The title of an Amazon listing is one of the most important factors for the ranking of your own products and can make all the difference.
In this article, we explain what really matters and what mistakes you should not make in order to sell successfully on Amazon!
Our tips - at a glance:
- Shorten titles of existing listings to 200 bytes – ABSOLUTE MUST!
- Use byte counter for the title
- Use Amazon’s style guide for the title description
- Place the most important information of the title in the first 80 characters
- Utilise the available 200 bytes – for more visibility and a better ranking
Absolute No GO's:
- The title must not contain any advertising phrases, e.g. ‘free shipping’, ‘100% quality guarantee’
- The title should not contain any decorative characters, e.g. ~ ! * $ ? _ ~ { } # < > | * ; ^ ¬ ¦
- Do not use subjective comments such as ‘sought-after item’ or ‘bestseller’
- Do not include retailer names in the title
Title length - what has changed?
In most cases, the latest updates are first introduced in the USA and then rolled out to the other marketplaces. This is also the case here.
Where previously 500 bytes were possible for the title length of a product, only 200 bytes are now permitted. The reason for this was the misuse of keywords in the descriptions.
Amazon sellers and vendors were listing an ‘infinite’ number of keywords without context in order to achieve better rankings for their products than the competition. The latest update of the A9 algorithm has put an end to this!
Caution:
The worst case scenario if this rule is disregarded is that the listing is ignored by Amazon and is invisible to potential customers!
‘The rule applies – title lengths must not be longer than 200 bytes!’
What does Amazon recommend?
Amazon generally recommends a maximum title length of 80 – 150 characters, depending on the product category.
You can find the recommendations for the individual product categories in Amazon’s style guide.
The dos and don’ts are described here, including the maximum title length and the title structure.
To access the style guide, click here or search for ‘style guide for product pages’ in the search bar in Seller Central:
For a clearer presentation, we recommend opening the page in a new window:
If you scroll down you will find an overview of the main categories:
When you click on a category (e.g. Sport & Leisure), the summary of the respective category is displayed:
All important sales information is available for the selected category.
Overview of the main categories with maximum title length and title structure
Product category | max. title length | Title structure |
|---|---|---|
Electronics | 150 characters | Brand + series/model (number) + key properties + quantity + colour colour |
Clothing & accessories | 150 characters | Marke + Name der Abteilung + Stil/Form + Produktname + Modellbezeichnung + Opazität* + Packung von + Artikelnummer |
Alcoholic beverages | 80 characters | Brand/Winery + Product name + Composition / Primary Grape variety + Vintage + Sweetness + (number of bottles ‘x’ net volume of the product (in litres)) |
Shoes & Accessories | 150 characters | Brand + Department + Style name + Model name + product name |
Watches | 150 characters | Brand + target audience + ‘watch’ + display + movement type + ‘with’ + strap material type + ‘strap’ + article number |
Jewellery | 150 characters | Brand + department* + product type + ‘from’ + precious metal stamp + metal type + ‘with’ + stone shape + stone type + size per bead + other basic characteristics |
Lighting | 150 characters | Brand + model number + model name + product name + Short description |
Suitcases, backpacks & bags | 150 characters | Brand name + Product type + Model name + Item length + Unit of measurement for dimensions + Volume or capacity + Unit of measurement of volume + Number of wheels + ‘Wheels’ + Colour + type of lock |
Pet supplies | 80 characters | Brand + product name + product description + colour variation Colour variation – Child Variation + Size variation – Child Variation |
Sport & Leisure | 80 characters | Brand + department/target group + product type + product name |
Maximum title length - What's behind it?
Amazon’s recommendation of max. 80 -150 characters for the title has to do with the increased or even primary use of the smartphone. On the smaller screen, title descriptions are cut off beyond the recommended length and are therefore not visible to the user.
Our comment:
Experience has shown that you should still use the available 200 bytes to achieve the best visibility for your listing.
You should make sure to include the most important information in the first 80 characters. This ensures that the prospective customer receives all the necessary information about the product on their mobile phone.
The remaining characters/bytes are used to place important keywords that are important for organic growth in the title.
‘Caution! Bytes ≠ Characters – Use a byte counter to find the correct title length ’
The Amazon Styleguide - The example
Finally, you can see an excerpt from the style guide for the Sport & Leisure product category. The following guidelines apply to the title:
RICHTIG | FALSCH |
|---|---|
Correct capitalisation (capitalise the first letter of each word) first letter of each word capitalised) | Prices or quantities in the title, unless a product bundle is product bundle is described |
Write numbers in digits (‘2’ instead of ‘two’) | Colour names in the title of a parent ASIN |
If you are offering a bundle of products, then state the number of products in the title (e.g. 2-pack) | Only lower and upper case letters and numerals |
Keep the title short and to the point, but include important information | Capitalisation of connecting words (‘and’, ‘or’) |
Short and precise: Central product information in a maximum of 80 characters | Prepositions with less than five letters (‘in’, ‘on’, “over”, “with”) – leave them out |
Add the colour and size of a product to the title of the title of the child ASIN | Symbols in the title (‘!’, ‘?’, ‘*’, ‘€’ or inverted commas) |
The title may only be created in the corresponding language be created | Addictive titles or subjective or marketing-related descriptions (‘sexy’, ‘nostalgic’, ‘trendy’, ‘hot’, ‘cute’, “funny”, “suitable”, “many”, “bestseller”, ‘free shipping”) |
Do not use any additional search terms in the title, but use the fields provided for this purpose |
‘The requirements can vary depending on the category.
Use the Amazon style guide for your perfect title description!‘’
Conclusion
There are a few things to consider in order to sell successfully on Amazon. The title plays a very important role in this. We will discuss other factors that positively influence the listing in the coming articles and explain how you can further optimise your listing to take your Amazon business to the next level!
