30 Sep
A product description explains what a product is and why it’s worth purchasing. The purpose of a product description is to supply customers with important information about the features and benefits of the product so they’re compelled to buy.
Once you learn how to write a product description that sells, creating pages for new products becomes more straightforward. Here are some essential steps that make up the perfect product description.
Elements of an ecommerce product page
In addition to the product title, or name, your product page includes other essential elements, such as:
- Image
- Description
- Call to action
1. Product Image
The product image shows shoppers what your product looks like in action. Most ecommerce businesses include multiple photos to show the product from different angles or in different colors. You can also give shoppers the option to zoom in and see details of the product.
2. Product Description
Your product description, or product copy, outlines your product’s features and tells shoppers why they should buy it. A great product description indicates what the product is and what it does while enticing the reader to make a purchase.
3. Call to Action
Your call to action is how you ask for the sale on your product page. For many ecommerce products, this is your purchase or add to cart button. It doesn’t have to be complex, but it should be easy for shoppers to find and click.
Why would you improve the descriptions for your products?
A product description is used to show a product’s value to a potential customer on your website. If done well, it will provide features and benefits of the product which will influence a potential customer to purchase. A product description should include a description on how it can fix a customer’s problem.
Two of the most important tools you have at your disposal to sell your products are product photography and writing product descriptions. An online store has to work extra hard to make products on your product pages tangible for your customer. Customers can’t handle your products in the flesh, so they have to make do with a description and imagery so these better are great.
Unfortunately, many ecommerce sites don’t take this to heart. There are a lot of opportunities for online stores to improve their offerings. That also means there’s a lot of room for forward-thinking online stores to conquer the market. Whatever you do, there’s always a chance to improve your product descriptions. Don’t rely on tedious and standard stuff.
Do you need more reasons to improve your product descriptions? Good product descriptions help you:
- Communicate benefits more clearly,
- establish a voice,
- improve customer experience,
- increase the chance of ranking your product in the search results,
- get higher conversion rates,
- get more return customers/build relationships,
- create trust.
1. Always focus on your customer
You need to know the product, the customer, and how they write or talk about this particular product. You need to know how the customer comes from realizing a need to buying a product from you: the user journey.
It might be that the manufacturer came up with a snazzy name and description that in no way aligns with the consumer’s thoughts about this product. A particle destroyer doesn’t scream vacuum cleaner, right? Don’t amplify that; keep it sensible and understandable.
Doing keyword research for products also gives you an idea about how to talk about products, not just about which words to use. Find out the real value of the product and use consumers’ way of talking to communicate that.
2. Don’t rely on generic text from manufacturers
It’s easy to use the descriptions provided by manufacturers. The content is in the data set, so why not use it? Well, there are a couple of reasons why you shouldn’t use that default description. One, many other online stores selling the same products use these descriptions. Two, many other online stores selling the same products use these descriptions. See, duplicate content.
It’s hard to stand out if you are like everyone else. Of course, it’s hard for some products to come up with a description that accurately describes the product in your unique way. Plus, you might have many slight variations of a product, causing much frustration in writing those individual descriptions. Still, if there’s only the slightest possibility of writing something that stands out — go for it.
In researching, search for your product in Google and see which competitor comes up. Analyze their writing and see how you can top that.
3. Don’t write for search engines (but do)
One of the most important things to remember is that you are writing for humans, not machines. Of course, writing a good product description makes it easier for search engines to understand it, but that shouldn’t be your goal. Your goal is to communicate the product’s value to customers and sell it as a solution.
Doing keyword research will give you an idea of which terms a product ranks for — and you know what people use to describe it. Combining these helps you write great product descriptions that can do well for search engines and consumers alike.
Don’t forget to use Yoast SEO to get your product pages ready for the search engines, plus, if your site runs on WooCommerce, you’ll enjoy our WooCommerce SEO add-on. If you want to broaden your horizon and increase the chance of your site turning up in Google, you could start blogging on your ecommerce store.
4. Focus on solving the user’s pain
It’s easy to list a selection of plusses that you think are a good fit for the product. Maybe add some specifications while you are at it. But, then you might end up with a product description written from your perspective and not the consumers. What are they gaining from using your product? What’s the solution? How do you plan to solve the user’s pain?
Remember, you are not selling dental picks, but you are selling a solution for bleeding gums. Sometimes, consumers don’t even know the name of the product they are looking for they want to get their problem fixed. Selling your dental picks as simply that might mean missing out on the people looking for a quick and easy way can help them reduce their woes.
