The fix stack (in order; stop when out of hours)
1 · Indexing audit. List money terms. Check indexing per term. Close gaps in backend + visible copy. Zero odds gets fixed first.
2 · Front-load the title. Highest-CTR terms from ad data inside the first 75 characters. Brand first, unless your shelf's convention is benefit-first.
3 · Fill Item Highlights. What the cut removed: the facts that separate this variant. 125 chars, nothing repeated from the title. Budget both fields together: 200 chars, no overlap.
4 · De-risk. Risk-signal scrub + overclaim scrub, on Item Highlights as well as the title. Fix any policy-flagged title inside the 14-day window.
5 · Bullets from reviews. Five-star language in as conversion statements. Each recurring 1-2★ theme level-set or retired.
6 · Drift monitoring live. Desired vs Seller Central vs live, weekly.
7 · Voice + agent pass. Consistent with the brand everywhere else; every likely customer question answered in plain facts.
The loops
Review mine · monthly · scrape, theme, edit
Ads loop · monthly · promote proven terms. Clean test: single keyword, exact match, single ASIN, own SP campaign, top-of-search modifier
Refresh calendar · quarterly + seasonal · rotations by calendar, not memory
Imitation audit · quarterly · top rankers' format conventions: adopt format, keep voice
Drift playbook
SC drift → repush desired value
Live drift → wait (15m / 1h / 1d), then case
Recurring drift → STOP pushing; investigate
Stuck push → edit a different field to force reprocess
The rules card
Title length≤75 chars (rollout from Jul 27, 2026; 200 legacy until your category flips)
Item Highlights125 chars, searchable; unlocks at title ≤75
Banned in titles! $ ? _ { } ^ ¬ ¦ unless in brand
Word repetitionsame word max 2x
Backend terms250 bytes, synonyms only
Description2,000 chars; replaced by A+
Enforcement (since Jan 21, 2025): flagged titles get 14 days, then Amazon rewrites them. A non-compliant title is a field you hand to Amazon's auto-writer.
Starter risk-signal list
medical: cure · treat · heal · prevent · remedy · anti-inflammatory · antiviral · antibacterial · FDA-approved
hazard: non-toxic · chemical-free · pesticide · flammable · hazardous
absolutes: 100% · guaranteed · #1 · "best" unsubstantiated
plus: competitor brand names · your category's restricted-program terms
Strip risk terms even when technically accurate (ingredient names included). Rephrase the benefit without the trigger. Uptime beats eloquence.
Calibration, printed
Copy will not move you page 2 → page 1. Rank is velocity.
Copy decides indexing + CTR + CVR, which feed velocity.
191 tracked title rewrites: median followed by a slight decline; editors were already sliding. Edit for indexing, CTR, de-risk. Not rank.