E-commerce listing optimisation: score an Etsy, Amazon, Shopify or eBay listing before you change it
A plain-English listing audit for online sellers: title length limits (including Amazon's 75-character non-media rule from 27 July 2026), keywords, photos, attributes and a simple A/B test habit. Links to a spreadsheet audit scorer.
Most underperforming listings aren't missing a secret algorithm tip. They're missing a checklist: the title is too long for the platform, the main keyword is buried, photos are too few or too small, required attributes are blank, or nobody recorded what changed when sales moved. This page is a practical audit you can run on one listing at a time. It isn't affiliated with Etsy, Amazon, Shopify or eBay, and no ranking or sales result is guaranteed.
Score the listing before you rewrite it
Pick one live listing and score these areas out of a simple total (for example 100). Fix the lowest score first.
- Title length vs the platform limit (count characters, including spaces)
- Main keyword placement — early in the title, not only in the description
- Photo count and size against what that platform asks for
- Attributes / item specifics filled (size, material, brand, colour, and so on)
- Keyword field — Etsy tags, Amazon search terms / Item Highlights, Shopify meta description, eBay title space
- Description structure — who it's for, what's included, materials, dimensions, shipping or digital delivery, and FAQs
Amazon title length (from 27 July 2026)
Amazon's Seller Forums announced that from 27 July 2026, titles in all categories except media need to be 75 characters or fewer, including spaces, so they display properly on mobile. Extra detail can go in Item Highlights (Amazon's modular-title docs allow up to 125 characters there). Amazon also said titles still over the limit may be updated to an AI recommendation over time, with brand owners given a review window. Check Seller Central for your marketplace's current rules — they change.
Amazon's Selling Partner API docs describe the split as item_name (up to 75) plus title_differentiation / Item Highlights (up to 125). If you submit Item Highlights, the core title must already be within 75 characters.
Other platforms (check the live help pages)
Each marketplace publishes its own limits. Treat these as starting points and confirm on the platform's current seller help:
- Etsy — title and tags have published character limits; tags are short, so long phrases won't fit.
- Shopify — storefront title plus SEO title / meta description fields; search engines truncate long titles in results.
- eBay — title length is capped; item specifics and item description carry the detail the title can't.
Keep a one-line "platform rules" note next to your scorer so you can update the numbers when a marketplace changes them.
Keyword placement without paid tools
For each candidate phrase, ask: is it what a buyer would type, how often do competitors use it in titles, and where does it fit?
- Front of title — highest-intent phrase that still reads like a product name
- Tags / bullets / search terms — supporting phrases that don't fit the title
- Skip or rewrite — phrases longer than a tag field, or duplicates of words already in the title
Change one thing, then measure
An A/B habit beats guesswork:
- Write down the current title, photos and price.
- Change one thing (for example trim the Amazon title to 75 characters and move detail into Item Highlights).
- Compare equal periods (same number of days, similar season).
- Record views, orders and conversion. Keep running the test until you have enough orders to be cautious about the verdict.
Weekly routine
- Audit your top 10 listings (or anything with views and no orders).
- Fix titles over the platform limit first.
- Fill blank attributes.
- Schedule the next review date on a bulk tracker so stale listings don't sit untouched for months.
Sources
- Amazon Seller Forums – Updates to improve your product titles (75-character limit from 27 July 2026)
- Amazon Selling Partner API – Submit modular titles (item_name 75 / title_differentiation 125)
Related guides
- How to quote a job with GST (Australia)
- Do I need to register for GST? The $75,000 rule
- What a tax invoice must show (Australia)
General information only, summarised from the official sources above as at the review date. It isn't legal, tax, WHS or engineering advice. Rules change and your situation may differ, so check the source or ask a professional.