Amazon is the most effective e-commerce platform for sellers.
In fact, if you are looking to sell a product online, Amazon is the place for you since it allows sellers to sell both branded and non-branded products. On top of this, Amazon assures product visibility as well.
Nevertheless, being a successful seller on Amazon also means keeping track of and adhering to some rules.
Amazon’s Rules for Sellers
Amazon has set a relatively high number of concrete guidelines for sellers. The company understands the importance of details and descriptions, among other things.
You can log on to the seller central help page and get all the information you need. Amazon requires sellers to adhere to these rules. The guidelines make sure that customers find their favorite products.
There are millions of active sellers on Amazon. A single product is sold by multiple people, especially if it is a generic product. Amazon’s search engine brings customers to their desired products. When a customer types in a search keyword, Amazon shows them products that match the keyword.
For example, when a customer types in ‘Blue Hawaiian Shirt,’ every item with the given keyword will pop up. The keywords don’t need to be exact.
For example, a buyer might type ‘Hawaiian Shirt.’ Every object with these two words will show up on their search page. That is how Amazon’s search engine works.
The e-commerce giant expects sellers to add the right search words on their product page.
The Importance of Product Title
The title is one of the most crucial aspects of the product listing.
The first thing a potential buyer sees is in the title. Customers swiftly scan through all the product titles. That is why Amazon is so strict about title guidelines.
A seller must take these rules seriously. If you don’t follow the set rules, Amazon will suppress your products. That means, when a customer is trying to look for your product, it will fail to show up. Amazon is exceptionally efficient in this filtering system.
It also gives sellers the option to check if their product is suppressed or not. Sometimes, another seller selling the same product as you might not be adhering to the rules.
In that case, Amazon will also suppress your product search. You can go to the inventory section and check your item listing. Again, sellers can check whether their product is suppressed or not.
Don’t worry if your item is suppressed. You can follow the protocol and fix the errors. Usually, the errors are minor. The trick is in the details. Once the issues are resolved, Amazon will no longer suppress your product.
That means your items will receive full-fledged visibility. It is crucial to check the Category Specific Style Guides. There is a specific title length mentioned for each product category. Once you understand them, you can add your product titles accordingly.
Some sellers have a single item while others have multiple. First, you need to make sure that all the products are following Amazon’s Title Guidelines. Let’s take an in-depth look at these rules.
How long can the product title be on amazon?
Product titles on Amazon cannot be more than 200 characters. That includes spaces.
Every product has a different product title limit. Amazon’s product page rules will tell you the exact limit for each product. The maximum is 200 characters.
When you begin the process of editing you listing, you will come across all the guidelines. Make sure you follow them religiously.
There are some other basic title rules that you can follow. These guidelines will optimize the search results. That way, more and more customers will be able to find your products.
By following this one rule, you can optimize your item for Amazon’s search engine. Of course, there are other title criteria you will need to meet.
We will go into detail about other title requirements. You will also learn about other helpful tips that will help optimize your products.
Other Title Requirements
Apart from this, Amazon also expects sellers to follow other title requirements. Let’s take a look at them.
- Your product titles shouldn’t contain any promotional phrases. These phrases could be “Free Shipping” or “100% quality”. Sellers must add such words to the product description. Even if you add unnecessary words to the title, Amazon’s Search Engine will suppress it.
- All the titles must be of the recommended length set by Amazon. Every product category has a specific title length. Sellers need to adhere to the title lengths of their categories. These specifications include spaces.
- Sellers cannot add characters for decoration. Amazon only allows specific characters in the title. You aren’t allowed to use the following characters – ? ~! * $_# | ; {} ¦ < > ¬.
- Every title must have product-identifying information. If you are selling ski pants, then you need to add “Ski Pants” in the title. Sellers must include the name of the item in the title. If a person is selling a lamp, then the title must contain the word “lamp.”
- Sellers can also focus on additional title optimization tips. Let’s take a look at these vital tips.
Tips for Title Optimization
Amazon’s primary focus is customer satisfaction. Title-specific guidelines help customers look for the right products.
By adhering to the rules, you can improve your customer’s online shopping experience. Amazon is customer-centric, and it expects the sellers to be the same.
When a title is too cluttered, it overwhelms a buyer. They get confused. Sellers must have short titles. Each of the products should be well defined by the title.
Amazon also has some other optimization tips for sellers. Let’s take a look at these title optimization tips.
- Product titles should never be in all capital letters. It looks unappealing. Also, when a customer is searching for a product, they never use all uppercase letters. Most buyers use only lowercase letters.
- You need to follow the basic grammar rules. The first letter of each word must be capital. Conjunctions such as’ and, for, or must be in small. Articles ‘a, the, an’ shouldn’t be in the capital. Also, make sure that prepositions like ‘in, an, over, with’ are also small.
- Amazon doesn’t allow non-language ASCII characters in product titles. Make sure you don’t add – ®, Æ, or © in your title.
- Sellers cannot add subjective words in the product titles. You cannot use words like “Best Seller” or “Hot Items.” Such marketing commentary is prohibited in titles.
- The brand recommends 80 characters, including spaces. It is always better to have a crisp and concise title. If the title is long, your product will get lost in the sea of items. Make sure to keep the title as short as you can.
- When the title is numerical, you must use the number instead of the alphabet. It is crucial to use ‘5’ instead of the word ‘five.’
- Sellers are allowed to use important punctuations. Your titles can include ampersands (&), periods (.), forward slash ( / ) , hyphens ( – ), and commas ( , ).
- Your title should only include vital information. Customers should be able to identify the product immediately through the title.
- Sellers are prohibited from using Merchant Names in the titles. There is a specific section where the seller can include the Merchant’s name. If you have a brand, then add the brand name. People selling generic items can type generic in a specific box.
- You can add measurement abbreviations to the product title. Amazon allows sellers to add ‘kg,’ ‘cm,’ ‘oz,’ & ‘in.’ These characters help identify the products. Letters that provide clarification are encouraged by Amazon.
Title Guidelines for Product Variation
Every product has a Parent product and a Child product.
The parent product is the main product that is being sold. Each product comes in different sizes and colors. Variation of the same item is known as a child product.
For example, let’s say you are selling an umbrella. The parent product is the umbrella. Blue, black, pink umbrellas will be known as child products. Adding a variation to your existing listing is straight forward and Amazon seller help can even assist with the process.
The same rules will be applicable for products that come in different sizes. For example, a t-shirt is the parent product. T-shirts that come in different sizes, such as XS, S, M, L, XL, will be the child product.
The parent product title should be generic. On the other hand, the child product title should be detailed.
Let’s see an example.
Parent Product: Umbrella
Child Product: Umbrella, Medium Size, Blue & White
By following Amazon’s product title character limit, you can improve your product visibility. It will also help you increase your sales over time.
Conclusion
Sellers who fail to follow these instructions will not be able to improve their sales.
Amazon will suppress the products in the search engine. Amazon’s search engine is even better than Google. If a company can surpass Google, that means it has an exceptional search engine.
As you can expect, Amazon continuously improves its search strategies.
By following specific practices, you can get your products on the first page of Amazon. Of course, the first thing you need to focus on is the title.
Once you have followed all the requirements, you can focus on optimization techniques. These title tips and tricks will enhance the search engine optimization of your product.
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