Understanding the Amazon style guide is essential for Amazon FBA sellers. These category-specific guides provide detailed instructions on how to create product listings that meet Amazon’s standards. The guide includes a browse tree guide, a search term guide, and copywriting tips, which vary depending on the category. Each category style guide is different, meaning sellers cannot use the same format for every product. It is necessary to analyze the category style guide before creating a listing. In this blog, we will explore why sellers need the style guide. We will also discuss whether everyone follows the style guide and the consequences and benefits of disregarding it. We will explain where you can find the style guides, whether they change over time, and whether sellers should follow them.
Why Do Sellers Need the Style Guide?
The category style guide is like a raft when you are drowning in the ocean. A new Amazon FBA seller knows nothing about Amazon product photography, listing optimization, copywriting, search terms, and the browse tree. Sellers feel overwhelmed when they have to learn about everything. Therefore, the Amazon style guide offers a lifeline to sellers. It teaches them factors they need to target in product photography, listing optimization, and copywriting. Without the style guide, most sellers would be clueless about what they need to succeed on the platform. Amazon also shares customers’ statistics and explains the reasoning behind their restrictions. For example, Amazon recommends a 200-character title for most categories because buyers do not read long product titles.
Amazon style guides also provide a benchmark for good and bad product listings. Every category guide explains what sellers should avoid. The purpose of advising sellers is to ensure they have the best chance of converting customers. New sellers have no idea what works best in specific categories. Hence, they need a style guide to understand customer preferences and search engine optimization algorithms. Amazon explains everything in the style guide, allowing you to adopt the best product listing practices.
TLDR
Style guides are the fastest way to learn about good and bad practices on Amazon.
Read More: 11 Tips to Optimize Your Amazon listing like a Pro!
How Many Style Guides Are There?
Amazon has 35 category-specific style guides, one for each main category on the platform. Each style guide contains information about sub-categories within that category, such as the browse tree guide, search term guide, and copywriting guide. These guides are essential for sellers to create listings that meet Amazon’s standards and provide buyers with the information they need to make informed purchasing decisions. While it may not be possible for sellers to read and follow every style guide, it’s essential to read and follow the guide related to their product to understand the best practices. Sellers should optimize their listings to satisfy Amazon’s requirements and attract more traffic. Understanding these style guides will help you avoid de-listings and violations. Study the guide and learn what is allowed in a product listing. Do not make any claims about your product without proof.
TLDR
Each category guide differs according to the nature of the products it covers.
Does Everyone Follow the Style Guide?
Despite the importance of the Amazon style guide, not all sellers follow it. Most sellers do not even bother to read the style guide. While this may seem surprising, it presents a significant opportunity for those who follow the style guide. Amazon promises that following the style guide leads to better search rankings, meaning sellers will gain more traffic and conversions. Following the style guide can help maximize product transparency, ensuring customers receive what was advertised. Overall, it’s clear that following the style guide is a valuable practice that can help sellers stand out in a crowded marketplace.
While many sellers may choose not to follow the style guide, it’s important to note that doing so can have significant benefits. Adhering to the guidelines set by Amazon can help sellers create listings that satisfy Amazon regulations. Ultimately, those who follow the guide can reap significant rewards in terms of sales, customer satisfaction, and overall success on the platform.
Another reason many sellers choose not to follow the style guide is that they believe that the A10 algorithm, which determines the search ranking of products on Amazon, is not aligned with the outdated style guides available on Seller Central. However, despite this concern, it’s still advisable for sellers to stick close to the style guide. While the guidelines may not be perfect, they still represent the best practices for creating highly-converting product listings on Amazon.
Read More: Customized Alerts in Seller Central to Improve Your Business Efficiency
TLDR
Many sellers believe that style guides are outdated and carry unnecessary advice.
Consequences of Disregarding the Style Guide
If a seller disregards the style guide, there can be significant consequences. Violating the restrictions outlined in the guide can lead to the rejection of product listings. In worst cases, it leads to delisting, significantly lowering the product ranking and sales. Ignoring the guidelines can result in presenting inaccurate information about the product, which can ultimately harm a seller’s reputation and product sales. The style guide ensures the accurate delivery of product information to buyers, and disregarding it can have repercussions for sellers on Amazon.
The style guide instructs sellers not to make unwarranted claims about their product. Most sellers ignore this instruction and oversell the product. It results in a barrage of negative reviews, leading to the ultimate downfall of the sellers. Hence, the style guide instructions are designed to benefit Amazon sellers. If they do not follow it, they will struggle to succeed.
Our advice is to follow the style guide whenever possible. Even if you are deviating from it, ensure that deviations are minimal.
