BREAKING NEWS: On Monday, Amazon announced that starting on July 22, 2019, they will suppress listings that do not comply with category title requirements. As a seller, you have until July 15, 2019, to meet Amazon’s guidelines or Amazon will take down your listing.
Understandably, this has caused a stir in the Amazon world.
WHY?
Amazon states that ASINs and listings that don’t meet their guidelines “result in poor customer experience.” Amazon’s focus will always be on their customers first, and this step helps Amazon’s algorithm better meet customer queries.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Schedule some time now to review your active listings. While Amazon is explicitly focusing on titles, it’s best to make sure your entire product detail page complies with the requirements for your category.
A good rule of thumb is to keep your title between 50 and 95 characters, but each category has its own guidelines, though Amazon would like your title to stay under 200 characters. Keep in mind that most mobile titles truncate at 80 characters! Here are additional formatting guidelines to keep in mind:
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The first letter of each word in your title should be capitalized with the exception of articles and conjunctions (e.g., and, or, for, the, a, an, etc.)
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Numerals should be used in place of spelling out numbers (1 instead of one)
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Measurements should be spelled out (3 inches, not 3” or 3 in.)
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Do not use symbols in your title
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Do not use any Type 1 High ASCII characters (Æ, ©, ô, etc.)
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Do not use characters such as emojis
Amazon also cares about your title’s keywords – and they are perhaps the most significant piece of putting together an effective product title. Broad, identifying, top-of-the-funnel keywords should go in your title. Keep these high volume keywords relevant and concise. A customer should know what you’re selling without seeing a picture.
Titles should be evergreen and should not include any promotional messages like “sale” or “free shipping.” Also avoid phrases like “bestseller,” “customer favorite,” flagged keywords, or any guarantee. Including these terms in your title will result in Amazon suppressing your listing.
Double-check that you’re following these rules so that your listing remains active and you continue bringing in sales.
NEED A HAND?
Worried about making sure your product meets all of Amazon’s requirements and is still optimized for discovery?
Try Listing Advisor, our Amazon listing optimization service. Our team of SEO-specialists and writers abide by Amazon’s best practices and guidelines and ensure your listing reflects your brand and product. Rest easy knowing that, with the guidance and power of MerchantWords and the Listing Advisor team, your business is in good hands.
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