Simply stating how your product stands out in your descriptions is not enough for success in the current online retail market.
You also need to ensure these product descriptions are SEO-optimized. SEO-optimized product descriptions help boost the visibility of your eCommerce business. They can help ensure website traffic and conversions.
But how do you craft these SEO-friendly product descriptions for eCommerce business success? We’ll discuss that in this article. Let’s start with the basics:
What are SEO product descriptions?
SEO product descriptions are eCommerce website copy that highlights the benefits of an item showcased on a product page. It also includes elements of search engine optimization, such as target keywords and proper content structure.
This is an example of a SEO product description:
Notice the description highlights what makes the product unique. It also has some keywords relevant for SEO such as “knife,” “bar,” or “bartender’s knife.” The text is also concise, and you can easily discern the key points just by scanning it.
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Why SEO-friendly product descriptions matter for your eCommerce business
SEO product descriptions are important for search engines. Search engines rank pages by the highest relevance to a search query. But they can’t include yours in search rankings if they don’t know what your page is about.
That’s where SEO product descriptions come in.
SEO product descriptions tell search engines like Google the message you want to communicate with your page. Once search engines understand what this is, they can serve your page given a relevant search query and categorize your product with similar products in search engine results pages.
SEO product descriptions are also important for users. It will be easier for potential customers to find your eCommerce business in SERPs if you describe your offer with terms they use when making online searches. If you also leverage the services of a good SaaS link building agency, you can expect even better online visibility.
Moreover, SEO-optimized copy can lead to better user experience.
Ultimately, SEO-friendly descriptions increase your chances of converting potential customers into buyers. They effectively showcase the product’s benefits and features and make these visible to them. The result is that you can persuade customers that your product is the right choice. SEO-optimized product descriptions can, therefore, boost sales conversions and ROI for your online store.
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How to craft SEO-optimized eCommerce product descriptions
Now, the question is, how do you create compelling product descriptions that are SEO-optimized? Follow these tips:
Include keywords
As I mentioned earlier, specific keywords and phrases explain to search engines what your product pages are about and how to categorize them. The easier it is for Google to understand your content, the more likely your website will rank.
So, you need to conduct research to know exactly what keywords to use. Keyword research is the process of finding keywords most relevant to your niche. For your research, you can use keyword research tools.
Another option is to use Google. Before you can even type in the word “black dress,” for example, Google will automatically show you keywords you can incorporate into your product descriptions. You can also press enter and go to the Related Searches section for even more keywords to use in your product descriptions:
In general, as an eCommerce store, the main keyword you want to use in your product descriptions is the name of the product. For example, if you sell dresses, the main keyword can be “black dress” or “mini dress.” This main keyword should be in your page title, first heading, and URL address. It should also form part of your product description as the product title. You can also include it in your description body. See the example below:
Remember to avoid keyword stuffing. The recommended word count of product page copy is between 305-400. Keep that in mind when writing SEO product descriptions.
Craft descriptions resonating with the target audience
Before creating optimized product descriptions, thoroughly understand your target customer. Consider demographics, interests, and preferences. Are they tech-savvy millennials, busy parents, or professionals in a specific industry?
Audience research helps you grasp the search intent behind user queries. By understanding what your audience is looking for, you can tailor your product descriptions to provide the most relevant and satisfying answers for them. That can help improve your ranking in search results and, at the same time, increase the chances of users going to your site.
Knowing your target audience will also help you create product descriptions with the tone and style they prefer. These are the same tone and style they’ll use when looking for products that are similar to yours online. So, when they make a search query, your ecommerce page will likely show up in SERPs.
That said, if you’re an eCommerce brand that caters to a young audience like Olipop, you might use informal and conversational language like this one:
If you’re a luxury brand that caters to older customers, you could use a more formal language that resonates with them. Check out this sample product description from Velasca, an Italian shoe brand:
Whatever your tone and style, avoid buzzwords and jargon. You can use generative AI tools to help you craft descriptions that are easy to understand. Just insert the right prompts. The tools will come up with excellent copy that not only resonates with your audience but also aligns with your branding.
Highlight unique selling points and benefits
To ensure SEO-optimized product descriptions, you must focus on how your product provides value. Instead of focusing on features, shift your attention to the product benefits. Features are product “traits.” Benefits, meanwhile, describe precisely what customers can derive from using those features.
See how the benefits are highlighted in the first part of this product description. Even if the features are emphasized in the subsequent bullet points, the corresponding benefit that comes with the feature is explained right after. The “Temp-Shield double-wall vacuum insulation” feature, for instance, yields the benefit of keeping drinks “cold up to 24 hours, hot up to 12.”
But how does highlighting the benefits and unique selling points of your product boost your SEO efforts?
Simple. It can help your product’s visibility in SERPs.
Many search queries related to products include benefits customers expect from these products. For example, if someone is looking for sunscreen, they might want it to be nongreasy. So, instead of just typing “sunscreen,” they’ll type “nongreasy sunscreen” into the search bar. Because this is the type of content users are looking for, presenting unique selling points may also make your content eligible for rich snippets or featured snippets in search results.
