Their purpose is to convey key information about product features and benefits so they feel compelled to buy.
However, entrepreneurs and marketers often make a common mistake when writing them: crafting descriptions that merely describe their products.
This is the wrong approach. Why? Because great product descriptions should focus on selling your products to real people, not just dispensing dry information to search engines (search engine optimization can’t be an afterthought, of course).
They should satisfy your buyers’ intent, provide them with a great experience, and compel them to click the “Add to Cart” button — basically all the things that are essential to boost online sales.
But there’s so much competition out there — how can you make your online store stand out?
You need to create user-friendly product descriptions that increase conversion rates.
How do you create compelling product descriptions that rank high on search engine result pages (SERPs) that are also easy to read?
When you write a product description with a horde of buyers in mind, you end up addressing no one at all.
The best product descriptions focus directly and personally on your target audience. You can include common questions and answer them as if you’re having a conversation, using your ideal customers’ language. Make sure to use the term you.
Include these keywords in your titles and alt tags. You should also incorporate related phrases to make it easier for people actively searching for your products to find you. Content optimization like this can make a big difference when it comes to Google searches.
Sellers get excited about individual product features, specs, and other minutiae. They live and breathe their brands and products.
Potential buyers are not as interested you are in the mundane features and specs of your product. Instead, they want to know what’s in it for them — how it will address their most significant pain points and make them happy. That’s why you need to highlight the benefits of each product feature and explain why they are important.
Bland phrases like “excellent product quality” don’t excite anyone. As soon as a potential buyer sees those words, they are reminded of how many millions of times they’ve seen them in product descriptions.
I’ve never seen a product description that says “average product quality” or “awful product quality” — have you?
To keep people from clicking away when they see mundane phrases, you must be as specific as possible. For example, Zappos doesn’t describe the quality of a pair of shoes as excellent. Instead, they explain each technical detail about the shoes and their benefit. Here’s an excerpt of a product description for a pair of Sperry Top-Sider® boots:
See what I mean? Much better than using humdrum language.
Well-written, succinct descriptions enable your audience to quickly scan through content and get all the information they need to make a purchase. Scannable descriptions are also easy to read for mobile shoppers.
How can you create user-friendly product descriptions that your audience can quickly scan?
Using these tips to make your descriptions easy to read means your audience will find it easy to understand the features and benefits of your products.
Optimizing your product descriptions for search engines is a critical step in getting people to buy your products. While SEO is complex and nuanced, it’s correct to say that the basics do a disproportionate share of the work. However, in terms of writing, there are a few rules of thumb that will put you comfortably ahead of businesses with no SEO. These include:
They demonstrate to users how to properly use your product. You can also have an expert or influencer explaining the product’s advantages in your video.
Do you want to enable your customers to try your products before buying? If so, use technology such as 3D, 360-degree viewing, and augmented reality (AR).
Research shows that 89% of shoppers check out reviews before buying. Additionally, 79% say content created by other consumers influences their buying decisions.
When writing user-friendly product descriptions, it is essential to include different types of social proof. These include testimonials, ratings, and user-generated content.
Asking customers who have purchased your product to rate and review it is a great way to gather social proof.
You can also offer social proof by showing how many people have purchased a product or recommended it. It will help you build good customer relationships as well as good business ROI.
Continuous experimentation is the key to writing product descriptions that sell.
First, try all of these strategies, then A/B-test to determine which ones generate more revenue. Then, focus on the most profitable.
Providing value in user-friendly product descriptions will make a huge difference in your bottom line.