TLDR
There are tons of consequences for disregarding the style guide.
Benefits of Disregarding the Style Guide
Are there any benefits of doing the wrong thing? As much as we encourage people to follow the style guide, we cannot ignore the benefits of ignoring it.
Disregarding the style guide provides significant freedom to sellers. They can post whatever information they like in the bullet points and title. Many sellers use keywords of other brands to draw traffic to their product listings. It is a benefit of disregarding the style guide as it prohibits the use of brand keywords. Using keywords of other brands to draw traffic to a product listing can be seen as a form of trademark infringement and can result in legal action against the seller.
Despite the benefits, the risks of disregarding the style guide are immense. You can be involved in lawsuits and de-listings. There is a better route available for success on Amazon. Hence, it is stupid and short-sighted to ignore the style guide.
The only instance where it is advisable to ignore the style guide is when it is outdated. Otherwise, sellers will always face negative consequences when disregarding the style guide. The lesson we want you to take from this blog is to treat the style guide as the commandments. Even if competitors break the rules, you should safeguard your brand and product listings.
In some cases, you can also ignore the instructions given for product photography. However, do not forget to include at least one white background image in the product listing to avoid rejection.
It is always better to follow Amazon’s guidelines and provide accurate, truthful information about the product. Not only does it help in improving product ranking, but it also helps in building consumer trust.
TLDR
There are tons of consequences for disregarding the style guide. No substantial long-term benefit.
Read More: 5 Ways to Step up Your Game as an Amazon Seller This 2023
Where Can I See the Style Guides?
The category style guides are available on seller central. We are attaching a link below to help you see the style guides. Due to recent changes on Amazon, this section is only available to sellers who have subscribed to the professional selling plan.
Go through all the categories on the website and select the one that fits your products. It will show you what you need to upload product listings. It’s interesting to note that some categories of products have merged style guides. For instance, the style guide for office products and electronics is combined. It can cause confusion for sellers who may not be sure which rules apply to their products.
Click On This Link to See the Style Guides: https://sellercentral.amazon.com/help/hub/search?query=style+guide&start=0&size=10&content=HELP
TLDR
Click the link to see the style guide on Amazon seller central only if you have a professional selling plan.
Do Style Guides Change?
Amazon is a dynamic platform, constantly evolving to cater to the needs of customers and sellers. As a result, it is no surprise that style guides change over time. These changes could be in response to changes in customer behavior, technological advancements, or any other external factors that may affect how products are listed.
Sellers must stay updated with the latest style guides to stay ahead of the competition. Failure to do so may result in non-compliance with Amazon’s guidelines, which can lead to the delisting of products or even account suspension. It is recommended that sellers review the style guides regularly and make necessary changes to their product listings to comply with the latest guidelines.
TLDR
Amazon changes the style guides to stimulate healthy competition. It provides opportunities to other sellers.
Read More: Brand Protection 101: How to Protect Your Amazon Business from Possible Threats
Should Sellers Follow the Guide?
Following the Amazon style guide is essential for sellers who want to succeed on the platform. Not only does it ensure that your product listings meet Amazon’s requirements, but it also helps to improve the visibility of your products on the website. By following the style guide, you increase your chances of ranking higher in search results, which increases sales. Additionally, adhering to the style guide helps to ensure your product listings are relevant and provide all the necessary information for customers.
Create two versions of your product listing if you are confused about following the style guide. Adhere to the style guide in the first version and try something else in the second. It will allow you to A/B test your product listings. You can see which approach works better for your product and category.
TLDR
We recommend you follow the style guide because there is a high risk of delisting.
Incorporating the Style Guide Into the Selling Process
The style guide should be involved in everything from product photography to PPC and listing optimization. Incorporating the style guide in the selling process is a necessity.
From day one, you should be studying the style guide. Incorporate it into everything from image planning to packaging design. Doing things by the book takes longer, but it produces desirable results. Adherence to the style guide will remove any chances of delisting.
First, read the guide for your product category carefully. Follow the best practices and restrictions as closely as possible when creating your product listing. Format your listing according to the guidelines and include all required information.
TLDR
Create a production process based on the factors of the style guide.
Conclusion
We have covered several important aspects of the Amazon style guide and its significance for sellers. Amazon style guides are necessary because they provide detailed instructions for creating product listings. There are 35 category style guides. Each main product category has a style guide. It advises Amazon sellers on how to present their products to customers. As we discussed, most people do not follow the style guide, but the risk of not following it is too high. There is no extravagant cost for following the style guide. Following the style guide will help you achieve better results on Amazon!
