Content for ecommerce websites does double-duty: It must be SEO-friendly in addition to effectively describing (and selling) the product to customers. Product descriptions can make or break a sale, so it's important to write unique, optimized text for each of your products.
Great product descriptions don't simply describe the product, however. They inform, educate, and persuade the customer to buy. Here are four tips for writing effective product descriptions:
Be Informative
While describing the product isn't the only function of a product description, it is still part of it. You also need to include the right keywords and format it in a way that its discovered by search engines. Be sure include all of the pertinent information about a product including, color, dimensions, features, price, and customization options, if applicable.
Create Unique Content for Each Product
It's important to compose a unique description for each product, even if they are similar. One of Google's most important ranking factors is the presence of duplicate content, even for product descriptions! Seeing practically the same product description on every product (or not having one at all) is not only looked down upon by Google, but it's also boring to the buyer. Unsure of what to say? Visit a competitor's website for ideas and inspiration. Brainstorm with your team. Be imaginative!
Compose a Narrative
Appeal to emotions with insight and narrative, and make the product relatable by telling a story about a customer using it. Or, instead of simply listing the features, describe them in action. A video would be helpful here, of course, but this can still be accomplished with text.
For example, a car salesman doesn't just say, "this van has seats 8." He says, "this family van features safely seats 8, so each of your 3 kids can bring a friend to the park!" He effectively paints a picture in the buyer's mind, enabling them to see themselves using the product. He has turned a feature into a relatable benefit.
Communicate a Sense of Urgency
The customer must have a reason for acting immediately. The moment a user leaves your website to think about it or buy it later, the purchase becomes more unlikely. Communicating a sense of urgency discourages your buyers from leaving your website.
Urgency is prompted through a combination of time, exclusivity or availability, and saving money. Here are a few approaches you can use to create this sense of urgency in your product descriptions:
- "For a limited time."
- "Only 5 left!"
- "Price if Purchased in the Next 4 minutes."
You may also want to make use of ecommerce personalization tools and automatically create an offer specifically to that customer. This could mean a special coupon based on previous purchases or an invite to an exclusive sale.
Effective product descriptions are essential to SEO and your bottom line. If you are experiencing low conversions on your ecommerce website, it might be worth your time to review your product descriptions and determine how they can be improved.
