As Walmart Marketplace surpasses $100 billion in GMV, itโs become one of the most powerful yet underleveraged sales channels for eCommerce brands. But scaling here isnโt just about having the correct price or fast shippingโit begins with how well your listings are optimized.
At the center of it all is Walmartโs Listing Quality Score (LQS), a 0โ100 metric that directly influences your visibility in search, eligibility for the Buy Box, and ultimately, your conversion rate.
Despite clear performance gains, many sellers overlook the fundamentalsโstruggling with weak content, uncompetitive offers, and poor post-purchase experiences. As a result, they lose visibility, Buy Box share, and margin opportunity.
This guide breaks down whatโs changed in Walmart Listing Optimization for 2025, how the LQS works, and what you can doโstarting todayโto maximize sales and win the Buy Box more often.
Understanding Walmart's Content Quality Score
If thereโs one thing that defines selling on Walmart Marketplace, itโs the Listing Quality Score (LQS). At first glance, it seems like a fundamental metric, but it plays a central role in shaping which products get seen and which donโt. It is a numerical score ranging from 0 to 100 and assesses the quality and discoverability of a product.
Walmart uses this score to maintain a certain standard across its platform. It takes into account factors like shipping reliability, customer reviews, return rates, and how complete and accurate a listing is. The idea is to make sure customers get what they expect, and that sellers are dependable.
The score directly influences visibility. Products with higher scores are placed higher in search results, while those with lower scores get pushed down. In practical terms, this can make or break a sellerโs performance on the platform.
What this shows is that success at Walmart is about how well that product is presented and supported. The score acts like a quiet filter, shaping the marketplace in a way that prioritises consistency and trust. Utilizing Walmart listing optimization services can help sellers align with these expectations more efficiently.
Components of the Content Quality Score
One of the keys to conquering this listing system is actually to understand it; it's the same way you wouldnโt go swimming in an ocean if you didnโt know how to swim. So, to put it simply, the score is divided into three main areas: content, offer, and performance. Each of these reflects how well a listing meets Walmartโs standards and customer expectations.
1. Content:
At its core, content is what tells you how complete and accurate your listing is. That includes product titles, descriptions, images, attributes, and category accuracy. If any of these are missing or weak, the listing suffers.
2. Offer:
The offer is about price, shipping speed, and availability. Competitive pricing and fast, reliable delivery naturally push your score higher.
3. Performance:
Performance is what it sounds like. It looks at customer satisfaction and their experience with your services. Factors such as a high cancellation rate, slow response times, and poor reviews will negatively impact your score.
Vendors tend to overlook this part the most, attributing most complaints to circumstances out of their control; however, this particular section can quietly drag down your listings out of visibility.
If your score isnโt where it should be, these are the three areas to start with. The score that Walmart gives you is a reaction to fundamental gaps that it's assessing between the services you provide and customer satisfaction. Once you know what itโs measuring, youโre in a better position to fix it. This is where AI product listing optimization, Walmart tools can also provide actionable insights at scale.
Importance of a High Content Quality Score
Now that we have covered the importance of this listing score and the factors on which it is based, letโs bring our focus to exactly how this number boosts visibility. To put it simply, a better score translates to a sense of security among the customers. It harbours an unspoken trust. When your score is strong, Walmart pushes your listings higher in search results. It is the same way we are most likely to interact more with the first page of Google searches than the subsequent ones. Thus, when your listing is among the first few, it works in your favour. That kind of organic visibility can make a huge difference, especially in a crowded marketplace where attention is limited.
A solid score also helps build confidence with potential buyers. Good content, accurate descriptions, fast shipping, and positive reviews signal that your listing is reliable. When customers trust what theyโre seeing, theyโre far more likely to convert from viewers to buyers.
Whatโs more is that Walmart has certain rewards for quality listings. Products with consistently strong scores may receive special treatment, such as placement in โBuy Boxโ offers or eligibility for โPro Sellerโ and โBestsellerโ badges. These badges can act like endorsements, nudging hesitant customers to click โAdd to Cart.โ
Strategies to Improve Your Content Quality Score
Hereโs a simple, step-by-step guide to bring you closer to your ideal Walmart listing optimization score:
1. Fix your Title
Your title is the first thing that catches the eyes of your potential buyers and Walmartโs algorithm. Walmart suggests a formula for product titles:
Brand + Key Features + Product Type + Attributes (Size, Color, etc.)
It is favourable to follow this formula for optimum use of the algorithm. Along with this, here are some more tips to enhance your title.
a. Start with the brand name.
b. Add the product type (e.g., โBluetooth Headphonesโ).
c. Include key features like size, color, or model number.
d. Keep it clear, direct, and under 75 characters
2. Upgrade your Images
High-quality images have a high weightage on Walmartโs Listing Quality Score. High-resolution photos and videos not only put you on the algorithmโs radar but also give your buyers a clear picture of the product they will be potentially purchasing. Thus creating transparency.
