Why Are Amazon Product Names So Long—And Why Yours Should Be Too

Picture this: you finally have a great product that matches the needs of your niche. You're ready to bring it to the biggest marketplace in the world: Amazon. You sit down to write the listing, but—wait, why are your competitors' product names so incredibly long?

For Amazon sellers, product titles are more than just labels—they're strategic tools that make products stand out in a marketplace saturated with competitors. The extensiveness of these titles can be explained by a combination of factors: keyword optimization, product specificity, and intense competition.

Despite this, you may be left wondering, do product titles (sometimes called product names) always have to be that long? What kind of information should be included, and what should be left out? Well, throughout this article we’ll answer these questions and more. But first, let’s start from the basics: the concept of keywords and why product names can’t be explained without them.

Keywords, keywords, keywords

The number one reason why sellers write long Amazon product titles comes down to one of the ecommerce world's favorite terms: keywords.

Keywords play a huge role in determining whether your products will be shown to potential customers or not. They tell Amazon's algorithm that your product is of interest to customers who enter those specific words in the search bar.

In other words, adding keywords to product titles helps Amazon categorize them while also helping buyers find them.

For example, say you're looking for a new waterproof speaker but are still deciding which brand or model you want to buy, so you go on Amazon and type in "waterproof speaker." Now, if a seller listed an article with the title "GVL 1000-XG speaker," you’d never find it because Amazon can’t understand that it’s precisely the waterproof speaker you’re looking for.

Instead, the first results you'd see after your search would look more like "GVL 1000-XG waterproof speaker, bluetooth, portable, with LED lights, great bass sound". Why? Because their titles show right away that the products they're offering match what you're looking for. That’s because, the more relevant keywords you add, the more terms your products will be shown for.

The problem with adding too many keywords

Adding keywords to your product title is a great idea to improve product visibility, but it's also important to know when to stop. Adding too many buzzwords in this section can result in keyword stuffing—something you really want to avoid as a seller.

Keyword stuffing is the practice of forcing as many keywords as possible into text. Some sellers do this to make their products more SEO-relevant, not knowing that they may actually be hurting their visibility (and even their conversions). 

Keyword stuffing results in long, cumbersome product names that are hard to read and understand. Overloading a title with keywords can make it confusing for potential buyers, who might struggle to grasp the main features and benefits of the product and move on to the next listing.

For instance, a title like "GVL 1000-XG waterproof speaker, bluetooth, portable, with LED lights, great bass sound" is overwhelming. Although it includes many relevant keywords, the excessive length can reduce its readability and have a negative effect on conversion rates.

The challenge for Amazon sellers is to balance keyword optimization with user experience. A well-optimized title should include essential keywords to make sure the product is easily discoverable, but it should also be concise and clear to enhance customer experience.

To achieve this, one strategy is to prioritize the most critical keywords and integrate them naturally into a title (a process called keyword optimization). For example, "Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker, Portable, with LED Lights and 10-Hour Playtime" is both keyword-rich and easy to read.

To determine which keywords should be included in your product title and which best belong in your description, try using a SEO tool to rank the keywords by search volume. Keywords with a higher number of monthly searches will be more useful in the product name than hidden somewhere in the description.

We'll give more specific tips to help write great product titles, as well as some examples of SEO tools in a few moments.

What about product variants?

Now, imagine you're still looking for that waterproof speaker, but you need it specifically in orange, so you type in the search bar "orange waterproof speaker."

If "orange" wasn't included as a keyword in the title of the products, you'd have to go into each listing and search through the product variants to see if they have that specific color in their inventory.

That's why when sellers have multiple product lines and variants on offer, they often include information about different colors, sizes, models, and additional features in the product title itself. They do this so customers can quickly identify the exact product they’re looking for.

This practice is particularly common in categories like:

• Electronics: items such as laptops, cameras, and smartphones often have lengthy titles, including model numbers, storage capacities, special features, and compatibility.
• Apparel: clothing and accessories often have names that mention size, color, material, and style.
• Home and Kitchen: products in this category, such as kitchen appliances and furniture, frequently list dimensions, materials, and unique features.
• Beauty and personal care: skincare products and cosmetics typically include ingredients, quantities, benefits, and usage instructions in their titles.

How to survive the title wars

Amazon has a massive product count—with an offering of over 12 million products from 185,000+ sellers, the competition on this platform is extremely high.

Of course, recognizable brands start with an advantage here, as buyers will search for an iPhone 15 if that's what they're looking for, instead of a "6.1 inch all-screen Super Retina XDR display smartphone with two cameras and USB C connector."

But what about smaller brand names that can't rely on this advantage?

As the race for the top of the search results intensifies, title lengths escalate, leading to what's known as title wars and the endless titles we’ve talked about above.

How can you, as a seller, write the best product title for Amazon possible without overwhelming your readers? Here are some useful tips and tools that can help you: 

Follow the guidelines

Amazon's Quick Start Style Guide is a great place to get familiar with their best practices for product titles. These include:

1. Capitalize the first letter of each word, except for conjunctions (and, or, for), articles (the, a, an), and prepositions with fewer than five letters (in, on, over, with).
2. Use numerals (2 instead of two) and state the number of items in a bundled product (pack of 10).
3. Keep the title under 200 characters, including critical information.
4. Use only standard text; special characters or symbols like © will not show in the title.
5. Do not include price and quantity or use all caps.
6. Avoid including information about yourself or your company. If you own the brand, put your brand information in the brand field.
7. Exclude promotional messages or subjective commentary like "sale" or "Best Seller."
8. Use your seller name as the brand or manufacturer only if your product is a private label.

