Though it may seem like common sense to ensure that product titles are consistent and effective on retail sites, many companies overlook this crucial step when selling online.
The importance of creating good product titles on Amazon is multifaceted, affecting how products are found and perceived by customers, as well as how Amazon indexes them in search results.
Good Titles Raise Discoverability
Product titles create a first impression about a product. So if they’re confusing, overly long, or poorly formatted, it may jeopardize the sale.
But shoppers aren’t the only ones turned off by bad product titles. Amazon’s search algorithm relies on product titles to help determine relevance.
Ensuring that products are properly named raises their discoverability, putting them in front of more customers, resulting in more sales, and feeding into the cyclical loop of Amazon rewarding high-selling products with higher search results.
What Makes an Effective Product Page?
Amazon values correct title formatting, so it’s important to follow naming conventions. While each category is different, here’s an example of what a title might look like:
Brand Name + Series Name + Model Name + Form Factor + Unique Identifier (color, capacity, pack size, etc.)
Finding the Right Length for Product Titles
Amazon Seller Support has said that the ideal length for a product title is around 80 characters:
“Our research has shown that listings with titles (parent titles) with less than 80 characters improve the shopping experience by making it easier for customers to find, review, and buy your items.”
Though concision is rewarded, companies have to be careful that product titles too far under this character count aren’t lacking key features that would help distinguish them from competing brands.
Amazon penalizes product titles that exceed 200 characters, as they are most likely padded with unnecessary information in an attempt to gain page views.
A product title should succinctly explain what a product is not what a product does. Product titles should never be filled with keywords, rebate offers, claims, sales messaging, or anything else other than the product and its distinguishing features. This Argan Oil title is an example of what not to do:
Overwrought titles like this lose scannability and credibility with customers, and will likely be penalized for disregarding Amazon’s best practices. Pages deemed especially egregious by Amazon also run the risk of being pulled from search results completely.
Putting It All Together
Information should only be included in the title that distinguishes the product from other nearly identical products.
This KIND granola is an example of a perfectly executed product title, which follows the proper naming convention and offers only useful information with nothing extraneous.
Thanks to a clear, informative title, this product will be listed favorably by Amazon and clicked-on without hesitation by potential customers.
The Takeaway:
Paying close attention to basic content like product titles is an integral yet often disregarded step when selling on Amazon. We recommend making sure every product you list online passes these simple rules to ensure maximum discoverability.
