5 Amazon Product Listing Optimization Tips

Amazon product listing optimization is important for two main reasons: 

1. Increased visibility in search engines. (Did you know 90% of people who go to Amazon.com start with the search bar?)
2. Make the most of your advertising by having a better listing that increases conversion rates and therefore lowers Advertising Cost of Sales Percentage (ACoS%).

The first step in understanding how to optimize a listing is to understand Amazon’s search algorithm, A9. Amazon sorts search results by purchase likelihood through two factors:

• Performance Factors: How successful a product has been so far with customers. The key metrics here are CTR (click-through rate), conversion rate, and, of course, overall sales.
• Relevance Factors: How well a product matches the search query. Relevance is mainly calculated by keyword usage and positioning.

Here are the top five things we recommend to optimize your Amazon listing. (These are all a huge part of what we call Search Term Isolation!)

1. Make the most of your product title

You’re allowed to use 250 characters in most product categories – use all of them. The ideal title includes:

• Brand name
• Variant: color, size
• Features, attributes, benefits (this is key)

For example, if you’re selling portable speakers, make sure to describe the features, attributes, and benefits by asking questions the consumer might include in their search:

• Is it waterproof or water resistant?
• Can it be used outdoor vs. indoor?
• What version of Bluetooth is it?
• What distance range can you be from the speaker?
• Does it have enhanced bass?
• Does it work for all iPhones and Androids, or only certain ones?
• How many hours of playtime?
• Does it have a rechargeable battery?
• Does it have a built-in mic?

Remember: we are writing for humans! Keep the language simple but descriptive.

2. Maximize the featured bullet points

When building out the product listing, you’re allowed to use five bullet points in the space below the title to describe your product. Use all five of them. The character count limit is 1000, but it’s not necessary to squeeze all 1000 characters in if it’s not natural. Especially with the majority of Amazon traffic coming from mobile, don’t overkill the copy length.

Remember to use the “Skim” mentality: write a value proposition in all CAPS, place a colon, then describe the value proposition. This allows people to “skim” that quick value value prop.

This list of bullet points is the second-most important place to include keyword-rich content for search. It’s also important to include similar keywords in the bullet points that you would use in your ad campaigns (to increase relevancy).

Pro Tip: Put most important features at the top. This gives them a higher SEO value.

3. Choose your images wisely

Another simple way to improve your Amazon listing optimization is to properly use images. The main image for a listing is known as the Featured Image. The Featured Image in the above product listing is perfect because it’s a clear image with a white background, correctly sized at 1000×1000 in .jpeg format. (You’ll want to use the full range of space, making sure the product touches the edge of the white square box—don’t center it!! Use the white space!) Avoid using text or additional graphic design.

You are allowed to use eight images to further build out your listing, and you should use all eight of them. Here are some of our guidelines on the types of images you should use:

• 2–3 photos of product details
• 1–2 photos of product in use or “context”
• 3–5 graphically designed photos calling out features, benefits, and attributes of the product, such as special features, build, size, etc.

4. Use the Enhanced Brand Content or A+ option

To put it simply, Amazon Enhanced Brand Content (EBC) is extra text and/or images on your product detail page to better tell the story of your product. It’s free to use but only available if you’re registered as a brand. (The vendor version of this is known as A+ Content.)

EBC has replaced the Product Description field on listings. It’s a graphic and engaging way to tell product and brand stories as consumers make their way down the page.

Perhaps most importantly, it also leads to an average of 8–17% increase in sales!

If you’re not utilizing the potential of EBC in your Amazon listing optimization, you will never stand out amongst the 500 million+ products on Amazon today.

5. Utilize videos

You were once able to incorporate videos in the left-hand size of a product with the images, but Amazon has since retired that functionality. Now you will be able to use videos in EBC and the Video Shorts section.

Here are some guidelines on what to consider when creating brand videos for use on Amazon:

1. Consider lifestyle aspects. How is the product used?
2. Demonstrate how the product is used and how it works.
3. Highlight special features of the product. Include text explaining these features.

Check out this video about the Anker Soundcore 2 Portable Bluetooth Speaker to see what goes into an effective brand video.

Avoid these three tips when creating product or brand videos:

1. Too much like a TV commercial.
2. White text is hard to read.
3. Doesn’t explain the benefits or give daily use/context of the product.

If you’re selling eCommerce on Amazon, listing optimization is your ticket to success. If you employ these five strategies when building out your product listings, you are likely to improve the search rankings of your products, lower ACoS for your advertising due to higher conversion rate, and ultimately see increased sales.

Want to Make the Most of Your Amazon Advertising? Learn More.