How to list a product on Amazon
- Keyword research
- Product listing must-haves
- Seller Central navigation
Your listing is how customers will find and purchase your product on Amazon, so this step is incredibly important!
We’ll review the key steps for setting up a successful listing here:
1.Research keywords to include in your listing
If you have the right data to tell you which keywords to include in your listing, you’ll get your product in front of relevant, ready-to-buy customers.
There are two methods to create a keyword list for your product:
1.Using Jungle Scout’s Keyword Scout, search for whatever keyword you think is most relevant for your product. For example, if you’re selling an artificial plant, you would search for those words in Keyword Scout.
The search results will populate with all the keywords people used to ultimately purchase your product, so you may see terms you wouldn’t have even thought of, such as “artificial succulent plants,” “eucalyptus plant,” “faux cactus,” etc. Using these words and phrases in your product messaging might help your product appear and rank higher in results for more searches.
You can save all these keywords to a keyword list.
2. In Amazon, search for the top competitors for your product, and enter their ASINs into Keyword Scout to see all the keywords they are ranking for. Add these to your list as well.
2.Draft your listing’s title
Make sure you include the top keywords that are most relevant for your product and also have high search volume — meaning more customers use these search terms when looking for a product like yours.
- Make sure the title flows, uses punctuation, and is easy to read — not jammed with random keywords
- Use as many characters as are allowed (this goes for your title as well as the other sections of your listing)
- Include the top high-volume keywords (those with 1,000+ searches/month) for which your competitors are ranking
3.Draft your listing bullet points
While your title is all about your keywords, the focus of your bullet points should be to inform your customers about the main features and uses of your product. You want to do this while including the rest of your highly relevant keywords that couldn’t fit in your listing title. Again, use as many characters as you are allowed.
- Get to the point and clearly explain the main selling points of your product and how they will benefit the user. Say what the product does and/or solves, and answer any commonly asked questions.
- Modify your tone and details based on your product. For example, if your product is a tool, concisely say what it does, how it works, what it’s made of, etc. Or, if you are selling a toy, you want to make the copy fun and exciting. Paint a picture of how it works or how much kids will enjoy it.
- Include relevant information such as sizing, quantity, materials, etc., if applicable.
4.Draft your listing description
Use the description section to include additional keywords or details that did not fit in your bullets, talk about your business, or share anything else about your product that you want your customers to know.
You may use simple HTML such as line breaks (<b >) or paragraph ( <p>) to break up the large block of text, making it easier to read.
Add A+ Content
If you are brand registered, you can replace the description section with an A+ content product description, which allows you to add more images and text that highlight what makes your product stand out with more customization and branding. Amazon also has different modules you can use.
Kevin Kunz’s Tip
“When you’re creating A+ content, make sure to see how it will look on mobile, as A+ content will actually appear first before your bullets on mobile.”
5.Purchase the UPC barcode for your product
Amazon requires you to have a universal product code, or UPC barcode, in order to create your listing in Seller Central. This is the barcode that you see on essentially all packaging.
UPC barcodes can be purchased directly from GS1, the global organization that standardizes these codes.
6.Get quality images for your listing
Photos and other pictures are incredibly important for marketing your product as customers tend to look at your images first (especially on mobile) before looking at your description. So make sure your images are high-quality and informative!
You can take the pictures yourself, but we recommend using a professional photographer in order to present your product to potential customers better than your competitors do.
First, make sure know Amazon’s photography requirements:
- Your main product image needs to feature your product against a plain white background, without any props or watermarks.
- 85% of the main image has to be taken up by your product.
- Your image should be at least 1000px by 500px in order to be zoomable.
- You are allowed to include up to 9 pictures, and we recommend having as many as you are allowed.
Next, use your photos to present your product optimally, clear up any confusion a user may have (about how it should be used, for example), as well as allowing the customer to picture how life would be better if they had your product.
Featured tips:
- Consider lifestyle photos (show your product being used by your customers), infographics, (these may feature additional design work on your photos to show dimensions, a competitive matrix, arrows or otherwise distinguish your product apart.).
- Keep in mind that many customers will be browsing on mobile devices, so keep designs simple and clear.
- Include backgrounds that are unique and specific to your product. For example, if you are selling an outdoor toy, include a park in the background.
If you’re brand registered, you can also include a video in the photography section, which helps enhance your listing and stand out from your competition. Adding a video is one of the best ways to promote your product and increase conversions.
7.Create your listing in Seller Central
Now that you’ve prepared all the elements of your listing, it’s a simple process to create your listing in Seller Central.
- Add your product and select the category to list your product in. Choose a category that’s most appropriate for your product, and select as specific a subcategory as possible.
- Under product ID, add your UPC code.
- Add your product title and brand name.
Kevin Kunz’s Tip
You can return to edit this listing at any time. Once you’re selling your product, you can make changes to test how different product details affect your sales and continue optimizing your listing.
More sections of the listing setup will allow you to add product variations (if you have different sizes, colors, etc. of a product), add SKUs to help track your inventory, and of course add your product description details, including your keywords and images.
Once you click “save changes,” your listing will show up in Seller Central under “Manage inventory.”
Chapter 4 – Summary
In this chapter, we discussed best practices for creating a winning Amazon product listing. We researched optimal keywords, added descriptions and images, and described how to get set up in Seller Central.
We learned:
- Keyword research
- Product listing must-haves
- Seller Central navigation
Tools mentioned:
Keyword Scout
Rank Tracker
Listing Builder