Writing a good product description will provide new customers with the information they need to make a purchase decision. Not providing enough detail might cost you a sale. But that’s not the only benefit to it — a product description can also benefit SEO. Among all the other content optimizations you can do, it's worth specifically writing product descriptions for SEO.
When your product descriptions are optimized for SEO, you improve the chances of ranking highly in SERPs and getting your business noticed. Every little bit helps! That’s why today, we’ll delve into how you can write product descriptions that tick all the boxes for SEO.
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Why SEO Matters for E-Commerce
SEO is of particular importance for e-commerce vendors because it helps them increase their revenue. Of course, there is a bit more to it than that. When done well, SEO improves the ranking of your product pages in the SERPs.
Research has shown the majority of people don’t go beyond the first page of a search result. So, if you aren’t in the first page of search results, you can say goodbye to new customers.
The benefits of SEO are far-reaching, and the practice is more cost-effective in comparison to paid advertising. Optimizing things like your product description and meta title are all a part of a complete SEO package, but there is another way to get SEO bonus points.
By adding a blog to your e-commerce store, you can attract even more online visibility. One of the easiest blogging platforms to use is DropInBlog. DropInBlog is platform-agnostic, which means it’s possible to integrate it with a wide variety of platforms and website builders.
With DropInBlog, you’ll be able to expertly create and manage all your blog posts and optimize them for SEO easily. Regularly publishing SEO-optimized blog posts can give you a huge boost in organic traffic to an e-commerce store – this is what you want.
How Product Descriptions Help SEO
These concise, informative snippets of content are crucial for search engines, helping them understand the relevance and value of your products or services. A search engine-optimized product description is more likely to appear in search results.
Effective product descriptions incorporate relevant keywords and phrases that potential customers might use when searching for products online. By inserting these keywords and providing valuable information about the product's features, benefits, and specifications, you not only improve your website's visibility in search results but also give the customer the details they need. A good user experience is just as valuable for SEO.
But, how do you optimize a product description for SEO? Let’s go through the things to look at.
Writing a Product Description for SEO
There are a few key areas to focus on when you’re developing an SEO-optimized product description. There are the keywords you use, the content structure, and images to consider. But you also have to craft engaging content and include social proof.
Keyword Research
Without target keywords – and well-researched ones – SEO just won’t work. Before you start writing your product description, you need to complete your keyword research. Look at the keywords your competitors are targeting and think about the search intent of your potential customers.
The best keywords will have a low competitiveness score and high search volume. A low competitiveness score means there isn’t much competition or use of that keyword, so you have a better chance of ranking with it. A keyword with a high search volume is also a good thing. Keywords with a high search volume are used more frequently and give your page a better chance of being discovered.
Tools for Keyword Research
There is a wide variety of keyword research tools available online. Some are free, but others require a subscription. Some of the best free keyword research tools include:
The most highly recommended paid keyword research tools include:
You can also use tools like Answer the Public or QuestionDB to develop relevant long-tail keywords. Once you’ve completed your keyword research and selected one with the perfect mix of low competition and high search volume, you can move on to developing your product description.
Develop Engaging Content
One way to ensure you craft a high-converting product description is to focus on developing engaging, informative descriptions. The aim is to make your product stand out from the competition. Your product description doesn’t have to be long, but it needs to tell the reader what they want to know.
Product details like specifications and recommendations for use are both important things to add. You should highlight how your product can solve their problems or enhance their lives – see the image below for a good example. Additionally, make sure the language you use is easy to understand and can resonate with your audience.
When you know your target audience intimately, you understand their needs, preferences, and pain points – this all makes crafting engaging content much easier. Some key tips for writing engaging product descriptions include:
- Make your descriptions scannable – use bullet points and short paragraphs.
- Add your own personality and flair to the writing.
- Use persuasive language and power words.
- Have a clear call to action.
Content Structure
A part of developing good content is the structure. Always use subheadings and bulleted lists where appropriate. This helps the reader scan through to find the specific information they need.
Similarly, your product pages – and your entire e-commerce store, for that matter – need to be mobile-responsive. This means that the page will resize when someone opens it from a mobile device as opposed to a computer. All the buttons, text, and images will automatically adjust and be readable on a mobile-friendly page.
Optimize Images
Images are important to add to almost any kind of written content online, but even more important for product descriptions. The reason why is obvious – your customers want to see the product. Depending on what your products are, you may also need to add interactive images that allow a user to inspect the items from various angles or zoom in or out.
Any images you add to your product description pages need to be optimized. Only add essential images and make sure they’re compressed and not causing the page to load slowly. You should also add alt text to all your images.
Social Proof Is Invaluable
Social proof is invaluable when it comes to e-commerce stores building and maintaining customer relationships. Whether it’s a store’s presence on social media or the reviews left by past customers, people want to know if the business is legitimate.
When someone is considering making a purchase online, they will look at customer reviews and comments to help them make a decision. Positive reviews will give your product and business credibility. Always allow customers to leave a review and ensure they’re visible on the product description page.
Monitor the Results
Monitoring and evaluation is often the most neglected part of anything, but it’s important to not let your hard work go to waste. Once your SEO-optimized product description goes live, you should monitor the traffic that it’s bringing in. If there’s no change in the amount of traffic, something isn’t working. Either the keyword isn’t effective or there’s something wrong with the technical SEO on the page.
If you identify that your product page isn’t getting the traffic you desire, then you can make some changes and reassess.
FAQs
What is the best length for a product description?
There isn’t a definitive guide to how long product descriptions need to be, but the general aim is for somewhere between 300-400 words. If you have less than 300 words, you’re unlikely to be able to cover all the necessary details to engage and convert the customer.
What details should a product description contain?
It’s nice to craft a product description that tells a story and captures the customer. Obviously, the product page needs to clearly state the price and if the product is in stock. However, there are a few details a product description must have, including:
- Materials or ingredients
- Recommendations for use
- Benefits of the product
- Dimensions and any special features
Final Thoughts
When it comes to writing product descriptions for SEO, there really isn’t a lot to it. It’s not difficult – it just requires some attention to detail. The very beginning of the process of optimizing for search engine success revolves around your deep understanding of your customer base and thorough keyword research. Once you’ve done this, the rest will fall into place.
Optimize your images, include user reviews on the product page, and structure your product description with readability in mind. Above all, don’t be afraid to add a bit of personality to your writing – connecting with your customers on a personal level is just as important as all the SEO you do.
