In a technical catalog, the product title does more work than anywhere else. It is the line a shopper scans in search results, the text your search matches against, and the evidence an AI tool reads when it suggests filters. A title that is clear to a person is usually clear to software too.
The three questions a title should answer
- What is it? Deep groove ball bearing. Hex bolt. Drain pump. Ball valve.
- Which one exactly? The size, code, rating or model that tells it apart from its neighbours:
6204-2RS 20x47x14 mm,M8x25,1/2" BSP,C16. - What does it fit or meet? A standard, a grade, a machine:
DIN 933,A2-70,for Bosch WAT28.
Everything else (marketing words, long material descriptions, shipping notes) belongs in the description or in fields.
Use a fixed order per product type
Shoppers compare titles in a list. If every bearing title has the same order, the eye finds the difference quickly. Pick an order for each product type and write it down.
| Product type | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Bearing | Type, series and seal, size, (brand) | Deep groove ball bearing 6204-2RS 20x47x14 mm |
| Bolt | Type, standard, thread x length, grade, pack | Hex bolt DIN 933 M8x25 grade 8.8, box of 100 |
| Fitting | Type, angle, thread size and type, material | Elbow 90° 1/2” BSP brass |
| Replacement part | Part, for brand and model, key spec | Drain pump for Bosch WAT28, 230 V |
| Electrical | Device, poles or type, rating, key spec | Circuit breaker 1P C16 6kA |
Examples use made-up products.
Write sizes and codes carefully
- Always give the unit.
600 mm, not600. A number without a unit can be a size, a count or a model. - Pick one style per store.
20x47x14 mmor20 x 47 x 14 mm,1/2"or1/2 in. Shoppers will type every style anyway, but a consistent catalog is easier to maintain and to filter. See sizes and units in site search. - Keep metric threads with their pitch when it matters.
M8x1.25andM8x1.0are different parts;M8alone is fine for standard coarse thread if that is your convention. - Keep part numbers exactly as the maker prints them. Don’t “clean up”
6206.ZZC.3into6206ZZC3in the title. Your search should handle the difference, and the printed form is what the shopper recognises.
What to leave out
- Words every product has. “High quality”, “premium”, “industrial grade”. They push the useful words further right.
- Your internal codes, unless shoppers know them. Keep SKUs in the SKU field.
- Lists of compatible models. One or two in the title is fine; twenty belong in a metafield or the description.
- All-caps and symbols used for emphasis. They are harder to read and add nothing for search.
Titles and AI suggestions
AI tools that suggest product attributes read the title first, because it is usually the most reliable text. If the title says 6204-2RS 20x47x14 mm, a careful tool can suggest bore 20 mm, outer diameter 47 mm, width 14 mm and seal type 2RS, and quote the title as evidence. If the title says “Bearing, great price”, there is nothing to suggest.
Tolra’s AI filter suggestions work this way: they only suggest values that are written in the listing, show the words they came from, and wait for your approval. Clear titles mean more suggestions you can approve without editing.
A quick check for your catalog
Search your store for a common product type, such as “bearing” or “drain pump”, and look at the first 20 results as a shopper would:
- Can you tell any two results apart from the title alone?
- Is the size in the same place in every title?
- Does every size have a unit?
- Would a shopper on a phone see the important part before the title is cut off?
If the answer to any of these is no, fixing titles for that product type is often the cheapest search improvement you can make.
Questions
How long should a product title be?
As long as it needs to be to tell two similar products apart, and no longer. For most technical products that is 50 to 90 characters. Put the words that tell products apart early, because long titles get cut off on phones.
Should the brand come first?
Only if shoppers choose by brand. In most parts catalogs they choose by type and size first, so the type should lead and the brand can follow or live in the vendor field.
Can I fix titles in bulk?
Yes. Export products as CSV, fix titles in a spreadsheet with one formula per product type, and import them again. Test on a small set first, and keep a copy of the original export.
Examples use made-up brands and part numbers unless a real format is needed to show the point. Try them in the interactive demo.