Walmart Listing Copywriting: SEO Optimization on Mobile vs Desktop

Although there is a wealth of knowledge and articles written on listing content best practices for Amazon, there is a much more limited amount of information available online discussing content recommendations for Walmart’s marketplace. If you are a brand or manufacturer looking to increase traffic and conversions on Walmart, it is essential for you to create listing content that is optimized for the Walmart marketplace and their unique customer base. Having consistent brand messaging across platforms will build brand loyalty and trust, however Walmart has strict content requirements and simply syndicating or copying your existing Amazon content onto Walmart’s platform will lead to listing suppressions and restricted visibility in the search results.  In this article, we’ll walk through 4 key content areas to focus your efforts on Walmart’s marketplace:

1. Titles
2. Key Features/Bullet Points
3. Descriptions
4. Writing for Walmart’s algorithm

1. Prioritize Clear and Concise Product Titles

Walmart differs significantly from Amazon in how they approach title formatting. Walmart emphasizes a clean and consistent customer experience, especially on mobile, while Amazon recommends longer, keyword-rich titles. Amazon’s A9 algorithm heavily weighs SEO from product titles, whereas Walmart’s search algorithm does not have to rely as heavily on the title with keywords being provided through exact keyword matches and key required attributes that assist with filtering products within the search results.

For the highest search relevancy, we recommend putting the highest ranking/relevant keywords towards the front end of the product title. We also recommend keeping titles <70 characters when possible, for a few important reasons: the first being to avoid any titles getting cut off in the search page which can add confusion for customers and lower conversion rates when key product variant details are not readily visible. Titles will get cut off on both mobile & desktop search if over 70 characters long.

The second reason to keep the title less than 70 characters is intentionally to stay well within the title character limit set by Walmart (90 characters max). Walmart is stricter and quicker to enforce their content standards and formats in comparison to Amazon, with non-compliant listings potentially leading to product suppressions or an “unpublished” listing status while simultaneously dropping in search ranking.

Each category must also follow the correct title formula set and order of key attributes within Walmart’s content policies to avoid the risk of listing suppression and/or rejected content. This speaks to the elevated level of importance Walmart puts on the customer experience and building brand trust through simple, clear, and consistent product titles.

Recommended Format

Less than 70 characters & correct title formula for the specific category.

Example formula for Cleaners: Brand + Product Type/Line + Primary Ingredient, + Scent, + Count

Example

Aunt Fannie’s Cleaning Wipes with Vinegar, Eucalyptus Scent, 35 Count

Mobile vs Desktop SEO & Appearance on Walmart’s Marketplace

As mentioned above, titles that are >70 characters long will be cut off on mobile and desktop devices on Walmart’s marketplace, so it’s not worth keyword stuffing them for SEO if the result is shopper confusion. Here’s how Walmart’s marketplace limits product title characters on mobile vs desktop:

• Mobile (top product shows <70 characters, bottom product shows >70 characters)
• Desktop (left product shows <70 characters, right product shows >70 characters)

2. Lead with the Most Impactful and Essential Features within Key Features

On a desktop browser, the bullet points or key features appear directly under the titles and variant attributes like color/size/pack quantity etc. However, on a mobile device, the key features are placed much further down and are automatically hidden below the product description requiring you to manually unhide them. With over 50% of people using a smartphone to shop online instead of desktop computers, key features are often missed by customers looking to make a quick mobile purchase. This highlights the importance of a clear and persuasive product description and title so that the customer has all the information they need in case they do not expand the section to read the bullets.

Key features, although initially hidden on a mobile device, are visible right away on the desktop platform and should be written in a way that the most important selling points can be understood by simply scanning the page for essential context. Although Walmart allows for a lengthier character count overall within bullets, the max per individual feature is significantly less. Amazon typically recommends a bullet point length of around 200 characters per bullet with a max of 500, however Walmart limits the max per bullet to 80 characters and 10,000 overall (which typically should never be utilized based on the overall content goals).

Bullet points should be written with a family-friendly, straightforward, and trustworthy tone to speak to the Walmart customer base. Much like titles, we recommend including the most relevant features in the first two bullet points in case the customer does not read further – we want to make a quick impression in case they do not continue reading on. At Brandwoven, we also monitor customer reviews and questions and update the key features as necessary to address any new buyer concerns upfront to limit any confusion.

Recommended Format

Stick to 6 key features (repeat product title + 5  bullets) and a maximum of 80 characters per feature (10,000 characters in total for all bullets though not recommended to use full length) to optimize keyword search rank and remain within Walmart’s content standards.

