Amazon has held the prize for most complicated product content requirements for some years now. (Although Costco is giving them a run for their money lately. But we’ll discuss that another day.) At content26, we’re not only used to Amazon’s requirements, but we also actively geek out over them and like getting every detail exactly right. It’s a significant part of why our awesome clients love working with us.

We want to share the love, so we created a guide to Amazon’s A+ page requirements. The transcript is below. We cover footnotes, language, design, images, matrices, and other ins and outs of what might get your content rejected.

Want to learn more about the Vendor Central modules referred to in this SlideShare? Check out our guide to making the most of them. Considering the merits of paying for Amazon-built content? There’s a SlideShare for that.

Transcript

1. The content26 Guide to Amazon A+ Requirements
2. So you’ve decided to put A+ content on Amazon.
3. That’s a GREAT idea.
4. Because enhanced content can…
5. Increase sales by 30 percent or more
6. Increase Amazon pageviews by 300-1,200 percent
7. And 60 percent of shoppers begin their product research on Amazon.
8. (To name just a few reasons!)
9. To make the most of your A+ pages, it’s important to plan.
10. For instance:
11. Images need to be the right size, resolution, and style. (Amazon will reject your submitted page if the images are too low-res or don’t show the product in the way they prefer.)
12. Videos must have the right resolution, audio quality, and format. (And all within a 100 MB file size.)
13. And, most complicated of all…
14. Text must meet Amazon’s style and structure requirements. (You need to present the features and benefits of your products in a very particular way.)
15. Also:
16. Without the ability to format text within a paragraph, some necessary parts of the A+ page become difficult or impossible to do.
17. For instance:
18. Footnotes
19. VC modules usually accommodate line breaks, so in most modules, you can add your required footnote at the end of the relevant paragraph
20. The modules will let you paste a superscript number in, but it will show up in your text as a normal number. Using an asterisk is your best bet for WYSIWYG text.
21. Symbols
22. Special characters such as ® and ™ have always been rejected by Amazon. This remains true for both the templates and the Amazon Builds for You options.
23. Comparison charts
24. What’s allowed in a comparison chart (or matrix) can vary by department and site merchandiser. Some require images, and some don’t.
25. You’ll want to discuss this in your initial talks with Amazon. See our previous SlideShare for more about what’s allowed and what’s forbidden in the module comparison charts.
26. Links
27. You can’t include links in A+ module charts, and you can’t show just a row of images—the module requires that you include product text in the table below each image.
28. Submitting your matrix module with images only will cause your page to be rejected.
29. It’s sometimes possible to include links in matrices via Amazon Builds for You—and some clients choose that option for just that reason.
30. Design
31. Amazon has always had strict guidelines on what they accept in completed HTML and CSS product pages.
32. These days, user-defined CSS is forbidden.
33. And image sizes are tricky too: it’s important to fill all the space available in module image slots (most of which are 300 pixels across).
34. However, Amazon also does not accept too-large images, meaning it’s crucial to size your images to precisely the dimensions given in the module of your choice.
35. *Exceptions: Standard Modules 6 and 7. However, these wider images have a text overlay, one with a white background and one with black.
36. Text restrictions
37. Amazon restricts the format and content of product-page text.
38. Your submitted pages will be rejected or changed if you include:
39. Unsubstantiated claims
40. Buzzwords
41. Superlatives
42. Caveats: The modules also make certain basics of the Amazon A+ page optional, which (we find) makes the product-detail page far less effective at boosting conversion and customer satisfaction.
43. For instance:
44. What’s in the Box? This section was one standard in Amazon A+ pages. It tells customers what to expect in their packages, but it is not required in the modules.
45. (Which is too bad—it boosts customer confidence in ordering, and a clear explanation of what the customer will be receiving reduces return rates.)
46. Bulleted Product Highlights: Some modules have a paragraph that defaults to bullets, referencing the once-standard Product Highlights section. This section is vital because it gives people a quick idea of your product’s top features. It’s good for people who scan and for people doing a last double-check of features before ordering.
47. Bulk Uploads: Making A+ pages with the modules takes away the option of a bulk upload. You can upload only one product page at a time. It’s not a big difference if you sell 5 products, but it’s a significant time sink if you have 50, 100, or 500 products.*
48. *However, with the modules, you can create one master description that can be used as the base for multiple duplicate descriptions. It isn’t as fast as classic bulk uploading, but it helps!
49. Conclusion: Amazon A+ pages are tricky. Amazon knows what they want in a product page, but they often won’t tell you what that is unless you submit a product page that doesn’t meet their standards.
50. It can be hard to figure out on your own if you’re new to this.
51. But with a little preparation, you can better represent your products with great, smart product pages that give customers what they need.
52. You just need to keep these things in mind:
    1. Image format, size, and resolution
    2. Video quality, format, resolution, and size
    3. Text that meets Amazon’s requirements
53. The content26 Slideshow Takeaway
54. We’ll help you choose the modules that best suit your products and your available assets, and we can work with the limitations of each module to create an A+ page that helps you meet your e-commerce goals.
55. Still confused? Good news: content26 has been helping clients get the most from Vendor Central’s A+ options since they were in limited release.
56. Learn more about enhanced content on our blog: http://content26.com, or visit our website at http://content26.com. Thanks, and please share.