Tips for uploading images and videos:
a. Use at least four high-resolution images.
b. Make the main image a clean product shot with a white background.
c. Add lifestyle shots or close-ups of essential features.
d. Avoid watermarks or text overlays
3. Improve your description
Your description is what builds the expectations of your buyers towards the product. Make sure to include keywords about your product in your description, highlight the main features of your product, and some key attributes. Remember, a good, well-informed description not only helps with conversions but also results in a higher Listing Quality Score.
Tips for writing an efficient description:
a. Write in short, easy-to-read sentences.
b. Focus on benefits, not just the specifics.
c. Use bullet points for key features.
d. Avoid vague claims, stick to factual information instead
e. Incorporate keywords in your description
4. Fill in all attributes.
No detail is too small; fill in all the particulars about your products. These details help Walmart filter and rank your listings.
a. Add every relevant attribute: size, material, pattern, color, weight, count, etc.
b. Even if itโs obvious elsewhere in the listing, fill it in.
c. These fields help with search discoverability and improve your score.
4. Use Competitive Pricing
Your pricing matters just as much as your content for you to stay relevant in a crowded market space. Sellers enrolled in Walmart's expedited delivery and similar programs often receive a better Listing Quality Score. The algorithm favors listings that convert; pricing plays a significant role in that.
Tips for writing an efficient description:
a. Regularly check what similar products are selling for.
b. Make sure your offer stays competitive but realistic; undercutting by a lot may raise red flags.
c. Factor in shipping, margins, and return rates, but keep it attractive.
5. Optimize Keywords
Keywords are what lead your audience to your products. Hence, your product must have the right keywords, which are accurate and relevant to what youโre selling. Keyword relevance also affects visibility in Walmartโs search engine.
a. Research what customers search for in your category.
b. Include essential terms in your title, description, and backend fields, but keep the language natural.
c. Think beyond brand names, use synonyms, related phrases, and everyday use cases.
d. Avoid keyword stuffing
6. Stay Compliant
Follow the guidelines that Walmart lays out. Even the most perfect listings will be buried if they violate these rules. Stay in tune with the updates brought out by Walmartโs Seller Centre so that you donโt accidentally violate any regulations.
a. Make sure your titles, images, and descriptions follow Walmartโs listing policies.
b. Regularly check for policy updates, especially for restricted categories..
c. Avoid inaccurate or misleading listings
Leveraging Walmart's Tools for Optimization
Walmart has developed resources that can benefit the sellers and give them a real picture of where they stand with their score. The Listing Quality Dashboard, available in Seller Center, provides a clear view of how your products are performing.
It breaks down your overall score and shows you how youโre doing in key areas like content, offer, and performance. Each listing is graded, so you can see which ones are doing well and which need attention.
Walmart also points out why a listingโs score is low. Maybe the images are missing, the title is too short, or the attributes are incomplete. Itโs specific, and thatโs what makes it worthwhile.
What is the best way to use this resource? Start by filtering listings with the lowest scores but the highest viewsโthese are missed opportunities. Fixing just a few things on these can noticeably improve visibility and conversions.
If your score is being dragged down by poor performance, check order defect rates, cancellation rates, or delayed shipping times. These operational issues matter just as much as the listing itself.
Also, use the Growth Opportunities tab for additional recommendations. It often highlights simple fixes, like adding bullet points or enabling two-day shipping, that Walmart knows will help your placement.
Check your dashboard weekly. Click into individual listings, compare them to top competitors, and make improvements in batches. Walmart gives you the data. The value comes from how consistently you act on it. For faster improvements, some sellers also explore Walmart listing optimization services or AI product listing optimization tools that can pinpoint issues with precision.
Also read: How to Advertise on Walmart Marketplace: A 2025 Guide
Common Mistakes to Avoid
One of the easiest ways to lose ground on Walmart Marketplace is by overlooking common issues that quietly drag down your listing score.
1. Duplicate content is a big oneโif you're copying product titles or descriptions across multiple listings, the algorithm notices. It reads as lazy and lowers your visibility. Take the time to write unique, specific content for each item, even if theyโre similar.
2. Another red flag is outdated listings. Products that are out of stock, discontinued, or still showing incorrect information confuse customers and hurt your reliability rating. If a listing isnโt being maintained, Walmart assumes itโs not a priority and treats it that way in search placement.
3. Then thereโs the customer experience side. High return rates, late shipments, poor packaging, or lack of clear communication all feed into the performance score. Even if your content is excellent, these issues can tank your placement.
Conclusion
The Listing Quality Score is about showing up well. It pushes you to be clearer, faster, and more reliableโall of which directly shape how customers see and choose your product. Strategic Walmart listing optimizationโespecially with tools like AI product listing optimization platforms or dedicated Walmart listing optimization servicesโcan give your products the edge they need to thrive. Ready to grow? Book a 1:1 growth call with SalesDuo today.
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About the Author
Meet Arjun Narayan, a Business Dynamo with two decades of conquering boardrooms and founding two companies that didn't just survive but thrived. When he's not navigating business strategies and delivery teams, you'll find him immersed in his love for cars and exploring new models, geeking out over tech trends, globe-trotting for new adventures, and occasionally pondering the mysteries of the universe over a good cup of coffee.
