Amazon product description: format, allowed HTML and examples

The Amazon product description is the text below the bullets on a product page, up to 2,000 characters in many categories, and A+ content replaces it on the page when a brand has A+. Since 8 June 2021 Amazon has shown no HTML formatting in descriptions, apart from the line breaks sellers report still work, so write plain paragraphs that each begin with a short label sentence.

The product description is the oldest part of an Amazon listing and the most misunderstood. Many sellers still search for the HTML to make it bold, bulleted and spaced, although Amazon stopped showing most HTML in descriptions years ago. Others spend hours on it without realising that, once their brand has A+ content, the description no longer shows on the page at all.

This guide covers where the description shows, what happened to HTML, how long it should be, what to leave out, and examples for three kinds of product.

Where does the Amazon product description show?

On a standard Amazon product page, the description sits below the bullets, further down the page. Shoppers who reach it have usually decided they are interested and want detail.

If your listing has A+ content, the A+ section replaces the plain description on the page. That leaves two questions:

• Is the description still worth writing? Yes. It is the text for any listing without A+, and Amazon's keyword guide still treats it as a place for your main and secondary keywords.
• Should A+ repeat it? No. A+ text must be unique to A+, and its guidelines rule out reusing listing text. Write the description and the A+ words separately.

Which HTML does Amazon still accept in product descriptions?

Amazon accepts almost no HTML in product descriptions. Amazon announced on its seller forums that detail pages would stop showing HTML formatting in product descriptions. After 8 June 2021, any line of a description containing an HTML tag would "be removed or shown without HTML formatting, depending on the usage of the tag". Amazon gave security and compatibility with devices that do not read HTML as the reasons, and asked sellers to update descriptions that used tags.

Line breaks are the exception sellers ask about most. Sellers on Amazon's forums report that a line-break tag still works to separate paragraphs, while bold, lists and other tags do not. Treat line breaks as the only formatting you can rely on, and check how your description displays after you save it.

What that means in practice:

If you need richer formatting, A+ content is the place for it, for brands in Brand Registry.

How long should an Amazon product description be?

An Amazon product description can be up to 2,000 characters in many categories, as Amazon's category style guides have set it. Limits vary by category, so check the field in your listing form. Use about three quarters of it, around 1,500 characters, filled with useful detail: what each feature means for the shopper, how and where it is used, and the answers to their questions on size, materials, care and what is in the box. Never pad to reach it: a description that says everything useful in 1,200 characters is better than one padded to 1,500 with repeats and praise. If your facts run out first, add the ones a shopper still needs.

A structure that reads well without formatting:

1. An opening of one or two sentences: what the product is and who it is for.
2. A paragraph on how it is used, with the situations it suits.
3. A paragraph on what it is made of and how it is made.
4. A paragraph on size and fit, with measurements.
5. A line on care, and a line on what is in the box.

Each paragraph begins with a short label sentence, such as "Size and fit:", so a shopper scanning without bold text can still find what they need.

What should you leave out of an Amazon product description?

Leave these out of an Amazon product description:

• Prices, discounts and promotions. They change, and Amazon shows the price elsewhere.
• Shipping promises. Amazon shows delivery for each shopper.
• Contact details, links and invitations to buy elsewhere. Amazon's policy on prohibited seller activities bars attempts to take shoppers off Amazon.
• Claims you cannot prove. Health claims, "FDA approved", "eco-friendly" and the like need evidence, and for some products cannot be made at all. The resources library has the rules for each kind of product.
• Guarantees you do not offer through Amazon. Amazon restricts refund-related guarantees in bullets, and the same caution applies to the description.
• Other brands' names, except to say what your product fits, such as a case for a named phone model, where that is true.
• HTML tags, apart from line breaks.

What does a good Amazon product description look like?

A good Amazon product description reads clearly without formatting, like the three examples below. The products are made up for this article, and each example is written without HTML apart from line breaks, shown here as new paragraphs.

A cast iron skillet

A 26 cm cast iron skillet for searing, roasting and baking, seasoned and ready for its first meal.

How to use it: Works on gas, electric, induction and ceramic hobs, in the oven, and over a campfire. Preheat on a low heat for even cooking.

Made from: Cast iron, seasoned with vegetable oil. The handle is part of the casting, with no screws to loosen.

Size: 26 cm wide at the top, 4.5 cm deep, 2.4 kg. Fits most standard ovens.

