Ecommerce has never been more relevant in today’s world. With so much competition for online stores, it is essential that you do what you can to stand out from the crowd. But how do you get the upper hand digitally? The key is through content marketing. Content strategy for ecommerce provides an avenue to gain visibility online, augment your search engine ranking and find ways to increase traffic and conversion rates like never before.

What Is Content Strategy for Ecommerce?

Before you can go too far into creating your ecommerce content strategy, you need to have a strong idea of what content for ecommerce actually is. Many people think of blogging and other written information as content, but that isn’t all that’s included in the package. The definition of content has evolved to include more visual items, including videos, audio and infographics.

Content is no longer just there for the search engine algorithms to find, either. Link building and increasing your organic reach remains important; however, content strategy for ecommerce is also about building authority, increasing the awareness of your brand and engaging with your customers. Ultimately, being a master of ecommerce marketing means providing multiple touchpoints to take potential leads through the buying process to convert them into customers.

Types of Ecommerce Content

Over the years, ecommerce content marketing has seen many changes, mainly to keep up with the ever-changing search engine algorithms. Plus, customers shop more with their emotions now than they used to, making customer engagement that much more important. Whether you are starting up a new ecommerce website or looking to re-tool your old one to boost your business, we have eight game-changing types of ecommerce content that you can start using right away. Along with these, we have a few tips that you need to know to create the best website and ecommerce content marketing strategy possible.

A full arsenal of content pieces and media will help you optimize your marketing strategy. Below are some of the best forms of content proven to drive traffic and increase conversion. They work best as part of an integrated content strategy for ecommerce rather than being the sole type of content on your site, so don’t hesitate to use most if not all of them to fuel traffic.

1. Lists

You may be familiar with lists. Sites such as Buzzfeed have made a strong business out of developing articles made from lists.

Use lists to catch the attention of readers. People want to know things, and lists offer a way to digest critical information quickly. These lists can be made from anything related to your ecommerce site, which makes lists a valuable part of your content strategy for ecommerce. Some examples of topics for a list might include:

• The top X uses for a product
• The top reasons someone would buy your product
• The kinds of people that need your product
• The top products in a certain category

The reason lists are so powerful is that they are easy to read, engage audiences and have a high share rate. For ecommerce companies selling business-to-consumer (B2C) products, lists can be a great addition to your ecommerce content strategy.

2. White Papers / eBooks / Definitive Guides

These three types of content all share a similar goal: demonstrating you as an authority on the subject. These pieces of content are usually long, often between 5,000 to 20,000 words and discuss some specialty in length.

White papers and definitive guides might be best served for business-to-business (B2B) products or more technical gadgetry that would require more than just turning on the power button to figure out how to use. E-books, however, can be used for just about any business for any reason. With e-books you can utilize more creativity to produce simpler, more engaging content that can be both entertaining and informative.

To write this long-form content, you conduct research or compile references on the subject to create a guide or eBook that goes into depth and demonstrates that you know what you are talking about.

Once created, you have an automatic resource that customers can turn to. Incorporating an ebook into your content strategy for ecommerce elevates your standing in your field or industry and helps you reach leads and convert them into customers.

3. Comparison Articles for Ecommerce Products

When people are shopping for a specific item, they want to know how the product you’re offering compares to the competition. If your ecommerce store sells multiple brands, create a post that compares certain items among the brands.

It can be done in an impartial way by highlighting the features of each one to allow customers to decide for themselves which to buy. You can even differentiate your targeted audience using these pieces. For instance, if you sell shoes for hiking, trail running and backpacking, you can help a customer decide which one they should get based on the activities they like to do and how each specific shoe helps with that activity.

This type of content fits right into your ecommerce content marketing plan because people are looking for honest reviews/comparisons. They want to be sure that they are investing in the best product for the price you are offering.

And, if your guide is useful and informative, it’s just another way to gain the trust of visitors. Potential clients are more likely to trust sincere advice that can help them, and these kinds of articles can compel them to do just that. Helpful information and a quality customer service experience can encourage them to buy from you in the future, as well.

4. Guest Blogging

One of the most powerful ways to help your content strategy for ecommerce succeed is to gain backlinks to your content. Essentially, when people find your content helpful and share it or link to it within their own content posts, Google recognizes that your piece of content is an “authority” in that space. Guest blogging is one of the very best ways to get backlinks for your content without you having to rely on the masses linking to you first.

Guest blogging involves writing guest blog posts that other sites will let you publish on their site. So instead of posting on your own site, you write a post for free for someone else to publish. Typically, in return for the free content, those sites will allow you a link back to your main site, or better yet, to an actual piece of content you’ve written about a specific product.

