Amazon Product Page Best Practices: Key Feature Bullets vs. Descriptions for Books and Non-Book Products
At Amplify, we’ve built our reputation on managing high-performing Amazon ad campaigns and optimizing product pages across a wide spectrum of product categories—ranging from electronics and office furniture to leather goods and wellness tools.
Today, we specialize exclusively in the book publishing industry, though our publishing partners often expand into non-book items like games, journaling pens, gift sets, and crafting kits, where a book is just one component.
This broad experience gives us a unique understanding of how Amazon product detail pages vary by category, especially when it comes to bullet points and product descriptions—two of the most critical areas for both conversion and keyword indexing.
📚 How Book Pages Differ on Amazon
Amazon treats books differently from most other categories. Notably:
Key Feature Bullets Are Not Available for Books
Unlike other products, books do not display bullet points under the title. This limits immediate merchandising options like callouts for benefits, materials, or differentiators.
Product Descriptions Are More Prominent
On book listings, the product description appears higher up on the detail page, often immediately following editorial reviews and above the customer Q&A section. This gives the description greater influence over the purchase decision, especially since bullet points are absent.
SEO Implications
With no bullets, the description becomes one of the primary indexed fields for books—alongside the title, subtitle, contributor field, and backend keywords. As such, well-written, keyword-optimized descriptions are essential for discoverability.
🛍️ How Non-Book Product Pages Work
For non-book products, the layout shifts:
Bullet Points Are Prominent and Above the Fold
Key features (up to five bullet points) appear directly under the title and price. They are often the first marketing copy a shopper reads.
Descriptions Are Pushed Farther Down
In these categories, the product description is less prominent, located further down the page.
⚠️ Exception: If A+ Content is used, the standard description is suppressed on the live page. While the backend version of the description may still be partially indexed, its visibility and influence drop substantially.
Bullets Are More Heavily Weighted for SEO
Amazon’s algorithm gives greater indexing weight to bullet points than to the product description in most categories. This makes bullet writing a critical skill for ranking and discoverability.
| Area | Books | Non-Books |
|---|---|---|
| Key Features Bullet Points | Not applicable | Crucial for visibility & SEO |
| Description | Highly visible & indexed | Indexed, but low priority if A+ enabled |
| Title | Core indexing field | Core indexing field |
| Backend Keywords | Critical | Critical |
| A+ Content | Supplements conversion (not indexed) | Replaces visible description; SEO-neutral |
🔹 Best Practices for Key Features (Bullets – Non-Book Products)
1. Use All 5 Bullet Points
Fill every available bullet slot. This maximizes space for keyword indexing and gives shoppers a complete understanding of the product:
Primary feature or material
Use case or functionality
Size, compatibility, or audience
What’s included or extras
Warranty or customer care info
2. Begin Each Bullet with ALL CAPS
Use a short 3–5 word ALL CAPS intro to draw attention and allow customers to scan quickly.
3. Stay Within 200–250 Characters
Even though Amazon allows up to 500 characters, clarity and mobile visibility matter more. Aim for 200–250 characters.
4. Benefits Over Features
Highlight what the product does for the customer, not just what it is. Instead of: “Includes notebook and pen,” say: ALL-IN-ONE WRITING SET – Includes everything you need for creative journaling on the go.
5. Clear, Customer-Centric Copy
Avoid jargon. Use language that matches the product’s tone—playful for games, thoughtful for gifts, serious for tools, etc.
6. It’s OK to Repeat Key Points from the Description
Don’t worry about duplicating content between your Key Features bullet points and the product description. Many shoppers never scroll down to the description, especially if A+ Content is enabled. Key benefits, differentiators, and primary keywords must appear in the bullets to be seen—and indexed.
🏁 Conclusion: Optimized Content Is Strategic Content
Creating high-performing Amazon product detail pages is both an art and a science. Whether you’re listing a book, a kit, or a themed gift set, the structure and content of your product page should align with how Amazon displays and indexes different categories.
For books, the product description becomes the hero, playing a vital role in both shopper engagement and keyword visibility—especially in the absence of bullet points. For non-book products, key feature bullet points are the most prominent and SEO-weighted elements, and they should be used to clearly and persuasively communicate the product’s value.
At Amplify, our team has optimized hundreds of listings across Amazon’s ecosystem. Today, we bring that expertise to every book and book-adjacent product we support, ensuring content is not only aligned with category-specific best practices, but also strategically crafted to drive clicks, conversions, and discoverability.
If you’re a publisher looking to optimize your Amazon presence—whether for a debut title or a complete line of complementary products—we’re here to help you amplify what matters.
