If you were looking for something as simple as a case for your phone and you went on Amazon to search, you will get over 500 results and on the first page alone, at least 20 different product listings.
As a customer looking to buy, three things stand out to you:
- The featured image - does the product meet your aesthetical standards?
- The product title - does the product title mention something specific you wanted - like a leather case or maybe something fun like glow in the dark?
- And then price - is it within your budget?
As a seller, you want to ensure that your product listing is optimized enough that you show up on the first couple pages (the first page as we all like to hope). And even when you appear on the first page, you want to ensure that you stand out from the other 20+ products and get picked by customers.
As an online arbitrage seller, you are more likely to jump on an existing listing than creating a new one from scratch. But given the rare opportunity to create a new Amazon listing (maybe you’re creating a unique bundle), you need to do it right by ensuring it is very well optimized.
Some helpful tips to follow:
- Use correct high-quality images
- Use insightful search-friendly product titles
- Give clear and concise key features which also highlight product benefits.
- Get as detailed as possible with the product description.
Use matching high-quality images
The featured product image is probably one of the first things that catch the customer’s eye and you want to ensure that the picture is very clear and also an accurate representation of the product you’re selling.
Amazon allows sellers to upload up to 9 images and as someone who has shopped multiple times, you’d probably agree that there’s no such thing as too many images. Upload pictures of your products from different angles and one of the products in use. For example, if you were uploading a phone case, you’d want pictures of a phone wearing the case and just the case.
Use insightful search-friendly product titles
Product title word limit - differs by category but Amazon recommends less than 80 characters.
Product titles are what make customers decide whether they’d be clicking on your listing or not. If you were wavering between 2 aesthetically pleasing phone cases and one of them listed that it had ‘heavy-duty shockproof cover’ you would go for that over a simple phone case if you’re prone to dropping your phone every now and then.
The point is if there are unique or standout features of your Amazon product, you’d want to call it out in the title so customers are interested enough to click. While you are choosing relevant keywords that customers could be searching for, use keyword phrases in the order the customer is likely to search for.
If you’re listing a makeup product that is vegan, highlighting it in your product title might be what cinches the deal for customers looking to purchase products without animal ingredients.
Another key thing to consider when creating product titles is keywords. You want to ensure that your product title and key features include keywords that customers typically search for. One easy way to find out the keywords is by using Amazon search autocomplete.
Amazon has some tips for using keywords like using abbreviations, synonyms, spelling variations, and doing away with punctuations, stopwords, and brand names in titles.
While Amazon recommends 80 characters, you could go over 100 characters but at about 170 characters, the rest of your text gets cut off. While going through Amazon products, a lot of the listings that went over the limit and got cut off had repeated words.
Give clear and concise key features
Key features word limit: 1000 characters per bullet point
The key features are where you convince the customer that they’ve come to the right place. The product highlights should include relevant information like dimensions and key features such as (is it waterproof?) and information that would benefit the customer such as warranty.
Key features are displayed in bullet points and while each bullet has a 1000 word limit, it's recommended that you keep it clear and short. If it's wordy, it looks very jumbled up and will be near impossible to read.
The key features should be skimmable, highlight one feature per bullet point and keep it as simple as possible. The features you're highlighting might seem like a big deal to the manufacturers but mean nothing to the customer especially when technical speak is used. The bullets should state the features and answer the “okay so?” question - that is, what the customer benefits from each feature so instead of simply stating
- “Water-resistant IPx4 nano coating”
- IPX4 nano-coating to ensure complete protection against sweat and water. Take your earbuds for a workout in the gym or for a swim.
The first example, while accurate, doesn't really paint a picture for the customer. In the second example, they can visualize using the product and how useful it could be to them.
Insightful product description
Product description character limit - 1000
If a customer has scrolled down to this point of your Amazon product listing, they’re looking for some more information, and here’s the place to give it.
Use this section to further highlight the benefit of your product to the customer. The word limit for this section is 1000 characters (between 140 - 250 words) which is basically like a light blog post but again, you don't have to use up all the characters.
If you’re listing a Private Label product, use this point (and also key features) to highlight something other listings have missed. If you’re listing a rattan basket that was created primarily as a laundry basket but has been repurposed as a planter by some customers, you may want your text to read something like:
“Made from water hyacinth, this rattan basket can also be repurposed as a planter to add a rustic look to your home”.
Use clear, correct images in this section to make it more interactive and if your product has specific or helpful care instructions, the description section is the right place to add it.
Positive Reviews
On a platform like Amazon where star average, as well as the number of reviews, are displayed with price, reviews might be what gets your listing picked over a similar one. Using representative high-quality images, helpful highlights and descriptions plus efficient delivery and customer service will help you consistently get good reviews.
In those inevitable situations where you get a low rating, you need to take steps to address the bad reviews in order to build customer trust.
Competitive pricing
A good price in combination with other factors like relevance and number of reviews could be what makes you stand out from the other 20+ products.
If I searched iPhone 12 case shockproof and got a bunch of relevant results, asides from aesthetic preference, I’m more likely to go for option 2 because it’s cheaper and has more reviews - which would count as ‘social proof’.
Now that you’re done creating an amazing product listing, don't just abandon it. Go back and re-optimize from time to time and you may find some things you missed earlier or just some information that you realized customers find useful.