Getting Started With Guest Blogging

When it comes to guest blogging there is etiquette and rules that typically have to be followed, usually set up by the site you’re posting on.

You’ll need to create relationships with other site owners and create content that is helpful to their reader base in order to make this work. It can be a bit of a long play, but when it works it can give your content strategy for ecommerce a huge boost.

One word of warning: ignore article directories that let you post content for free without any guidelines whatsoever. Google algorithmic changes have targeted practices like these and will penalize those sites trying to utilize them. Instead, find high-ranking sites associated with your vertical and develop well-written blogs to post on that site. As you build your authority, you may also be able to post on some of the more popular and authoritative sites in your niche.

5. Ecommerce Infographics

Infographics have become extremely popular forms of content. They catch the eye of your readers quickly, making them easy to share on social media and quick to read. However, it is essential that you develop strong, well-thought-out infographics that have information of value to your customers that they cannot find elsewhere.

There are two main lines of thinking when it comes to creating ecommerce infographics:

1. Create more in-depth, data-driven infographics that extend beyond a page or more. In this instance, the infographic IS the content, so no need for supplementary written content
2. Create a smaller infographic that focuses on just a few key points, rather than a combination of so many facts they become too busy and overwhelming. This can be used in tandem with a written article and is one shareable portion of it.

Here is an example of the latter group:

Adding this type of content creates variety within your article, making it easier and more interesting to read. Add this to get an edge over your competitors.

Creating Engaging Infographics

As you incorporate infographics into your content strategy for ecommerce, enlist the help of great designers or software to make sure your images really pop. You want them to look professional. Infographics won’t do much for your strategy unless they look attractive and can be easily understood.

Don’t know what to include in your infographics? Start by learning what your customers are looking for. What information to they need? Use data you have gathered yourself or look for other sources that are not well known. Feel free to use other sources as long as you link back to them. The main goal is to offer information that will directly help and educate readers.

6. How To / Product Buying Guides

Another type of ecommerce content that consumers find extremely beneficial are guides for the consumer. These guides are written specifically with the consumer in mind, unlike definitive guides that are written to demonstrate your authority.

These how-to/buying guides point out step by step how to do something or educate a person on a certain item to help make their buying decision that much easier. They are typically easy to understand and written with simple, concise text. Add pictures or videos to mix up content and provide a user-friendly experience.

The other great thing about this type of content is that it scales with the number of products you have. This is a great well to draw from when planning out your ecommerce content strategy.

7. Product Reviews

Another beneficial type of content for an ecommerce website is reviews. You can create impartial reviews for your products in the form of blogs and/or you can ask users to submit their own reviews.

When customers shop for your products, they can use the reviews to help them determine which item is the best to buy. This is often the deciding factor for hesitant shoppers. If they see high ratings and descriptive reviews, they are more likely to trust your brand.

One key ecommerce content strategy is just to find automated ways to constantly ask customers for reviews. Some companies offer a reward for honest reviews from customers. If you have great products, they’ll speak for themselves. And the more reviews you have, the more you’ll be trusted by new customers.

8. Videos

Video content has become extremely popular when it comes to content strategy for ecommerce. There are many types of videos you can make. Some of these ecommerce video ideas include:

• Product videos
• How-to Videos
• Buying Guides
• Comparison Videos
• Webinars

Product videos are especially popular across social media platforms and websites. They give you a chance to show off your products and help people in the decision-making process. Studies have found that shoppers who view videos are nearly 2 times more likely to buy an item than shoppers who don’t. It is also possible to use videos for your how-to or buying guides.

Some companies use videos for webinars, which can be used to teach consumers or other businesses in your industry about certain areas of your business/industry. Also, any piece of written content you create can usually be turned into some form of visual content that can be promoted alongside it as a complementary piece. That way, you’re casting a wider marketing net to catch people who prefer the written word as well as those that prefer a visual introduction.

Developing Your Content Strategy for Ecommerce

Now that you know the types of content you can use, it’s time to make a plan of action. The types of ecommerce content listed above are only tools to use, while your ecommerce content marketing strategy is where you determine how you will put it all together. To really master the practice, you have to know the best ways for distributing and promoting your content, where to post it and how to integrate the different types to work in sync to increase their impact.

Create Goals

The first step is making measurable goals. Without goals, it’s hard to track your progress or move forward effectively. Good goals include some of the following:

• Driving traffic
• Increasing leads
• Raising your conversion rates
• Developing customer engagement
• Raising brand awareness
• Increasing sales

You may have a few different goals, but it is best to prioritize your goals and concentrate on just a few at first. Find what is currently most important to your content strategy for ecommerce, and work towards that. As you do, you’ll recognize that your efforts can positively affect the overall success of your business.

