonyms (using cordless instead of wireless) to find the term with the best search volume. 

Search Term Fields

Now that the list of your preferred and relevant keywords has been discovered, you will want to use them in your bullet descriptions and title. The keywords that will be left will be used in the backend search term fields.

A standard Amazon search term field allows a maximum of 250 bytes for keywords. If keywords in your search term field exceed the 250-byte limit, all the keywords thus incorporated would be ignored. Again, avoid using the same keywords in the title as well as in the backend keyword section.

Remember – 1 byte equals one character for numbers and letters while two characters for special characters and symbols.

You can also use less important keywords in the Subject Matter, Target Audience, and Intended Use fields but the terms should be kept specific to their names. For example, the Target Audience field should contain terms specific to your audience: gaming headsets for Xbox, etc. Similarly, for intended use, the terms should include keywords e.g., gaming headsets, etc. The subject matter field is general and would contain terms relevant to the subject of your product, for instance, headsets might be related to gaming.

Always maintain a good balance between the search volume and relevance of your keywords. It is also recommended that you fill at least the Subject Matter field for your product listing. 

Product Reviews

Product reviews are a crucial part of your Amazon listings. They are proof of the high quality and standard of your product. However, getting positive product reviews is not easy, especially for new products/sellers.

Using automated services, such as FeedbackExpress, can expedite the process of requesting product reviews. 

Positive product reviews can help you build trust and allow you to outsmart your competition with a higher level of buyer engagement.

Some Amazon sellers also run promotions and campaigns to increase product reviews on their listings.

Product Rating

Sellers should aim to provide the same quality products to their customers as they have described in the description. This is the best way to gain 4 or even 5-star reviews. Even if you receive any neutral or negative reviews, make sure they are within the guidelines set out by Amazon. Please note that if the buyer leaves feedback as a product review, you can ask Amazon to remove that from your listing.

Competitive Pricing

The final element in this guide for Amazon optimization is competitive pricing. With the ever-increasing competition, and several sellers selling similar products, the only way you can survive is by incorporating a competitive pricing strategy. 

Software, like Repricer, etc., can prove beneficial to help sellers for setting competitive prices 24/7 and also help them win their share in the Buy Box.

Conclusion

Having a powerful and engaging product listing is crucial for success in the Amazon business. This comprehensive Amazon best practices guide provides deep specifics that you need to consider to make your listing stand out from your competition.

Frequently Asked Questions

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