Amazon listing optimisation: a checklist for images, title, bullets, A+ and search terms

Amazon listing optimisation means getting five parts right: the main image, the title, the bullets, the A+ content and the backend search terms. Each part has rules, and most of those rules changed in the last two years: the title alone went from 200 characters to 75 on 27 July 2026, with a new field called Item highlights beside it. Start with the main image and the title, because they are the two things a shopper sees in Amazon's search results.

This checklist takes each part in the order a shopper meets it, says what Amazon asks for in Amazon's words, and ends with a short audit you can repeat every quarter. Costs are rising for sellers: in Jungle Scout's 2025 survey of nearly 1,500 sellers and brands, 32% named advertising costs among their biggest challenges. A listing that answers a shopper's questions by itself makes every paid click count for more.

What does a shopper see first on an Amazon listing?

On a phone, a shopper scrolling Amazon's search results sees two things before anything else: your main image and your title. The main image is the one that shows in search results. Since July 2026 the title is short, 75 characters for most categories, and a second line called Item highlights shows beneath it.

So the first job of optimisation is to make those two things answer the shopper's first question, which is almost always "is this the thing I am looking for?" Everything else on the page answers the questions that come after.

What are Amazon's main image rules?

Amazon's main image rules, as Amazon's staff list them on its seller forums, are:

• a pure white background (RGB 255, 255, 255)
• the product filling 85% or more of the frame
• no added text, graphics or watermarks
• the actual product being sold, not an illustration
• no props or accessories that are not included in the purchase
• at least 1,000 pixels on the longest side, so shoppers can zoom

Amazon accepts images from 500 to 10,000 pixels on the longest side, prefers images over 1,000 pixels for zoom, and takes JPEG, TIFF, PNG and non-animated GIF files, with JPEG preferred.

Amazon's image rules are not suggestions. In Amazon's words, images that do not meet the standards "may be rejected, removed, or altered", and non-compliant images "can lead to product listing suppression from search results". A suppressed listing is still in your catalogue, but shoppers cannot find it, which is worse than a slow one.

Three mistakes in Amazon main images are easy to check for:

1. A background that looks white but is not. Off-white or grey corners from a lightbox read as white to the eye and not to a checker.
2. A product too small in the frame. A lot of white space makes the product look small in search results, and it can fall under the 85% rule.
3. Extra things in the shot. A prop, a badge or a "new" sticker added in editing breaks the rules at once.

How many images does an Amazon listing need?

Every Amazon product must have at least one image, and Amazon recommends at least six images and one video. The main image proves what the product is. Each of the others should prove one more thing a shopper wants to know before buying. A set that works for most products:

Words are allowed on the images after the main image, which is where labelled features and size figures belong. Keep the words large enough to read on a phone.

Two newer rules touch the image set:

• AI-generated people. Since Amazon's notice of 22 July 2026, product images, videos and A+ content that contain photorealistic AI-generated people need a metadata tag before upload. Our guide to Amazon's AI people tag explains it.
• Products with special rules. Supplements, toys and several other kinds of product have image rules of their kind. Our pages on supplement rules and toy rules cover two of the most common.

For the full detail on sizes, formats and what gets a listing suppressed, read our guide to Amazon's image requirements.

How long can an Amazon title be in 2026?

Since 27 July 2026, Amazon titles in all categories except media must be 75 characters or fewer, spaces included. Amazon is replacing longer titles gradually with suggested versions. Brand owners have 14 days to review a suggestion before it takes effect, and listings stay active and editable throughout.

The title's lost space did not disappear: it moved. Item highlights adds 125 characters for details such as materials or recommended uses, and it is searchable. Amazon says the Item name and the Item highlights are both inputs for search, and neither is prioritised over the other. Since 10 August 2026, Item highlights shows beneath the Item name on desktop and mobile.

Two rules from January 2025 still apply to titles:

• The special characters ! $ ? _ { } ^ ¬ ¦ are not allowed, unless they are part of the brand name.
• The same word may not appear more than twice. Prepositions, articles and conjunctions are exempt.

A pattern that fits 75 characters for most products:

• Brand, then what the product is, in the words a shopper types, then one or two attributes that separate it: size, count, material or colour.
• Everything else, such as uses, compatible models and secondary materials, goes in Item highlights.

Read the title aloud. If a shopper would not say those words in that order, rewrite it.

How should you write Amazon bullet points?

Amazon bullet points work best when each one answers a question shoppers ask in your reviews, written within the bullet point requirements Amazon updated on 15 August 2024. Amazon's update restricts special characters, emojis and some phrases, such as refund-related guarantees, and Amazon said it would remove content that does not comply and offer AI-written improvements for sellers to review before they are published.

Within those rules, the best bullets do one thing: answer the questions a shopper would otherwise ask, or leave a bad review about. Your best source is your reviews and questions, yours and your competitors'. Sort them into themes, then give each theme a bullet:

1. The main benefit, with the fact behind it.
2. Size and fit, with measurements.
3. Materials and care.
4. What is included, and what is not.
5. Who it suits, or what it works with.