Certain content types work best with different goals. For example, product videos, how-to guides and reviews help with conversion, while comparisons, lists and guest blogging work better at increasing traffic.

Understand Your Target Audience

In addition to your goals, you need to understand your target audience. This involves some market research to help you discover the demographics and behavior patterns of your ideal client.

With this information, create one or more models of your typical buyer to help you develop content that matches their wants and needs. If you want to make an impact on your target market, you have to know them and what they need. You need to show that your products can help their lives specifically.

You also want to consider the buyer’s journey to see where you can have touchpoints to funnel them through to conversion. The buying process should be as simple and user-friendly as possible.

Distribute and Promote

The first places to look to post your ecommerce content are the channels that you own, including your website, social media sites, blog, email list and any other digital marketing channel. To get the most out of these channels, make sure that your content is share-friendly. This means that you use visuals, which increase sharing, as well as optimize it so that it is mobile-friendly and easy to share on all social media sites.

Visuals are an important component for any content strategy for ecommerce, as content with images has 94 percent more views than those that don’t. You’ll also want to include the basic SEO necessities, including headings, meta tags, hyperlinks and anchor text. In addition to your own channels, there are other channels that can help you distribute your content, including paid channels and influence blogs.

Create an Editorial Calendar

Your ecommerce content strategy should also have a detailed editorial calendar, including a rotation of content types to keep it fresh. This will keep you on track as you start pushing out content. Remember: consistency is your best friend. If you want your content strategy to work, posts have to be regular and good quality.

You also want to determine upfront where certain content will be posted and how you plan to share it. Within your strategy, you should also have ideas on how to repurpose your content for greater impact, as well as how you plan to optimize the content for greater reach. Keep an eye on data and how certain posts generate more traffic than others.

Lastly, create milestones for analyzing and deciding when a piece of content needs to be looked at and updated, reworked or completely redone.

Put Your Ecommerce Content Strategy Into Action!

So, in summary, mastering ecommerce content marketing starts with knowing exactly what content is and then developing a strategy based on your goals and target audience. Once you have your initial strategy, however, you are not done. Next comes the actual content creation piece. You either need to write and create the ecommerce content yourself, or you need to team up with an ecommerce writing service or creative agency to help you produce the material to promote.

Lastly, you need to continually check in to see if your content strategy for ecommerce needs to be tweaked to keep up with the ever-evolving nature of digital marketing. As you do this, you can consistently refine your ecommerce content marketing plan to see the major benefits that come from online marketing done right.

As you’re building your online business, you’ve probably wondered what the best way is to draw in new customers to your e-commerce website. Do you opt for pay-per-click services? Purchase more visible advertising spaces? Incorporate SEO into your ecommerce marketing campaign? While each option has its own benefits, one of the most effective ways to drum up new business is by optimizing your site for better search results.

In fact, a study done by New Media Campaigns found that when comparing organic search results to paid, organic was 8.5 times more likely to be clicked. This is one of several reasons why you need SEO for ecommerce websites over relying wholly on PPC advertising.

Why Do You Need SEO for E-commerce Websites?

If you’re looking for the benefits of ecommerce SEO, you’ve come to the right place. Read on to find out exactly why SEO is important for ecommerce.

1. Viewers Ignore Sponsored Ads

Unfortunately, this has been scientifically proven. Those expensive ads you’ve purchased hoping to make a quick return will often simply sit on the side or top of the search engine results page without even being looked at. Scientists have used heat-mapping technology to show where a viewer’s eyes move on the page, and it’s rarely to the areas where sponsored content lies. Why do viewers do this? Typically because internet users respect organic search results more than something that was paid to be in front of them.

Utilizing SEO for ecommerce takes an organic approach. To be organic is to seem natural. If people are searching for honest answers to their questions, they are more likely to click on something that isn’t a blatant ad trying to sell them something.

2. E-commerce SEO Offers Long-Term Benefits

PPC ads are a great way to get your company’s name out there when you’re just starting, but they can be expensive and competitive to maintain in the long run. In reality, click-through ads have been shown to hold a higher conversion rate, but that number is slight at 1.5 times that of search engine results. Rather than putting all of your money toward short-term sponsored ads, you should take a part of that marketing budget to invest in something that lasts by creating dynamic content that will be viewed again and again.

While the content on ecommerce sites is sometimes considered a flash in the pan, meaning that those products may go in or out of stock at any time, the lasting products and top-selling categories should absolutely be SEO optimized. When your product and category content starts to rank for organic keywords, you can keep it near the top of search engine rankings for a fraction of the cost of PPC. Not only that, it’s organic (natural), so it helps branding, authority and consumer trust.