Plus, if you include the unique selling points of your product, you can rank for less competitive long-tail keywords.
Highlighting the benefits in product descriptions can also effectively reduce bounce rates. The long-tail keywords these types of product descriptions rank for are highly specific. Although they may have a lower search volume, they’ll attract more qualified traffic to your site.
And when these already-interested users can quickly find valuable information about a product – its unique advantages and benefits – on your website, they are more likely to stay and explore further. This reduced bounce rate signals to search engines that visitors find your content valuable, contributing to your site’s better SEO performance.
Overall, highlighting your unique selling points and listing your product’s benefits can positively impact SEO and user experience.
Use high-quality images
Images are a focal point of eCommerce product pages. Most people look at how the product looks before they read an SEO friendly product description.
If you’re implementing a restaurant marketing plan, product images become even more important. If your food image is low-quality, your dish won’t look appetizing. That means, you can’t expect people to make that purchase decision.
But if you post high-quality images of your dish, you can expect sales. Publish them on your social media sites, and you’ll benefit even more from these images. With them, you can easily get Instagram likes, Facebook shares, and X comments, and boost overall social media engagement.
High-quality product description images are also important for SEO. High-quality means they shouldn’t just look good. They should also have the characteristics required of them for SEO purposes.
For instance, a high-quality product description image should be compressed. The bulkier the images, the longer the loading time of ecommerce sites. Page load speed is an important SEO ranking factor. So, before you upload, compress your image files to ensure they don’t take up too much space. You can use tools such as Tiny PNG and JPEG Optimizer for this.
A high-quality product description image should also be named properly. Instead of using a generic file name, describe the picture as part of your image SEO. This way, you can provide additional information for Google about your page.
Add captions and alt text to your images as well. Captions can help improve the user experience. Meanwhile, Google rewards sites that use image alt text. But what’s the difference between the two?
A caption is a description of your image visible to the user. Alt text exists only in code and can be seen only in specific circumstances. It was designed to increase accessibility for people who can’t see an entire image. It’s also displayed when the internet connection is too slow for loading images.
You can find the product caption right below the product image in the screenshot below. The image alt text is the code on your right.
If you want to enhance the optimization of your images, include your target keyword in the image file name, description, and alt text. Remember that images and any written content describing them should be relevant to the content of your product pages.
Create a clear call to action (CTA)
Writing excellent SEO product descriptions entails crafting a clear call to action. Guiding customers in the right direction instead of confusing them will positively impact user experience. As I mentioned earlier, a good user experience can indirectly help your SEO.
To create a compelling CTA, state clearly what you want customers to do. In the case of product descriptions, that’s usually for them to add a specific product to your cart. As much as possible, include only one CTA on your product description page. Multiple calls to action will only confuse your customers.
Remember to use simple language and use as few words as possible. Perfect CTAs have only up to seven words. Check out this excellent sample CTA from Leesa, which sells mattresses, pillows and bed sheets online. It has only three words but it’s concise and easy to understand:
You can also include words that inspire urgency, such as “today” or “now” to get potential customers to take your desired action then and there.
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Bonus tip: Make product pages mobile-responsive
It’s not enough for your product descriptions to be SEO-optimized. The pages that carry them should also be SEO-friendly.
Google uses mobile first indexing, which means it prioritizes indexing the mobile version of a website’s content. So, if your pages are mobile-friendly, they’ll likely rank in SERPs. Plus, responsive layout doesn’t require redirection for users to have a device-optimized view. That means when you use a responsive design, your website will load faster. That’s also important for SEO.
To optimize your eCommerce website, use a responsive layout like this one:
With this type of layout, no matter how big a screen is, your page will fill it properly. On a smaller mobile-friendly screen, although your site’s content scales down, it doesn’t become unreadable or impossible to interact with.
Are you using a Content Management System for your ecommerce website? You can take advantage of mobile-optimized templates it may offer. If you have a Shopify store, for instance, you have an entire marketplace of templates with different themes to choose from.
Overall, in today’s increasingly mobile world, ensuring mobile optimization is essential. Mobile-friendliness is crucial, not just for SEO, but also for providing a seamless and enjoyable user experience on mobile devices. This leads to higher engagement and increased conversions.
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Key Takeaways
Product descriptions are the focal point of eCommerce website content. When writing product descriptions, ensure they’re not just clear and compelling for prospective customers. Make sure they also include essential SEO elements.
The keyword research process is key here. It will allow you to find the most relevant keywords to use in your own product descriptions. As part of applying SEO tactics to your ecommerce website content, also ensure you use high-quality images. Focus on the unique benefits your product can provide customers and craft descriptions that resonate with your target customers. Use a clear and enticing call to action.
As a bonus tip, optimize your site for mobile as well.
By following these tips, you can write SEO product descriptions that drive more traffic to your eCommerce website. You’ll soon see your business grow.
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