One thing I regularly neglect on this blog is the all important SEO aspect of e-commerce. Luckily, Sara Collins, a writer for NerdWallet.com was willing to write on this topic. Her guest post is below:
While having a great product may be your first priority, that effort may be wasted unless it’s accompanied by a high quality description. Consumers are unlikely to invest in a product they don’t entirely understand and search engines won’t have enough content to rank a business’ website. A convincing and detailed description will help buyers understand your product better and improve your standing on search engines.
Keep every description concise and informative. Make them as easy to read and understand as possible by keeping the jargon and unnecessary filler words to a minimum. Although creating a bulleted list is a highly suggested technique for easy reading, the intro of a product description along with its title are also critical aspects if you want search engines to recognize your product and to maintain a buyer’s interest.
Another grave mistake many business owners make is copying product descriptions from manufacturers or other businesses’ websites. Instead, it’s best to write unique content, which also helps with search engine rankings. To get your product descriptions going, consider the following criteria in order to give them a boost!
Who Is Your Target Audience?
Different products cater to different audiences. Your first step is to determine your target market before writing descriptions. By doing so, you can write your descriptions around your target market and appeal to them more specifically.
- Are you specifically targeting either men or women?
- Are you targeting age groups instead of gender i.e. college students or retirees?
- Are your products geared towards a certain demographic e.g. single mothers or cat lovers?
What Are The Product Details?
Don’t skimp on this information when creating a description as it gives the prospective buyer a better idea of what they’re purchasing. Plus, adding this information also provides you more content to add specific keywords to your descriptions.
- What are your product’s features?
- What does your product do?
- What materials are used in making the product?
- What size is your product?
- Do your product pictures display items well enough for customers to see what they’re buying?
The details in the description important, but so is the title of the product. Label your product with an SEO-rich title. For example, if you sell dog collars in different patterns, you can use “large dog collar paw print pattern” for your title. Always reflect on what buyers would type in search engines.
Another SEO tip for your website is to tag or title your product pictures with SEO-friendly keywords. For instance, if you sell organic body products, tag your photos with keywords such as “organic-orange-scented-body-butter-8-oz”. Make sure you add hyphens to your picture titles, as this is favorable to a Google search. Many online buyers also use image search to find the product they want, so giving your product titles an SEO makeover can help improve your rank in image searches as well.
How Long Will Your Product Last?
The longevity of a product is actually an important feature that many consumers look for in an item. They want to know how long your product will last in order to determine whether their money is being well spent. For example, these are some products that have a certain length or time that they can be used:
- For a lifetime i.e. a fridge
- Seasonally i.e. a beach blanket or wool sweaters
- Daily for a limited period i.e. a facial moisturizer or supplements
Why Buy Your Product?
You have spell out for the reader reasons why your product is better than the rest. What is it that makes your product stand out? Is it the convenience? Does it have special features that comparable products don’t? Write it out in your product description as it aids in advertising your product.
How To Use Your Product?
If you sell clothing items, how can a piece of clothing, such as a shirt, be paired up with another item from your online store? If you have items that can be paired together, upsell them in product descriptions. You have an opportunity to give consumers ideas for how to use your product and with what. This can ultimately result in more sales from a single customer.
Descriptions are not static. Different audiences can be appealed to using different phrases and images pictures, so try a variety of keywords and never leave anything out. Adjust descriptions as needed and keep updating them as often as possible; trends change often and buyers follow trends.
Sara Collins is a writer for NerdWallet. She works to help consumers and business owners alike make informed personal finance decisions, from finding a great discount to shopping for the best credit card rate.
