Get ready for your first marketplace listing.

What is cloud marketplace listing readiness?

Cloud marketplace listing readiness is the state an ISV reaches when their product, legal agreements, technical infrastructure, and go-to-market motion are fully prepared to list, transact, and co-sell through AWS, Azure, or GCP Marketplace. Getting to a live, transactable listing typically takes 4–12 weeks depending on the cloud provider and the ISV's preparation level.

Most ISVs underestimate the gap between "we want to be on AWS Marketplace" and "we have a live listing generating revenue." The process involves partner registration, technical integration, listing content creation, and provider review — each with its own timeline and requirements. This guide walks you through the full process in three phases.

Pre-listing readiness (Weeks 1–4)

Before you create a single listing, three things must be in place: you have chosen your first marketplace, your product meets the SaaS prerequisites, and you have completed partner registration. Skipping any of these causes delays at review time.

Choose your first marketplace

Start with one. Pick the cloud provider where your existing customers and pipeline are already concentrated. Multi-cloud expansion comes after your first listing is live and transacting.

• AWS Marketplace: The largest ISV ecosystem, the most mature co-sell program (ISV Accelerate), and the broadest buyer reach. Start here if your customers are primarily AWS shops or you have no strong signal either way.
• Azure Marketplace: Strongest for enterprise customers in Microsoft-first environments. The best angle if your buyers have MACC (Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment) they need to draw down. Co-sell works directly inside Microsoft's sales motion.
• GCP Marketplace: Fastest-growing, particularly strong for data, AI, and ML companies. ISV Advantage offers fee reductions. Choose GCP if your customers run their data infrastructure on Google Cloud.

SaaS and technical prerequisites

All three marketplaces require SaaS products to meet a baseline of technical and commercial readiness before a listing is accepted:

Commercial prerequisites (all three clouds):

• Your product must be purchasable as SaaS — subscription-based, not a perpetual license model.
• You need a publicly accessible product URL for the marketplace listing.
• A working free trial or demo URL is required by most marketplaces.
• Your pricing model must be defined: per seat, per usage, flat monthly, or annual.
• Legal: you need a standard EULA that can be referenced in the listing.

Technical prerequisites by cloud:

• AWS SaaS: Implement the AWS Marketplace Metering Service API (for usage-based pricing) and the SaaS subscription notification endpoint. AWS validates this integration before approving your listing.
• Azure: Implement the SaaS Fulfillment APIs v2 — a landing page URL and a webhook endpoint. Microsoft's review checks that both are functional.
• GCP: Implement the Google Cloud Marketplace billing integration via the Procurement API. GCP validates your integration in a staging environment before production listing.

Partner registration

Each cloud provider requires ISVs to register as a technology partner before creating a listing. Complete these registrations in Week 1 — they take time to approve and you cannot create a listing without them.

• AWS: Register in APN Partner Central as a Technology Partner. Complete your partner profile (company information, product descriptions, use cases). Without partner status, you cannot access the AWS Marketplace Management Portal.
• Azure: Register in Microsoft Partner Center. Enroll in the Commercial Marketplace program. Set up your payout account (bank account and tax forms required — allow 1–2 weeks for verification).
• GCP: Register in Google Partner Advantage portal. Set up a Cloud Console billing account. Apply for access to the Producer Portal where listings are created.

Building the listing (Weeks 3–8)

Once partner registration is underway, you can start building the listing in parallel. Listing content creation and technical validation typically happen concurrently in weeks 3–8.

Listing content requirements

Every marketplace listing requires the same core set of content assets. Prepare these before you open the listing portal — you will need all of them before the listing can be submitted for review.

• Product name and short description: Usually 200–300 character limit. This appears in search results — make it specific and benefit-led, not generic.
• Long description: Up to 3,000 characters. Explain what the product does, the primary use cases, key features, and who it is for. Write for a buyer who has never heard of you.
• Logo: Square format, specific pixel requirements per marketplace. Prepare a 600×600 PNG with a transparent or white background.
• Screenshots: Typically 3–5 required. Show the product UI in actual use — not marketing illustrations.
• Video: Optional but recommended. A 60–90 second product overview significantly improves listing conversion.
• Support URL and documentation URL: Both required. Your support page must be publicly accessible.
• Pricing configuration: SaaS contract terms or usage-based metering rates. Configure this carefully — pricing changes after listing approval require re-review.

