When Was the Last Time You Updated Product Descriptions?

Well-written product descriptions can make or break your online store. They shouldn’t be too short or too long. It’s a little bit like Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Product descriptions need to be just right. And, interesting enough to buy.

In one of our latest posts we talked about updating your product images and optimizing it for site speed. Make sure those are up to date, too.

How Do I Write Good Product Descriptions?

Good product descriptions say just enough to help your buyer find your page and confirm it is the product they need. If your products have technical information (dimensions for furniture, battery life for electronics), include that information as well.

For example, I’m currently shopping for a dining table. You can’t imagine how much I have to scroll just to find the dimensions.

Be clear. What is the intent behind the search? Your product should be the solution they’re looking for. The indicator of whether your product description is good is conversions (sales).

And, by the way, if your product pairs with another (table and chairs) then make suggestions for what coordinates. That’s going to make upselling much easier.

What Keywords Should My Product Descriptions Have?

When people are searching for your product they will use their language not yours. This is the hardest thing for online store owners to understand.

The other day, I was looking for a product that would allow my phone to screencast — without AppleTV. I knew it was called “screen mirroring” so that was my search. I found a great product and was happy to pay for it.

Let your searchers help you. How? Look at the way people write about your product in the reviews. Look at the search terms in Google’s Search Console. Pay attention to how people describe your product.

If you’re reselling a product, don’t use too much of the manufacturer’s wording. This can potentially hurt your own rankings, reminds SEJ.

“If you’re not generating unique product descriptions, you’re taking a gamble. There isn’t an official penalty from Google for duplicate content. But it muddies up the waters and impacts your search engine rankings.”

Search Engine Journal

How Long Should Product Descriptions Be?

There are a lot of marketers who tell you that your products should have a story. Well, if I’m ordering a flight of whiskey, I don’t care what the story is. I care about the flavor profile.

Remember, that people don’t read. They scan. Enumerating features or putting them in a bulleted list helps. If your products have a lot of competition, those features will matter. Or, if you’re offering three different versions of your software, what is the side-by-side comparison?

If your sales pages aren’t converting, then revisit. Look to your analytics to see what people are searching for. It might be that your product descriptions don’t answer their questions.

The good thing about selling products online is that the web easily expands. It’s not print. If you’re not sure which direction you should go, why not have two product pages and A/B test the product descriptions? Let your buyers decide.

Your Community and eCommerce

Your community wants your products. The products bring people to your site and the community keeps them there. With PeepSo’s EDD and WooCommerce integrations, you can have the best of both worlds – eCommerce and Community. In fact there’s a whole range of Monetization plugins.

Brought to you by Bridget Willard

Marketing Consultant & Strategic Partner. Keynote Speaker. Author. CEO. I’d love to train your team how to effectively use social media.