3. You Can Outsmart the Competition

The same New Media Campaign study mentioned above found that only 11% of search engine dollars are spent on SEO, while 87% is put toward PPC. That means that your competition is likely focusing the majority of their advertising budget on sponsored advertising, something that has been shown to be less attractive to users than organic clicks.

One obvious way to get ahead of the game is to focus where others are neglecting and allow your site to rise up naturally through SEO and content creation. While you won’t reach the top spot overnight, patience and dedication can build your rankings till you’re the first option users see. SEO and ecommerce are definitely the long play, but once you reach the top of the mountain you’ll have real staying power that your competition won’t be able to approach unless they’re willing to spend a fortune on marketing ads. In either case, you win.

How to do SEO for E-commerce

Now we’ll talk about how to work effective SEO into your e-commerce advertising campaign. To do this, you need to realize that the easiest, least expensive route is to involve an SEO expert in your website design from the very beginning. There are so many aspects of your e-commerce website that will affect your rankings in the search results, so you really need a professional to make sure your site is completely optimized. Here are a few ways that SEO for ecommerce sites can help potential customers find you as well as boost your organic rankings.

HTML

There are many factors in the coding of your page that will affect your SEO rankings. For example, tags can cause your site to pop up in the results of multiple searches and boost awareness… or not. If you include valuable keywords in your description, URLs and title and image alt tags, search bots will find your page many more times than if your HTML is not optimized.

For example, if you sell nuts and your website is called PerfectPralines.com, a product page with a URL “http://www.perfectpralines.com/vanilla-spiced-caramel-pralines/” is much more likely to appear in search results than “http://www.perfectpralines.com/productid=2252/.” Having each of your product pages pop up on search results is one of the many ways to use HTML to maximize your site’s authority.

Page Design

There are certain aspects of the design of your ecommerce site that will also play a part in what your ranking is. For example, things like graphics covering certain keywords can make it more difficult for search engines to recognize your page. The layout of your page is also important. Google likes traditional looks, so using titles, headers, content, footers, etc., in the proper order and arrangement will make scanning your site simpler and quicker.

Google’s search mechanisms are becoming more sophisticated, but helping them by prominently placing keywords on your site can boost your position and sales. This may seem simple, but you’d be surprised how many companies miss this SEO tactic for their sites altogether.

In-Page Content

One thing that can set your site apart from the crowd is the content on each page of your site. Your shopping funnel and site navigation are just a few of the places that e-commerce SEO can be applied. There are many other areas of your site that benefit from optimization. Good content and commerce sites are inseparably connected.

Using SEO in ecommerce sites will help get people to your pages, but you need your SEO content to be well-written and high-quality to keep them there and ultimately make a sale. Invest in ecommerce writing services that provide SEO optimization AND great copywriting.

Product Descriptions

Having unique product descriptions that make the most of valuable keywords can not only drive traffic to your site but also make your site more attractive to viewers. Many websites simply use the manufacturer’s description, making them monotonous and boring. Make the most of each word on your site by optimizing everything on the product page, from the titles to the descriptions.

This provides benefits beyond just the organic rising of rankings for SEO purposes, but can also allow you to localize and improve your descriptions to help you convert on a more surgical level.

Build Links

When seeking to establish authority, links are a great addition to any site. Consider internal links to direct customers to the proper page they’re searching for, but also place external backlinks to sites that can support your business.

One of the best ways to build your link profile and increase the SEO for your ecommerce site is to utilize a blog that has relevant, informational, educational and entertaining content on it. Utilize social media platforms to share that content and you’ll find people will naturally link back to it if it is, indeed, a great resource on a certain subject.

Site Usage

What happens when a user lands on your site? Do they have to scroll through useless information to find what they’re looking for? Is the site slow? Is it accessible from any platform? Unless your product is truly one-of-a-kind, viewers will likely have many other options to click to if your e-commerce website is difficult to navigate. Having an expert ensure that your page is user-friendly will mean longer visits by potential customers and, hopefully, more sales.

Now You Know Why You Need SEO for E-commerce

So why do you need SEO for your ecommerce site? By completely optimizing your website for search engines, you’ll be increasing your opportunities to rise in organic rankings and drive more traffic to your site. Traditional SEO articles and blog posts can also bring in more viewers; just make sure it’s easy to navigate from them to the specific product pages.

Enlisting writing professionals to create SEO content for commerce sites can ensure that no detail is overlooked and your website has the best chance possible at claiming the top spot on Google.

The best product descriptions give you the opportunity to interact with customers on a personal level. Great writing can create laughter, relate to experience or even touch hearts. These positive feelings are exactly what you want your customers to experience when reading your ecommerce copy because they motivate purchasing intent and brand loyalty.