Care: Hand wash with hot water, dry straight away, and wipe with a little oil. Not for the dishwasher.

A pair of running socks

Cushioned running socks for road and treadmill running, in a pack of three pairs.

How they feel: Extra padding under the heel and the ball of the foot, a snug arch band, and a seam-free toe.

Made from: 70% nylon, 25% polyester, 5% elastane. Imported.

Sizes: Small (UK 3 to 5), medium (UK 6 to 8), large (UK 9 to 11).

Care: Machine wash at 30 degrees; do not tumble dry.

A phone stand

An adjustable aluminium stand that holds a phone or a small tablet upright on a desk, for video calls, recipes and reading.

How it works: The angle adjusts with one hand, and the height rises from 12 to 20 cm. Rubber pads keep the stand and the phone from sliding.

Fits: Phones and tablets from 4 to 11 inches, with or without a case up to 1 cm thick.

Made from: Aluminium alloy with silicone pads. Folds flat to 2 cm for a bag.

In the box: The stand. No charger or cable.

Notice what the examples do not say. The skillet does not claim to be "the last pan you will ever buy". The socks do not promise "no blisters". The stand does not say it "fits every phone". Each of those would be a promise a shopper could hold the seller to, and none can be shown.

Why they work. Each opens with what the product is and who it is for. Each section begins with a label sentence, so the layout survives without HTML. Every claim is a measurement or a material. And each says what is in the box, so nothing surprises the buyer.

How do you use keywords in an Amazon product description?

Amazon's keyword guide asks for the main and secondary keywords to be used throughout a detailed, easy-to-read description. Three habits keep it readable:

• The main phrase once, in the opening sentence, the way a shopper would say it.
• Secondary phrases where they describe a real feature: "cast iron skillet" in the opening, "induction" where you list the hobs it works on.
• No keyword lists. A paragraph of phrases helps nobody and reads as spam.

Keywords that do not fit naturally belong in the backend search terms, not the description.

How should descriptions differ between Amazon stores?

If you sell in more than one Amazon store, write each store's description for its shoppers rather than copying one into the others:

• Units. Shoppers in the US expect inches and pounds; shoppers in Canada, the UK and Europe expect centimetres and kilograms. Give both where it helps, the local unit first.
• Spelling. "Color" and "colour", "aluminum" and "aluminium". Use the store's spelling.
• Language. Amazon's stores in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Quebec's French-speaking shoppers in Canada read their language. A machine translation that nobody has checked can turn a careful description into a confusing one.
• Sizes. Clothing and shoe sizes differ by country; say which system you use.

A description check before you save

1. The opening says what the product is and who it is for.
2. Every paragraph starts with a label sentence.
3. Every claim is a measurement, a material or a fact you can show.
4. No prices, shipping promises, contact details or links.
5. No HTML tags apart from line breaks.
6. The main phrase appears once, naturally.
7. What is in the box is listed.
8. It agrees with the title, bullets and photos.

What is the difference between the description, bullets and A+ on Amazon?

Each part of an Amazon listing has its job:

For the rest of the listing, see our Amazon listing checklist and our guide on how to write product descriptions.

How Commicorn helps

• A description written to Amazon's rules. Commicorn writes your Amazon description from the facts you give us, within Amazon's length, in plain paragraphs.
• Separate words for A+. If you make Enhanced content, its words are written separately, not copied from the description.
• Claims checked. Wording Amazon bans is kept out with the reason shown, and claims that need proof are marked.
• The rest of the listing. Title, Item highlights, bullets and backend search terms, from the same facts.

Commicorn writes the description to Amazon's rules. Start free.

Questions sellers ask

Does Amazon allow HTML in product descriptions?

Mostly not. After 8 June 2021, a description line with an HTML tag is removed or shown without formatting, and sellers report that a line-break tag still separates paragraphs.

Can I use emojis in an Amazon product description?

Amazon restricts emojis in bullets since its August 2024 update. Leave them out of the description too: they add nothing a shopper can use.

Can I use capitals for headings in an Amazon description?

Write headings in sentence case with a colon. Strings of capitals read as shouting, and Amazon's A+ guidelines reject them; the same caution suits the description.

Can I mention my warranty in an Amazon product description?

Only if you offer the warranty and it applies to orders through Amazon, and keep the wording to what the warranty says.

Should the Amazon product description repeat the bullets?

Not word for word. The bullets give the five key facts; the description adds the detail behind them.