Per-cloud listing steps

AWS Marketplace:

1. Create your listing in the AWS Marketplace Management Portal (AMMP) at aws.amazon.com/marketplace/management/.
2. Submit for AWS review. Initial review typically takes 3–5 business days.
3. Pass technical validation: AWS checks that your SaaS subscription endpoint returns the correct response to their test calls.
4. Set up Partner Central access and check ACE eligibility so your team can share qualified opportunities. Treat ISV Accelerate as a separate program with additional requirements.

Azure Marketplace:

1. Create your listing in Partner Center under Commercial Marketplace → New offer → SaaS.
2. Configure SaaS technical settings: enter your landing page URL and webhook URL. Microsoft sends test calls to both before approval.
3. Submit for Microsoft review. Allow 5–10 business days.
4. After the listing goes live, enable co-sell status in Partner Center — this is a separate action from publishing the listing.

GCP Marketplace:

1. Create your listing in the Cloud Console Producer Portal.
2. Configure billing integration: SaaS subscription or usage-based metering via the Procurement API.
3. Test in the GCP staging environment. GCP requires a successful test transaction before your listing can proceed to production review.
4. Submit for GCP review. After approval, apply separately for ISV Advantage if your product qualifies.

First 90 days after going live

Going live is not the end of the work — it is the beginning. The first 90 days determine whether your marketplace listing becomes a revenue channel or a neglected catalog entry.

First transactions (Days 1–30)

The first thing to do after going live is verify that the billing flow works end-to-end. Do not wait for a real customer to discover a broken integration.

• Process a test transaction using a test account (each cloud provider has test buyer accounts for this purpose). Confirm that the subscription webhook fires correctly and that your product provisions access automatically.
• Monitor the seller portal daily in the first few weeks — AWS Seller Management Portal, Azure Partner Center, or GCP Cloud Console. Subscription events, support tickets, and billing alerts require fast response when you are new.
• Alert your sales team that the listing is live. Equip them with a buyer-facing one-pager explaining how to purchase through the marketplace. Many ISV sales teams do not know how to close a marketplace deal until someone shows them.

Co-sell activation (Days 15–45)

A live listing with no co-sell motion generates very few inbound deals on its own. Co-sell is where the real revenue impact begins. Apply as soon as your listing is approved.

• AWS: Start with Partner Central setup and ACE eligibility. Work toward ISV Accelerate when you meet its current listing, validation, training, and opportunity requirements. A live listing alone is not enough. ACE opportunity sharing can begin before Accelerate enrollment.
• Microsoft: Prepare the documents, sales contacts, and published offer required for co-sell-ready status. Assess Azure IP co-sell eligibility separately; it has additional requirements. Confirm MACC enrollment before promising commitment drawdown.
• GCP: Register for ISV Advantage if your product is eligible. Submit your first co-sell referral through the Partner Advantage portal to test the workflow end-to-end.

First customer communications (Days 1–90):

• Set up renewal alert processes. Marketplace subscriptions expire at the contract end date — you are responsible for tracking renewals. A customer whose subscription lapses without renewal will lose access to your product automatically. Build alerts for 30-day, 14-day, and 7-day pre-expiry.
• Confirm your webhook handling is working correctly by monitoring subscription events in production. When a buyer subscribes, cancels, or changes their plan, your SaaS fulfillment endpoint must respond within the provider's timeout window (typically under 10 seconds).
• For private offers: document your internal process for who creates them, who approves pricing, and how you track expiry dates. Private offers have short validity windows (typically 30–60 days) and expired offers require a new offer to be created.

90-day readiness checklist

Use this checklist to verify your listing is fully operational before treating the go-live as complete:

• Listing is live and transactable on at least one marketplace
• First test transaction completed end-to-end (subscription webhook confirmed)
• Sales team is briefed: knows the listing is live and has buyer-facing materials
• Co-sell program applied for (ISV Accelerate / Azure IP co-sell / ISV Advantage)
• First co-sell referral submitted to test the workflow
• Subscription renewal tracking in place (30-day / 14-day / 7-day alerts)
• Private offer process documented: who creates, who approves, how expiry is tracked
• Public listing price reviewed after 30 days (competitive vs. comparable products?)

Frequently asked questions