The Way You Write a Product Description Makes a Difference

Well-written content makes shopping rewarding and fun for potential consumers. On top of that, though, the art of product writing can also have major benefits relating to organic search/SEO, lead generation and overall sales. Being able to weave keywords, popular search queries and related topics in product descriptions while also connecting to customers emotionally is the makeup of an e-commerce marketing genius.

Boosting your rankings on search engines and getting more traffic to your site ultimately will lead to more sales. Quality product description writing can do all that and more.

Amazing Product Description Examples

The 10 brands featured below have figured out how to write a product description that attracts their target audience, just like content writing agency professionals do. Learning the same lessons can help business owners know what it takes to deliver a spectacular online shopping experience.

1. Informative Content: DeWalt

To make purchasing decisions, people need information. An important reason consumers visit product pages is to learn more about features. Excellent product descriptions can help people find exactly what they’re looking for. The best product description writing focuses on who, what, why and how, though not necessarily in that order:

• What is the product?
• Who is it designed for?
• Why do customers need it?
• How can people use it?

Fluffy marketing copy just can’t compete with real information. Instead of trying to woo customers with fancy language, guide them to the right decision. This is exactly what DeWalt does when describing its 20V MAX XR cordless drill:

This DeWalt product description packs a lot of helpful information into a relatively compact paragraph. In a few sentences, DeWalt explains exactly why you’d want to buy this drill: It’s compact and lightweight, it fits in tight spaces, it has a long-lasting battery and it offers excellent performance. In less than 30 seconds, the reader already has a good idea if this product is the right fit.

How much info should you provide? That varies by product and target audience. To put it simply, the right amount of information is whatever your customers need to make a decision.

The DeWalt product description meets these needs in a smart way by using a separate section titled “Features & Specs.” Here the manufacturer mentions specific measurements and information about speed settings. Tabs are an excellent option for providing a lot of information without cluttering up the screen.

2. Clear Product Description Writing: REI

Most people enjoy content that is simple and to the point. You don’t need to write multiple paragraphs about a sweatshirt to convince people to buy it. In fact, trying to cram too much information into a description can have a negative effect.

Above the fold, limit yourself to one paragraph with two or three sentences. Some sales pages work wonders with a single powerfully worded phrase. Notice the simple yet immersive way REI describes a men’s rain jacket:

Outdoor adventure lovers discover the jacket of their dreams in one sentence. The words are easy to understand and express clear concepts. People who buy this coat get “complete storm protection,” but they can also move quickly because it’s incredibly lightweight. Many page visitors won’t even need to scroll down to decide whether or not to buy.

Of course, if consumers decide to look for more info, what they discover is just as clear and enticing as the main description. Thanks to smart bullet points and tabs, readers learn a lot quickly:

A professional copywriting agency understands that unless you’re selling replacement parts for manufacturing equipment, you must dial back on technical terminology. REI could have called the jacket “impervious to water” or “engineered for moisture protection,” but “complete storm protection” said the same thing in a clearer and more exciting way.

3. Expressive and Engaging Experiences: Joybird

The next step in creating product descriptions that shine is making them irresistible. Your content should focus on getting people involved. Engaging product descriptions show customers why a product is the solution they’ve been waiting for.

Joybird skillfully chooses to focus on what the customer will experience more than the features of its sectional. By addressing the reader as “you” and describing “dreamy comfort” and “room for everyone,” this product description gently nudges visitors toward imagining their own home with a plush sectional. The warm tones and laid-back accessories shown in the photo (who wouldn’t want to snuggle in that cozy throw?) add to the buyer’s excitement.

This appealing narrative continues a little further down the page. Instead of prioritizing a boring checklist of materials, Joybird highlights the moments families can share together with this piece: incredible movie nights, relaxing workdays and comfy afternoon naps.

Many e-commerce stores like to sell products by telling a story. A colorful T-shirt isn’t just a garment; it’s the mantle of a modern-day urban warrior who loves to take risks. Running shoes aren’t just for jogging; they’re an essential part of a healthy lifestyle tied to fresh veggies, relaxing spas and slim waistlines.

To deliver an immersive content experience, companies that offer product description writing services have an expressive vocabulary. Words such as “bold,” “elegant,” “eclectic” or “sophisticated” pack a powerful punch. These terms lead customers to associate products with a specific personality. If you describe clothing as “gritty,” “artistic” or “quirky,” members of your target audience who identify themselves with that lifestyle will feel attracted.

4. SEO-Optimization Lessons: Extreme Terrain

In today’s online marketplace, making a good impression with customers isn’t the only factor that counts. You also need to make sure your products appear to the right people during Google searches. This helps businesses attract new visitors and returning customers.

