How to Customize Content for Marketplaces

No two marketplaces are the same. What works on Amazon doesn’t necessarily work on eBay, Walmart, Target, Wish or Newegg. Selling online starts with being visible on the marketplace and this document describes key differences in content requirements across the most popular eCommerce marketplaces.

Marketplace content requires both keyword research and marketplace-specific original content. Keyword research helps identify the best phrases for a given marketplace. These are the phrases that are most visible on the site largely because these are the same phrases that consistently convert visitors into customers most consistently.

There is as much art to creating customized marketplace content as there is a science to customizing the content to the specific needs of the marketplace.

This document looks at four different marketplaces (Amazon, Walmart, Newegg & eBay) plus Google and summarizes the advice that each platform gives about how to customize content for the platform.

Research are based on the following Marketplaces & Search Engine:

• Walmart
• Newegg
• Amazon
• eBay
• Google

Walmart is one of the fastest growing eCommerce marketplaces and the guidance they provide is quite clear about the ideal content strategies on the site.

1. Product Title Should Be Concise & Clear

The title should summarize the most vital information about the product and when there are word choices in the title, it’s important to prioritize the keywords associated with the highest likelihood to convert.

While overshooting Walmart’s maximum creates issues, leaving available character space blank lowers the products search relevance breadth. Keep the title precise that clearly communicates the product, but adding some creativity and focusing on the keywords with the highest potential, is the best strategy.

The formula to come up with an ideal product title is:

[Brand + Defining Limiter (Size/Color) + Defining Quality + Item Name + Style/Model + Pack Count]

• Keep the title within 50 – 75 characters and do not exceed this.
• Come up with a creative name for your product – something that has not been used by other sellers. A unique product name improves ranking.
• Do not use special characters or symbols like 1⁄2, ™, ^, @, *, hearts, etc.
• Incorporate a few good attributes. For example, Estee Lauder Compact Powder Matte Finish. Here “matte finish” is an attribute that describes the product.
• If possible, include the primary keyword for the product that you sell.
• If your product’s color is something that buyers are more likely to look for, then make sure to insert the color in the title. However, this is optional.
• Avoid including the color if your item has a variant group. Instead, list the colors in the description.

This is something will captivate the potential buyers. So, make sure that this is appealing enough to them.

3. Product Short Description Should Win The Customers Trust

A “short description” is a summary paragraph that positions the brand as a credible solution and a better supplier than close competitors. Keywords that play to credibility and qualifications for the business for this paragraph.

Other things to consider:

• Ensure that you incorporate the brand name, product name, and potential keywords.
• Simple and conversational writing works best here.
• Define the product’s features clearly in a paragraph of 8-10 sentences long.
• Don’t overuse keywords here picking just 1 or 2 targeted phrases in this section.
• Establish credibility by offering education, advice and expertise.
• Unique and original.
• Proactively address potential objections.
• Don’t repeat yourself.

4. Product Long Description Should be Complete

List all features and target between 150 and 300 words to offer as much depth as a customer might want.

• Don’t be shy about writing a lot about the product as long as you are not repetitive.
• Identify both features and benefits.
• Feel comfortable rotating through a set of descriptive synonyms as part of your keyword strategy. Try to identify the top 2 to 3 keywords to emphasize.
• Avoid spelling or grammar mistakes.
• Use bullet points to describe key features to both offer content and make the content scannable.
• Present all relevant facts and figures that a customer might potentially want to consider to make a purchase.

5. Product Images Should Be Of High Quality

Strong imagery is an important part of the presentation. Multiple close up images and documentation are an important part of both increasing the conversion rate but also and reducing the return rate.

• Well lit high-contrast images.
• The maximum resolution the site will accept.
• Avoid excessive borders or boundaries and instead try to get as close-up to the product as possible.
• Include lifestyle or context photos that show the product working.
• Leverage any packaging, labeling or instructions in the imagery.
• Avoid using images that contain additional illustrations, watermarks, logos, graphics, texts, or overlays.
• For additional background pictures, you can include a background relevant to the product that you sell. For example, a grill in a proper patio setting.
• Keep the background of every image white (RGB: 255/255/255)

6. Product Attributes Are Critical

Product attributes appear on the left-side while searching for a particular item and helps the customer filter based on product attributes. Using this structured data approach can be time consuming and yet it’s a critical step to take for optimizing for any marketplace.

• Add relevant and important attributes to your product for better ranking.
• Do not select the category “other,” as it decreases your product’s visibility.

Shoppers use filters to narrow their search results by size, color, brand, price, etc. The accurate or more precise you are with your product, the higher your product ranks on the results page.

7. Product Price Should Be Competitive

The most important piece of content is the price! Know your competition and keep your pricing relevant. If not, the product’s rank will fall since Marketplaces are optimized so that the listings most likely to sell are listed first.

This data helps you to know where you stand in the competition and how well can your product perform if you had quoted a better price.

Ask your customers to leave their reviews on your product page. Also, reach out to the unsatisfied customers in order to address their problems.

A great way to keep your customers satisfied and happy is by making sure that you deliver the product on time or much earlier than what it has been stated.

Late shipping can leave your product with poor reviews, creating a negative impression overall.