Updated 2/21/2020
Some Amazon categories allow up to 200 characters in titles. However, only about 50 characters actually show in search results, so best practice is to keep them in that range.
The trick for writing perfect Amazon product titles is a bit of an enigma in the SEO world. Some people claim that you should keep titles as simple as possible, and others believe it’s best to keyword stuff those babies like there’s no tomorrow. The general consensus about writing Amazon titles is a mixed bag, and the evidence for either side is pretty mixed as well. Fortunately, there are a number of rules and best practices that can help create great titles.
Basic Elements of Amazon Product Titles
Starting with the basics, there are 4 elements that all Amazon product titles should include:
- Brand name
- Variant, color, or flavor
- Unit size / Quantity = size of product if it is clothing or apparel, or number of units in if your product is a bulk package
- Keywords = what the product actually is
However, you should always refer to your category’s Amazon style guide, as requirements and suggestions can vary depending on the product category.
As of June 2015, titles have a limit of 200 characters before Amazon will suppress listings from search (although some categories recommend limiting titles to as low as 80 characters.) Readability and coherence isn’t as important in Amazon product titles as it is on marketplaces like Google Shopping, where the limit is significantly lower. As always, overly complex titles may cause a ding in sales by making customers skeptical of the product, but keyword rich products tend to rank better in Amazon’s SERPs than more concise, shorter titles with fewer important keywords. As mentioned earlier, this is what makes writing Amazon titles so difficult. Everyone has a differing opinion on how detailed titles should be.
- Two different schools of thought – both from the same manufacturer
The example above proves this ambiguity. The two product listings are from the same manufacturer, and ranked evenly in Amazon’s result page. The listing on the left uses the minimalist, simple approach to writing titles. It contains as few keywords as possible. The listing on the right is keyword-stuffed to contain every possible tidbit of information. This title is so long that Amazon had to cut off characters at the end of the title with ellipses.
Amazon’s Recommendations
Thankfully, Amazon provides a number of suggestions for what sellers should or shouldn’t use in their titles.
Good titles should follow these rules:
- Capitalize first letter of each word
- Spell out measurements (Ounce, Inch, Pound)
- All numbers should be numerals (5 not “five”)
- Ampersands (&) should not be used in titles unless they are part of the products brand name. Otherwise, “and” should be written out in lowercase letters
What NOT to include in Amazon product titles:
- Price
- Words in all CAPITAL LETTERS
- Seller information
- Promotions (Sale, 50% off)
- Suggestive commentary (Best, #1 Seller)
- Symbols ($,?,!)
- Size – if not relevant to product
- Color – if the product does not come in multiple colors
- example: silver stainless steel refrigerator
Formatting
It is important to note that not all products require the same content in their titles. For example, the title for a computer would be significantly more detailed than the information for a plain t-shirt. The table below includes a few of the recommended formats in different product categories.
| Product Type | Title Style |
| Cookware & Cutlery | Brand + Line + Size + Product Type |
| Cook’s Tools & Gadgets | Brand(+Model Number if necessary) + Model Name + Product Type, Color |
| Small Appliances, Home Environment | Brand + Model Number + Model Name + Product Type, Color |
| Tableware | Brand + Pattern + Product Type, Number of Pieces |
| Bedding | Brand + Line/Pattern + Thread Count + Material + Size + Product Type, Color |
| Bath Towels | Brand + Line/Pattern + Material + Product Type + Quantity, Color |
| DVD Players | Brand+ Model Number + Size + Product Type + Screen Style (if needed) + Color/Pack Size |
| TVs | Brand + Model Number + Size + Product Type + (Color/Pack Size) |
| Video Games | Brand + Model Number + Product Type + Platform |
| Laptop/Desktop Computers | Brand + Model Number + PC Type + (Processor Speed + MB RAM + Hard Drive Size + Optical Drive ) |
For more examples of title formats by category, check out Amazon’s help pages.
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Thanks for your help
Thank you very much for the informative post on title . My merch by amazon account is approved. Do you have any extra suggestion to write title for the merch by Amazon T-shirt?
If you would like to maximize your potential to reach the most customers, it’s vital that you create a Perfect Optimize product title. There’s plenty of differing advice out there on which kind of product titles are Perfect.And what actually need to provide with the title. For example, whether you should keep your title simple or whether you ought to use as many keywords as possible for greater title optimization.