It’s true that high-quality content does wonders for search rankings, but you still need to keep traditional SEO elements in mind for product description writing. This includes keywords, title tags, image alt tags and meta descriptions. Long-tail keywords are usually more effective than generic terms such as “men’s shoes” or “cordless drills.”

One area where careful SEO is vital are replacement parts. Customers may know the make, model and part they want, but not where to purchase it online. Extreme Sports ensures a high ranking for its Jeep Wrangler parts by using keywords prominently and correctly.

There are several keywords included in this product’s heading and throughout the site. However, they don’t seem forced. To keep the title from being overwhelming, Extreme Sports wisely puts 10-18 Jeep Wrangler JK, an important long-tail keyword, in parenthesis. In the next section, these same keywords are repeated without feeling out of place. Notice the way that 2010-2018 Jeep Wrangler JK appears several times in different areas, including the description and bullet list:

In product description writing, where should you put specific keywords? An expert content writing agency will try to naturally include keywords in the page title, title tag, meta description and product description. If the keywords flow well, you can add them in bullet lists as well.

5. Visually Attractive Bullet Points: Nike

The visual layout of a product description is every bit as important as the writing style you use. One common mistake is to fill the screen with endless lines of text that take a long time to read. Instead, you want people to pick up on the key highlights of products in the first few seconds.

Instead of intimidating walls of text, create clear product descriptions that look bright and enticing. Including white space draws attention to things you want people to remember. Don’t use a paragraph to explain something that can be said in a few words — at least not above the fold. There’s plenty of room for more detail further down the page.

Nike is a superstar when it comes to balancing white space with impactful photos and clear descriptions. Its product description writing is attractive and exciting. This creates a sense of freedom and captures attention immediately:

Bullet lists are your friends when it comes to designing enticing descriptions that are easy to remember. They can express important selling points in a few words, motivating purchases right away. That way buyers can find the information they’re looking for quickly without having to wade through endless text.

When including additional details below the main description, separate the information using clear headings. This has the same effect as bullet points: it makes your content scannable. Nike does it just right with this shoe’s supplementary info:

Of course, it’s possible for bullet points and headings to be done incorrectly. If you try to include 10–15 points in a single list, you run the risk of overwhelming readers. Above the fold, stick to three or four bullets. In other areas, limit yourself to seven or eight max.

6. Expertly Branded Product Descriptions: Boardcave

No matter how many products you sell, each description should stay true to your brand message. Strong branding sets your products apart and tells customers about your core interests. This can create brand loyalty and make you feel relatable to your audience.

Two companies can sell the exact same pair of jeans but market them differently based on brand identity. One may appeal directly to teens who want to look chic while the other takes a family-friendly approach. Neither type of branding is right or wrong; they’re simply more effective based on the target audience.

Product descriptions need to follow your brand’s specific voice. An expert copywriting agency can add this type of personalized flair. Whether your company is vintage, modern, luxurious, hip, refined, playful or adventurous, product content and selected images should reflect that.

Boardcave has a brand voice with a strong surfer vibe. In addition to creating legendary surfboards, the company makes how-to videos for surfers and guides to the best breaks around Australia. It’s not surprising that their product descriptions use surf lingo and relaxed writing.

This paragraph for The Enduro even manages to ignore correct grammar and spelling with expressions such as “kinda.” For Boardcave, however, this is a perfect fit for branding. The description sounds less like a company trying to sell a product and more like a bunch of fellow surfers offering you advice on the best board to buy. If you build this kind of trust with your clients, they’re more likely to go to your website first for the things they need because they identify with your way of doing things.

7. Benefit-Oriented Product Descriptions: Williams Sonoma

One of the best ways to convince people to make a purchase is to show them exactly why they need your product. This involves providing information, but it goes further than that. The best product description writing services can convince people that specific items can improve their life in some way.

Where a basic description may describe a shoe’s materials and leave it at that, an effective piece revolving around benefits shows how the customer is involved. It may say something like, “This next-gen sole provides exceptional comfort for business executives who spend a lot of time traveling.” By showing why the shoe is awesome, suddenly frequent business travelers feel like they’ve discovered something designed specifically for them.

Williams Sonoma is a master of feature-oriented product description writing. Despite selling hundreds of different cookware products to professional chefs and casual cooks alike, the company guides visitors to the best fit using descriptive bullets that outline features and benefits. In the following example, notice the way technical elements are summed up in practical terms:

Instead of simply saying that the knives have 64 layers of steel Damascus and a powdered steel core, Williams Sonoma explains that this creates a “supersharp cutting edge” that’s inspired by “samurai sword-making techniques.”

Now readers can understand why the knife’s hefty price tag is totally worth it. The same thing happens when describing the moisture-resistant and resin-infused handles as “shaped for comfort and control.”