Example

1. Aunt Fannie’s Cleaning Wipes with Vinegar, Eucalyptus Scent, 35 Count
2. Eucalyptus-scented wipes for quick clean-ups in the kitchen and bathroom
3. Made with vinegar and plant-based ingredients; safe for use on food-contact surfaces
4. Formulated without alcohol or harsh chemicals; compostable where facilities exist
5. Naturally scented with essential oils for a fresh, clean finish
6. Manufactured in the USA; cruelty-free and vegan

3. Use Site Descriptions to Tell the Full Product Story

On both the desktop and mobile experience, the site description (the equivalent of the long product description on Amazon, yet also described as a short description on Walmart) appears further down the page under the Product Details section and requires you to scroll past a section of advertisements for similar products in order to view it. On a mobile device, the short description is the only section that is initially visible to the consumer before you manually expand the “More Details” section to see the Key Features or bullet points.

The site description should be 1-2 paragraphs while efficiently explaining the full story of the product. Although it is tempting to fill the product description with a full brand story and ton of long-tail keywords in order to use up the max 100,000 character count limit, the focus should be on what the product is, how it works, why it stands out, how to care for it, or any other distinguishing points.

It is also important to note that the content needs to be unique to Walmart (including key features and titles), as Walmart can suppress your product listing for non-distinct or duplicative copy that matches the copy already listed for your products on Amazon. It may take extra time, but it is worth the effort to ensure you have stable and active Walmart listings and limit any potential listing downtime.

Recommended Format

• 1-2 paragraphs, between 100-150 words, unique to Walmart.
• Full story of the product that speaks to the consumers’ questions and needs.

Example Product Description

“Aunt Fannie’s Cleaning Wipes are formulated with vinegar and plant-based cleaners to tackle grease, grime, and everyday messes. Designed for a truly clean finish, they’re safe to use around kids and pets when used as directed. These wipes are effective on tough messes like kitchen spills, pet accidents, and sticky surfaces. They leave behind a fresh, naturally-derived scent powered by essential oils—no harsh chemical residue. Great for use on light switches, baseboards, fridge shelves, cribs, highchairs, and more. No rinsing required.”

4. Align Product Listings with SEO: Walmart Marketplace’s Search Rank Algorithm

Unlike Amazon, which relies heavily on title keywords for indexing, Walmart distributes keyword weighting across backend attributes, required product specs, and description fields. Key or high-ranking SEO terms need to be included throughout your Walmart product titles, bullets, descriptions, and backend attributes because there are no longer any backend search term fields to populate (like there are on Amazon). These terms should not be repeating the exact same words over and over again, but rather synonyms or other expressions of them. Having these SEO terms in multiple places improves both product search visibility and internal keyword relevancy score rankings on Walmart’s marketplace. The closer to the front of title and bullets you include your key SEO terms, the more likely that product is going to be included on the first page of the search results for that term.

Note that if for some reason your products are not appearing or indexing for very important SEO terms (like your brand name, an alias of your brand name, or your key product type) and you have validated that it is populated and up-to-date everywhere necessary AND case work is not resolving the issue, you can work with a Walmart marketplace rep to assist in hard coding the term to index for those particular products. We work closely with Walmart reps on brands’ behalf to ensure products are indexing correctly to avoid missing out on any sales or traffic.  If interested in exploring how we could partner with your brand on Walmart, reach out to us to schedule a call.

How To: Higher Product Rankings on Walmart

1. Research relevant search terms for your products using tools like Helium10 and validate that those terms are indexing on your PDPs. Be sure to think like a consumer and how they may search for your product on Walmart’s marketplace in order to include those SEO terms in your content.
2. Walmart search terms and listing content should not be done with a set-it-and-forget-it mentality. If your conversion or click-through rates have dropped, make sure to review your SEO keywords and validate their Walmart marketplace performance or make necessary tweaks.
3. Validate that your products are in the correct product category.
4. Populate all required and recommended product attributes on backend of your Walmart listings.
5. Ensure SEO terms are included throughout bullets, titles, and descriptions using short and long-tail keywords that flow naturally and follow Walmart marketplace content guidelines.
6. Review your Listing Quality Scores & Dashboard (Growth -> Listing Quality) to ensure your Walmart listing content quality is >90% or update as many attributes as you can. Partner with us, your current agency, or a Walmart rep to assist in resolving any discrepancies between what is compliant and still showing as needs improvement.

Takeaways

Listing content needs to be optimized for the marketplace and audience you are selling to in order to reach your full potential on the platform. As brand owners and manufacturers, you have the ability to control your titles, bullet points, descriptions, and SEO on marketplace. Leverage this image as a resource overviewing everything discussed in the article above.

Our hope is that this article has given you the information and tools needed to assess whether you have done all you can to reach your full potential with your listing content on Walmart or highlighted key areas you have the ability to improve to increase your chances of success on the platform. There are many more ways to optimize your marketplace product pages including listing images, A+ Content, videos, variation structure, brand stores, pages, virtual bundles, pricing, etc. We’ll continue to release more content on how to optimize your listings using digital merchandising and organization. In the meantime, if you are looking for an agency to help grow your Walmart business and optimize your listing content, contact us for a consultation today!