Focussing on the user intent makes it possible to uncover those problems and helps you offer solutions with your product.
5. Stay away from cliches and avoid using superlatives
Calling every product the best will achieve the opposite nobody will believe anything anymore. Words have power, but you need to learn how to wield that power. Think carefully about which words you use because most of the time, less is more. Omit needless words. By using stripped-back language, that single power word can do the job. Of course, if your products have won awards or other accolades, you can brag about it please do so tastefully.
The same goes for cliches in your writing. Don’t use cliched language if a regular piece of text can do the job. Keep in mind that not everyone knows the same idioms as you do. Keep your content easy to understand, easy to scan, and easy to remember.
6. Make it personal
Not every piece of text has to be boring and distant. You can use your voice and make it more personal. Develop your tone of voice and stick to it! It makes you recognizable, it helps your branding, making you stand out from the crowd. Keep in mind that you are not simply selling a product to a person, but you are selling an experience. And, since you want that customer to return sometime in the future, it better be a good experience.
7. Use user stories and examples
It shouldn’t always be you that tells the story of a product. The best seller of your product is someone who bought it already. Ask your customers for input and use their insights to enhance your content. You might even incorporate their stories in your product descriptions. Use visual and textual examples of your product in use by actual customers. By doing this, potential customers get a better feel for the product, its benefits, and usage.
What is a good product description?
Before we get into the nitty gritty of how to write a good product description, let’s define what makes a product description good in the first place.
For starters, an effective product description will boost sales on your site. When customers are well-informed and make a connection to your product, they are more likely to buy your product. In essence, your product description is your sales pitch, isn’t it? It informs the customer just like a salesperson would. It’s also one of the final steps consumers take when making a purchase decision.
A good product description reflects your brand and your target audience. It can really help bridge the gap between what your brand is and who your customers are.
A good product description will help your online shop rank higher as well. You probably already understand the cyclical nature of SEO. With more people finding your site, you’ll get more visitors and more sales. Higher conversions signal to Google that you are a good website and this will help you rank even higher. Having great texts in your product descriptions will get you there.
Tips for writing ecommerce product descriptions
Now that you have a step-by-step guide and some great product description examples, you’re almost ready to get started. As you progress, writing product descriptions becomes more of an art than an exact science. However, there are some tips to follow to help you get your product description just right.
1. Find the right length
Your product description needs to tell a compelling story while also outlining product details and key benefits. You don’t need to write a novel, but you need enough content to close the sale.
In general, a good product description is somewhere between 300-400 words in length. This gives you enough space to craft a story for your target customer without overwhelming them with text.
Depending on your brand and industry, you may find that your description lengths are different. If you’re unsure, check out your competition and see what works for them.
2. Make it readable
In addition to keeping your product descriptions concise, you should also focus on readability. In particular, use simple sentence structure and avoid large blocks of text.
While your customers might read at a high school level, it doesn’t mean they prefer it. The sweet spot for content complexity is somewhere between the 6th and 8th-grade reading levels.
Use tools like the Hemingway Editor to remove added complexity from your descriptions. As for avoiding large blocks of text, bullet points are an excellent choice. Bulleted statements make your text scannable. They’re especially helpful for listing the technical details of your product.
3. Pay attention to tone
Your product description should be written for your target customer, but it should still be consistent with your brand voice. The personality and tone of your product description should also be appropriate for your product.
For example, a description for professional software might project authority and expertise. In contrast, consumer products might incorporate sarcasm, playfulness, or even jokes based on the brand’s image. The tone of your descriptions needs to represent your brand well and resonate with your shoppers.
4. Stay away from self-centered language
The best product descriptions focus on the customer. In other words, it’s not about you. Look through your current product descriptions and see how many times you use the words “our” and “we.” Change your sentences so they’re focused on the ultimate benefits shoppers receive. Yes, you want to talk about your product. But if you can describe it from your target customer’s perspective, you’ll do a better job selling it.
Wrap up
Product descriptions are not something to be overlooked. They can tell stories, answer questions, and speak to your target audience in a way that builds connections. They can also really help boost your page’s ranking in search engines and bring more traffic to your online shop. Make sure they get the attention they deserve.
Of course, there are many more ways of doing that, but with these simple tips, anyone can improve the marketing copy of their products.