Stating that these knives are designed for “professional kitchens” not only has a great effect on expert chefs but also appeals to everyday cooking enthusiasts who dream of being professionals.

Copywriting agency pros also know that listing clear features can help people make a choice when a company sells several similar products. Williams Sonoma offers dozens of different knife sets, so bullet points showing the differences are important to help customers narrow down the list. The easier you make it for customers to find what they’re looking for, the more they enjoy the shopping experience.

The easier you make it for customers to find what they’re looking for, the more they enjoy the shopping experience . #ProductDescriptions #Ecommerce
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8. Mobile Friendly E-Commerce Descriptions: Bliss

More people use mobile devices to shop than ever before. This includes primary purchasing activities, not just investigation. If you want to appeal to as many customers as possible, you have to make sure your product descriptions and sales pages look incredible on tablets and smartphones, in addition to laptops and smart TVs.

Content layout is very important for mobile optimization. Smartphone screens are smaller and oriented vertically, so you need to be careful that large paragraphs don’t end up encompassing the entire screen. That’s why bullet points are helpful for creating mobile-friendly descriptions. Natural skincare company Bliss does mobile exceptionally well:

On the primary screen, product descriptions simply include an attractive image, the name of the product, a single descriptive sentence and customer reviews. Very importantly, the “Add To Bag” button is featured prominently to direct shoppers to action. This is the essence of great mobile marketing. Your product description writing services may not need to include any written paragraphs or bullet points above the fold at all for mobile descriptions.

Bliss uses this product’s second page to focus on four key ingredients and their benefits. These aren’t the only ingredients in the formulation, but the company doesn’t want to crowd the page with too much information. Wisely, Bliss uses a link called “See Full Ingredient List” for customers who want to learn more. The page also has accordions for further details.

Many e-commerce businesses rely on product description writing with an accordion layout to appeal to mobile customers. Below the fold, sections such as “Product Features,” “Shipping Information,” “Frequently Asked Questions” and “Additional Details” are neatly folded up on the screen. This way users can navigate easily around the page and still have access to extra information if they need it.

9. Image-Rich Product Pages: GoPro

Pictures can say more to customers than all the words in the world. Images are an essential part of e-commerce, and no product description is really complete without one or more picture. GoPro uses the power of images masterfully to promote a certain lifestyle with its products:

This image gets visitors’ blood pumping far more than bullet points ever could. Before reading a single word, target customers already feel connected to the product subconsciously. They can sense that the HERO7 Silver is cool, rugged and intense, and they start to secretly hope that they can afford it. A side benefit to this awesome image is the way it pairs well with mobile since not much text is needed to deliver the message.

Here are a few benefits of pairing well-written content with high-quality images:

• Visualization: The reason car dealerships encourage people to take test drives is that putting potential owners in the driver’s seat has a positive effect on purchasing intent. As the person imagines driving the luxury automobile in different situations, an inner desire to buy starts to grow. Attractive images in product descriptions have the same effect.
• Motivation: According to one Harvard professor, 95% of purchases are subconscious. They’re based primarily on emotional reactions rather than logical reasoning. Knowing how to write a product description with expressive images helps promote a desired lifestyle. For example, a photo of a family laughing around a patio fire pit provides a carefully chosen message: Buy this incredible fire pit, and your family will be happier and more relaxed.
• Information: In brick-and-mortar stores, customers like to look at items or try them on. In e-commerce, images allow buyers to interact with products in a similar way. When selling clothing, it’s a good idea to include several photos taken from different angles or a product video.
• Excitement: The right images make products look more exciting. This is why mountain bikes and SUVs are often pictured in extreme locations. To highlight the incredible luxury of a piece of furniture, sellers may use a Mediterranean backdrop, for example. Words could never have the same effect.

Choose high-quality images. They speak to your company’s expertise and quality. A great image with simple text can be more effective than a poorly lit image with ample descriptive information.

According to Harvard professor @gzaltman, 95% of purchases are subconscious. They’re based primarily on emotional reactions rather than logical reasoning . #ProductDescriptions #Ecommerce
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10. Audience-Centric Writing Styles: Supreme

You have a lot of freedom for creating product descriptions that attract your target customers. For the most part, there are no hard and fast rules for appealing to people. If your numbers show a marketing strategy works, that’s all that matters.

Some websites love to take risks in designing product descriptions that are humorous or downright weird. This type of content probably wouldn’t work for a prestigious Parisian fashion designer, but it appeals to people with the same sense of humor or style. In a way, this follows the concept of “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”

That’s exactly what streetwear clothing company Supreme does with its product description writing. A typewriter font so small it’s hard to read? Check. The brand also opts for sentence fragments instead of description wordplay.