It may seem like a lot, but it's actually a pretty straightforward process, and you'll get the hang of it after writing your first few titles.

Make your titles for real humans

Now that you know the basics, let's talk about how you can make those product titles shine. On Amazon, you have mere milliseconds to make an impression, so it's vital to optimize your listing according to your target audiences' needs. 

Consider the following questions to make sure your product title stands out:

• Does it clearly state what your product is?
• Does it answer the customer’s search query?
• Does it align with their search intent?
• Is it easy to understand?
• Does it signal value?
• Does it suggest how to use the product?
• Does it provide a benefit-driven description?
• Does it look like it was written by a human?

If you need more specific guidance, you can also use this chart to organize the product information of your title:

Other resources to write winning titles

The internet is full of useful resources to help you craft the perfect Amazon product title in a few clicks. Here are some options you can use:

1. Free Amazon Title Generators: LogicBalls and Simplified are great tools to help you come up with multiple product name options when you’re suffering from writers’ block. Amazon Keyword Search Tools: these are crucial to track down keywords with the most search volume. Ahrefs is one of the most powerful SEO software out there, it has an excellent Amazon Keyword Tool—and it's free!

2. Amazon’s guidelines: There’s no one like Amazon themselves to help you with your listings. Go through their blog and check all their recommendations, like their SEO guidelines.

Write faster and better Amazon product titles with PIM

Product information management (PIM) software can also be an excellent tool when writing Amazon product names. Plytix, for example, can save you lots of time and effort by using something called Computed Attributes.

Computed Attributes are Excel-like formulas that help you transform data as you need.  Instead of having separate Amazon-specific titles for all your products, you can use Computed Attributes to combine different data points into one title for your Amazon channel.

This means that you don't need to write each one individually or store extra product titles just for Amazon. You can use your existing product information to make the titles you need. 

Moreover, this solution is scalable—it doesn't matter how many products you have. As long as the attributes are added correctly, a computed attribute can be applied to all products at once. 

Once you have your product attributes correctly stored in Plytix, you can use the PIM to automatically map and transform the data so that it gets displayed properly on Amazon’s marketplace, even if they require different formatting. 

Of course, PIM can't generate new product information out of thin air, but it can combine existing data points like size, title, and color into a new, cohesive title. The way to do this on Plytix is pretty straightforward:

1. First, identify the key attributes you need for your Amazon titles, such as brand, product type, size, color, and material.

2. Next, use Plytix’s Computed Attributes to create a formula that combines these individual attributes into one comprehensive product title. For example, your formula might look like this: {Brand} {ProductType} - {Size} {Color} {Material}.

This is especially useful when you have multiple product variants, so instead of creating a different title for every version, you can simply use Computed Attributes to generate the product titles automatically. Plus, if you ever need to update any data points used for the title, the changes will be reflected instantly within Plytix and ready for distribution to Amazon.

This method saves time and reduces the likelihood of costly errors. As we’ve already established, consistent and clear titles improve your SEO performance on Amazon, which helps customers easily find your products. Win-win!

PS, don't forget about descriptions

By now, it's clear that a good product title is crucial when writing a listing for Amazon. But there's only so much information you can fit here—200 characters, to be exact. What if you can't list all the awesome features that your product has within this limit?

Well, here's where product descriptions come into play.

Product descriptions really are the heart of your product page, where you get a chance to describe your offering in detail, share your own brand voice, and convince the buyer that your product will satisfy their needs. Plus, you can also add images to make your listing more enticing too.

Product descriptions are not only useful to increase conversions and boost brand recognition, they also contribute to the overall SEO of your products. Meaning descriptions can help bring your listing to the top of Amazon search results as well.

There are a few rules of thumb to keep in mind in order to write powerful Amazon product descriptions in 2,000 characters or less:

• Make sure to add the key characteristics of your product, like its size, style, and intended uses.
• Talk about precise measurements, care instructions, and warranty details.
• Pay attention to your writing! Good punctuation, complete sentences, and correct spelling can make you stand out from other sellers.
• And above all, avoid mentioning your seller's name (your brand is fine), email address, website URL, other products you sell, or promotional language like "SALE" or "free shipping." The goal is to avoid looking spammy to Amazon.

So, long Amazon product titles: yay or nay?

Long product titles on Amazon have both pros and cons:

From an SEO and customer experience standpoint, long titles have two key advantages:

• They provide comprehensive information at a glance, helping customers quickly understand the key features and benefits of the product.
• They also increase your chances of showing up first in the search results, which can translate into better product discoverability and, ultimately, more conversions.

However, overly lengthy titles can impact customers' behaviours negatively too. They may appear cluttered and overwhelming, making it difficult for customers to quickly process all the information they offer. This can lead to frustration and potentially drive them away.

From a brand perspective, long titles can influence the buyer's perception of quality. Well-structured, informative product names can create a sense of thoroughness and professionalism, positively impacting brand image.

In contrast, titles that appear overly stuffed with keywords or poorly constructed can make a brand seem less reputable and more focused on search algorithms than customer experience.

So, to answer the question that opens this section: long titles are a yay, but only when they balance keywords and clarity.

Now, on to write your best titles yet

You've got the knowledge, you've got the tools, and now all that's left is for you to do it! Before you go, remember:

• Keyword optimization is crucial to improve visibility on Amazon search results. So make sure to find the keywords your customers are using and add them to your titles.
• Write your titles for humans. Ultimately, they are the ones willing to pay for your product, so make your product names are worth their attention.

If this topic sparked your interest, check our guide on How to sell products on Amazon to keep learning. If you want to learn more about how PIM can help you write product titles in seconds, click on the link below. Good luck!