Amazon is the biggest online retailer in the world, stocking more than 353 million products – not including books and other media. This means competition on the marketplace is stiff. To get ahead of other sellers, brands need to ensure their products rank in Amazon’s search results. And one of the most effective ways to do this is with a carefully optimised Amazon product description.

What are Amazon product descriptions?

Product descriptions are the biggest part of your Amazon product listings. It’s the text bit that appears below the title when you click through to an Amazon product page. It usually features up to 2,000 characters and is used to describe your product in detail.

The title of your Amazon product listings is all about attracting attention and providing high level information. Whereas product descriptions aim to provide consumers with the details they need to make an informed purchase. Online shoppers can’t pick up your products and examine them, so this is Amazon’s substitute for that experience.

Product descriptions are one of the key tools that brands can use to maximise both their conversions and visibility on Amazon. Descriptions can’t include any company information, promotional language or URLs. Instead, it’s all about the product.

The importance of Amazon product descriptions

Just under half of consumers typically begin their online product searches on Amazon, so putting resources into perfecting your Amazon product listings is essential – even if you employ an omnichannel eCommerce strategy.

Here are the two key reasons why product descriptions are so important.

1. They impact your visibility in Amazon’s search results

Your Amazon product description plays a central role in SEO. If you create a great product description, Amazon’s algorithm is likely to reward you with higher search rankings. With a majority of shoppers never looking beyond the first page of Amazon’s search results, this makes product descriptions hugely important.

2. They enhance the customer experience

A recent survey by PickFu revealed that 87% of consumers believe product descriptions are very important or extremely important when buying something on Amazon. This means they have the potential to increase your sales. By providing shoppers with all the information they need before placing an order, you’re also more likely to satisfy customers, reduce returns and attract more positive Amazon reviews.

The key components of an Amazon product description

Here are three key aspects to focus on when creating product descriptions to impress both prospects and Amazon’s A9 algorithm.

Keywords

When ranking Amazon product listings, the A9 algorithm looks at search query relevance, as well as product pricing, conversion rates, external traffic and availability.

To match listings with user search queries, it analyses the keywords in your product descriptions. Brands can use a keyword tool to figure out which phrases people are most likely to use when searching for a product on Amazon.

You can then add these to your product descriptions. Preferably, you should include long-tail keywords with large search volumes. But only use ones that apply to your products; relevancy trumps search popularity.

It’s also a good idea to A/B test keywords to find out which ones connect with your audience. And be mindful not to stuff your descriptions with too many. You can add extra keywords to the search field of your Amazon product pages instead. Here, you can include synonyms, spelling variations and other keywords for Amazon to assess.

Key product details

To drive up conversions, your Amazon product description needs to include all the details a shopper needs to make a purchase decision. Highlight the benefits of your product first and then list its key features.

Consider adding details like dimensions, weight, ingredients, quantity, guarantees and whatever else your target audience would look for.

Formatting

PickFu’s survey also highlighted that the most important aspect of a product description is its layout. Consumers said “easy to read text with proper formatting” was even more important than a description’s title or product benefits.

This means it’s important to lay out your product information in a clear and concise manner. If it’s too long or difficult to read, shoppers may look elsewhere. So be sure to use bullet points, short sentences, white space and other formatting to make your product descriptions engaging, scannable and easy to read.

Top tips to optimise your Amazon product descriptions

Looking beyond the basics, here are some extra tips that will help improve your descriptions.

1. Make use of A+ Content

Companies that are eligible for the Amazon Brand Registry can take advantage of A+ Content, which allows brands to enhance their product descriptions with eye-catching layouts, tables, images, videos and more.

This isn’t available to most sellers, so it will really give your Amazon product pages a boost and help your listings stand out. Amazon says that using A+ content generally increases conversions by 5%.

2. Monitor your feedback for opportunities to improve

It’s a good idea to use your eCommerce helpdesk and Digital Shelf tool to monitor support tickets and online reviews. This will allow your brand to quickly identify and address issues with your product descriptions.

If a product doesn’t arrive as described or a listing is inaccurate, your customers will probably voice their dissatisfaction through these two forums.

3. Think about your target audience

When crafting an Amazon product description, it’s important to get into the mindset of your key customer personas. Ask yourself: Who buys this product? Why do they buy it? How do they use it? And what phrases would they type into Amazon to find it?

This will impact the keywords, language and tone of your product descriptions. This should help ensure your listings appear in front of the right people and increase conversions for your brand.

Examples of effective Amazon product descriptions

To drive our message home, here are some examples of great product descriptions from leading brands across two different industries.

Quaker Oats

In its product descriptions, Quaker Oats highlights the health benefits of its products, as well as key details and features – such as weight and resealable packaging.

The brand also highlights certification it has received from industry bodies, like the non-GMO project. It provides a one-line serving suggestion, which makes this description really enticing too. There’s even additional A+ content, which features recipes and mouth-watering photos.

The brand’s use of bullet points and colons makes it easier for shoppers to read too.

Cetaphil

First and foremost, Cetaphil’s product descriptions highlight the brand’s benefits. The skincare brand provides specific timelines around when you’ll start to notice results. This is likely to reassure readers and nurture conversions.

Its product descriptions also highlight suitable skin types, key ingredients and where the cream can be used. This information will answer the FAQs of its target audience and help it rank for lots of long-tail search terms at the same time.

Like Quaker Oats, Cetaphil also uses bullet points, as well as capital letters, to improve readability.

Final thoughts

All these tips can improve the performance of your Amazon product pages. However, you should continuously tweak your product descriptions to see how it impacts your rankings and conversions too. So be sure to take note of every edit you make. Alternatively, you can organise A/B tests to gather more formal results.