When you’re selling on Amazon, Etsy, or Walmart, your product description isn’t just a detail-it’s your most powerful sales tool. But here’s the catch: most resellers write descriptions that sound like they were copied from a manufacturer’s catalog. And those listings? They disappear in the search results. The truth is, marketplace SEO isn’t about stuffing keywords. It’s about speaking directly to what buyers are searching for-on Google and inside the marketplace itself.
Think about it: 62% of U.S. shoppers start their product search on Amazon or Etsy, not Google. That means if your listing doesn’t show up there, you’re invisible to most buyers. And it’s not enough to just list features. You need to answer questions before they’re asked. What’s the size? Will it fit in a backpack? Is it machine washable? Does it come with a warranty? These aren’t afterthoughts-they’re the core of your SEO.
Platforms like Amazon, Etsy, and Walmart each have their own rules. Amazon’s algorithm, called A9, rewards listings that convert. That means if people click your listing and buy, it climbs higher. Etsy’s system, on the other hand, favors unique, handmade items with personality. If your description reads like a robot wrote it, Etsy will bury it. Walmart uses a three-part scoring system: content quality, offer competitiveness, and performance. If you skip filling out color, material, or dimensions, your listing loses 68% of its potential score before anyone even sees it.
One of the biggest mistakes resellers make is treating all marketplaces the same. You can’t copy-paste the same title for Amazon and Etsy. Amazon allows 200 characters for titles. Etsy cuts off after 55 characters on mobile. Walmart demands titles under 60 characters. If your title gets cut off, you lose half your keywords-and half your clicks. The same goes for images. Amazon requires 1,000x1,000 pixels with a pure white background. Etsy lets you be creative, but you still need at least five high-quality photos. Skip these, and your listing looks unprofessional before anyone reads a word.
Structured data is another blind spot. Most sellers don’t realize Google can show your product price, star rating, and availability right in search results-without them clicking through. This is called a rich snippet. Listings with full Product, Review, and Offer schema markup get 28% more impressions from Google. That’s free traffic. And it’s easy to add. Most marketplace tools support it automatically. If yours doesn’t, you’re leaving money on the table.
Then there’s keyword density. Some guides say aim for 1-2%. Amazon’s own guidelines say the opposite: too many repeated keywords can get your listing suppressed. The fix? Use natural language. Write like you’re talking to a friend. Instead of "leather bag, durable leather bag, heavy-duty leather bag," say: "This full-grain leather bag is built to last through years of travel. The reinforced stitching won’t tear, even when packed to the max. Perfect for weekend getaways or daily commutes." That’s SEO. That’s human. And that’s what Google’s Helpful Content Update rewards.
Real sellers have seen the difference. One Etsy seller, u/HandmadeHustler on Reddit, changed her titles from "Vintage Jewelry by Jane" to "Handmade Ceramic Mug, Made in Portland, Perfect for Coffee Lovers." She added location tags and 12 relevant keywords in her tags. In three months, her organic traffic jumped from 37 to 121 visits per month. That’s a 220% increase. On Amazon, a seller lost rankings overnight because their bullet points had too many commas. Amazon’s system flagged it as keyword stuffing. They didn’t change the words-just removed the extra punctuation. Rankings came back.
Writing descriptions for five different marketplaces can take 10 to 15 minutes per listing. Multiply that by 50 products, and you’re spending 8-10 hours a week just on writing. That’s time you could spend sourcing inventory, answering customer questions, or shipping orders. That’s where tools like a product description generator help. You input the basics-material, size, use case-and it writes a clear, platform-optimized description in seconds. No more staring at a blank field. No more guessing what works. Just good, clean, search-friendly text that converts.
Don’t ignore backend fields. On Amazon, you get 249 bytes of backend search terms. Use them. Add synonyms, common misspellings, and alternative names. If people search for "non-slip yoga mat," but your listing only says "yoga mat," you’re missing traffic. But don’t repeat keywords or use competitor brand names-that triggers suppression. Keep it clean. Keep it relevant.
For service-based marketplaces like Airbnb, location is everything. Listings that include neighborhood names in the title get 31% more impressions. "Cozy Studio in Leith" performs better than "Modern Studio with WiFi." Why? Because travelers search by area, not features. The same applies to Etsy sellers in small towns. "Handmade Soap from Edinburgh" beats "Organic Lavender Soap." Local search is powerful.
And don’t forget reviews. Google and marketplaces now treat reviews as ranking signals. But here’s the rule: if you offer a discount for a review, you must disclose it. The FTC requires it. Get caught hiding it, and your listing visibility can drop by 15%. Always follow the rules. Trust matters more than shortcuts.
AI is changing the game. Walmart now suggests optimized titles based on top-performing competitors. Amazon lets approved sellers add a 1,000-character "Brand Story" above their listing-a hidden SEO goldmine. And Google’s March 2024 Product Experience Update removed 22% of low-quality marketplace listings from search results. Thin, copied, or robotic descriptions got wiped out. If your listing feels like it was written by a bot, it won’t rank.
Visual search is the next frontier. Pinterest saw 85% growth in visual product searches in 2023. Etsy and Amazon are starting to prioritize image alt-text. If your images don’t have descriptive, keyword-rich alt text, you’re missing out. "Red wool beanie with pom-pom, winter hat for women" is better than "hat.jpg." Start adding them now.
Marketplace SEO isn’t magic. It’s consistency. It’s attention to detail. It’s treating each listing like its own website-because in search results, that’s exactly what it is. You don’t need to be a copywriter. You just need to know what buyers are looking for-and write it clearly.
Start with your top 5 products. Rewrite their titles using the main keyword first. Add location if relevant. Fill out every attribute field. Add five images with good alt text. Write a description that answers five common questions. Check your schema. And don’t copy-paste from another platform. Do this right, and you’ll see traffic grow-not in months, but in weeks.
