HTML Formatting on Amazon
When setting up products on Amazon, there has always been the option to use HTML formatting in your product descriptions. Amazon have announced that from June 8th 2021, HTML formatting on Amazon will be banned.
Time to check those Amazon product descriptions
Now, we’re not huge fans of the product description section on Amazon. Customers often overlook it and who can blame them? If you see a huge block of text squashed between ‘Advertising’ and ‘Similar Products’, wouldn’t you scroll past?
To spice it up, Amazon have always allowed the use of HTML formatting to break up the description into something that’s easier to read. This would include breaks in paragraphs, bold text and bullet points.
Why are they removing HTML formatting?
It seems an odd move by Amazon but there’s always a reason. They’ve advised that it boils down to two things.
- They want to help provide security for their customers.
- Allow businesses to easily list products on devices that are not HTML compatible.
Looking towards the future, perhaps?
Making Amazon accessible for all
It is possible that you won’t have any HTML formatting on your Amazon listings, but it’s always best to check. The only one that you are allowed to use is ‘<br>‘ to create breaks in paragraphs. Be sure to double check ALL of your listings, even if you think you’re safe. Any HTML formatting left in your description may cause your listing to violate this new Amazon policy, something that can easily be avoided.
What a waste, you might think, but all is not lost! The product description is the perfect place to optimize your listing. Although customers may not read all of it, you can still fill it with your keywords and take advantage of the opportunity to increase your optimization score and appear higher up in the Amazon search.
A+ content could be the way forward
Our best recommendation to encourage customers to actually read the content you upload would be to focus on A+ content for your listings, if you have access to the Brand Registry. This offers better tools and space to create visual, eye-catching content that makes your products stand out and can potentially increase sales by as much as 5%. It can also help reduce your returns by explaining the features of a product in a clearer, more in-depth way.
Contact us if you would like to explore the option of upgrading your listings to include A+ content.