Start each bullet with its point, then the detail. Keep one idea per bullet, and keep claims to what you can prove. "Holds 1.5 litres" helps a shopper. "The best bottle you will ever buy" does not, and claims like that are the kind Amazon's checks look for.

Is Amazon A+ content worth making?

Amazon A+ content is worth making once your brand is in Brand Registry, because it gives you room to answer the questions bullets cannot. A+ content is the designed section lower on the page, with images, comparison charts and text, and it replaces the plain product description on the page. A+ content needs Brand Registry, which is free and asks for a logo with your brand name on the product or its packaging, and a pending or registered trademark.

Amazon's Brand Registry page says that "Basic A+ Content can increase sales by up to 8%", citing its internal data. Treat that as Amazon's figure, not a promise for your product. What A+ reliably does is give you space to answer the questions bullets cannot: how three sizes compare, what the product looks like in a room, how it is made.

A+ content is also the part of the listing most often held up in review. Sellers on Amazon's forums describe A+ flags they cannot clear, and one agency that builds A+ content reports that most rejections come from wording rather than design: prices, guarantees and claims that cannot be proven. Before you submit, read every word on every image as a reviewer would, and take out anything about price, shipping, warranties you do not offer, or comparisons you cannot back up.

What belongs in Amazon's backend search terms?

Amazon's backend search terms are keywords shoppers never see, and they are the place for synonyms, other names for the product and words in other languages your shoppers use. Amazon's staff set out the rules on its forums:

• The field is limited to 250 bytes. Plain letters and numbers count one byte each.
• Separate words with spaces. Punctuation is not needed.
• Do not repeat words, and do not repeat what is already in the title, brand or other fields.
• Spelling variations help; misspellings are not needed.
• Stop words such as "a", "and", "for" and "the" are not needed.

Amazon's guidance also notes that the limit covers the whole field, so going over it is not a small problem. Fill the field with synonyms, other names for the product and words in other languages your shoppers use, and stop under the limit.

Can one Amazon listing cover a new version of a product?

No. Two rules from Amazon's image guidance apply to the whole listing, not only the images. "An ASIN must represent only one product, and must represent the same product in every store", and "It is a violation to change a detail page for a new product or version."

In practice that means:

• A new version of your product, with a changed size, material or design, gets a new listing, not an edited old one.
• The images, title and bullets describe the same product, down to the colour and the count. A title that says "set of 4" over an image of a set of 6 is a returns problem waiting to happen.
• If you sell in several Amazon stores, the product behind the listing is the same in each.

How do you audit an Amazon listing every quarter?

An Amazon listing audit takes about 20 minutes: set a reminder, open your listing on a phone and work through this list:

1. Main image. Pure white, product filling the frame, nothing added, at least 1,000 pixels on the longest side.
2. Title. 75 characters or fewer, no banned symbols, no word more than twice, the product named in the shopper's words.
3. Item highlights. Filled, with the details the title had to drop.
4. Images. At least six, plus a video, each proving one thing.
5. Bullets. Each answers a question from your reviews; no emojis, no guarantees you do not offer.
6. A+ content. Every word reads as a reviewer would accept it.
7. Search terms. Under 250 bytes, no repeats, nothing already in the title.
8. Special rules. If your product has them, check the rules for your kind of product in the resources library.
9. Your notes. Read your newest reviews and questions. Anything shoppers keep asking belongs in a bullet or an image.

How Commicorn helps

Commicorn makes every part of this checklist from the photos you already have:

• The main image. The Hero shot places your product on pure white. Your photo's pixels are never redrawn, only the light is corrected.
• The image set. Lifestyle scenes, callouts with labelled features, Dimensions, What's in the set and Size chart images, each exported as a 2,000 pixel or larger square.
• The words. Your title, Item highlights, bullets, description and search terms, written to Amazon's limits: the 75-character title, the banned symbols taken out, and the search terms cut to fit the byte limit.
• The keywords. Keyword research with search volumes, and keywords Amazon bans kept out, with the reason shown.
• A+ content. Enhanced content, on the Growth plan and above.
• The AI people tag. When you export for Amazon, images with an AI-drawn person carry the tag Amazon asks for.

Make the images, title, bullets and A+ for your listing from your photos. Start free.

Questions sellers ask

What is the most important part of an Amazon listing?

The main image and the title. They are the two things a shopper sees in Amazon's search results before anything else, and they decide whether the shopper opens the listing at all.

Can a bad main image get an Amazon listing suppressed?

Yes. Amazon says images that do not meet its standards "may be rejected, removed, or altered", and that non-compliant images "can lead to product listing suppression from search results". Our guide to a suppressed Amazon listing covers the fix.

Do I need Brand Registry for Amazon A+ content?

Yes. Amazon A+ content needs Brand Registry, which is free and asks for a logo with your brand name on the product or its packaging, and a pending or registered trademark.

How long can Amazon's backend search terms be?

Amazon limits the backend search terms field to 250 bytes, and plain letters and numbers count one byte each. The limit covers the whole field, so leave out words already in the title or brand and stop under it.

How often should I check an Amazon listing?

Every quarter. Open the listing on a phone, check each part against Amazon's current rules, and read your newest reviews and questions: anything shoppers keep asking belongs in a bullet or an image.