This type of description apparently works well for the skateboarders and celebrities who shop from Supreme; countless sold-out products prove it. The brand went from a small NYC shop in 1994 to a business valued at $1 billion in 2017. Just like the business, Supreme’s product descriptions blend grit and urban culture with chic elements and exclusive style.

What can businesses learn? If your primary customers are trendsetters who think outside the box, it can be a great idea to push the envelope with your descriptions. If you’re marketing bridal dresses for traditional weddings, on the other hand, you would probably choose language that is elegant and formal.

This factor also comes into play when deciding how much information to include in the description. For example, a laptop designed for office use may focus mainly on the hard drive, processor, memory, screen and software included, as well as price. On the other hand, a gaming laptop is designed for an audience interested in maximum performance. A description with far more technical information is completely appropriate in this case.

How To Write a Product Description

Whether you’re selling to families, travelers or college grads, it pays to know your audience before you write a single word. Things such as brand voice and target audience should drive every piece of content. At the same time, make sure to follow the best practices for product description writing:

• Keep it simple
• Use bullet points
• Separate information using headers
• Choose expressive words
• Ditch tired marketing phrases in favor of helpful information
• Write simple sentences everyone can understand
• Get customers involved in the story
• Answer the questions people have

Invest in Product Description Writing Today!

If you need additional pointers when it comes to product description writing, contact our experts at BKA Content. We have extensive experience creating product descriptions that move people to action. Our team is made up of many different content professionals, but we always speak using the customer’s distinctive brand voice.

As of June 2017, Amazon had a total of 398,040,250 products in their marketplace…. holy cow!

Section 1 – Product Title

With the way that Amazon’s internal search engine works, each individual word in the Product Title is searchable on its own. Amazon has also restricted Product Titles to only 200 characters. While this is more than what Walmart descriptions give you, this means that knowing what to put in this section becomes incredibly important, as you have limited real estate.

Giving your customers as much information as possible within this character count is key.

Even though Walmart only has 4.7% of the products Amazon has to offer, Walmart has quickly grown to be the second-largest online retailer. This makes it very important to optimize Walmart product descriptions in order to get in front of your customers first using this platform.

Section 1 – Product Name

This section is quite a bit smaller than Amazon’s title section in that it only allows for 50-75 characters. With the lower word count, Walmart is very specific about the order of information they want to be displayed in your product name.

There is no denying that customer reviews are crucial to the success of your online business. Customer reviews have the power to influence customer decisions, gain consumer loyalty, garner trust and boost a brand’s reputation. All these benefits ultimately lead to one outcome: improved profits. It makes sense that, if you don’t have many customer reviews or if any of your reviews are less than stellar, you may consider hiring a review writer to help shape shoppers’ perceptions of your brand. However, you may want to think twice before doing so.

What’s in a Review?

Online reviews are the new word of mouth. Shoppers rely on and believe in them as much as they rely on and believe in recommendations from a family member or trusted friend. In fact, because testimonials are readily available, individuals are more likely to use them to guide their purchase decisions than they are to use verbal recommendations. While this may seem like a bold assertion, the stats don’t lie:

• 97% of customers say that online customer reviews factor into their purchase decisions.
• 93% of shoppers say they use customer reviews to determine the credibility and reputation of a brand.
• 68% of online shoppers are more likely to engage with a brand if said brand has positive customer testimonials.
• 92% of individuals say they are hesitant to purchase from a company if the company does not have any customer reviews.

If you think that’s impressive, there’s more. Products with reviews are 270% more likely to be purchased than those without. When the product boasts a higher price tag, that percentage jumps to 380%.

These stats serve as an undeniable testament to the power of consumer opinion. They also tell us that superior content and high search engine rankings are no longer enough to sway online shoppers to make the purchase.

The Power of Reviews

Customers crave knowledge from first-hand experiences, and reviews give them that. As a result of this shifting consumer behavior, businesses need to refine their marketing strategies to include online reviews. However, does that mean brands that don’t have a library of testimonials should pay a freelance product review writer? While we believe in the power of storytelling, we don’t think it should stretch to testimonials. We explain why in the sections below.

Products with reviews are 270% more likely to be purchased than those without. When the product boasts a higher price tag , that percentage jumps to 380%. #Ecommerce #ContentMarketing
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Why It’s a Bad Idea To Pay a Review Writer

When you were new to the whole content marketing thing, you may have invested in Google Ads to generate some quick traffic while you waited for your content to do it organically. Now that reviews have begun to play a significant role in SEO, you may wonder why you can’t do more or less the same — pay a review writer for a handful of positive testimonials until authentic customer accounts start to roll in. Though we get where you’re coming from, there are three good reasons you should rethink your strategy.

1. It Goes Against Everything Google, Yelp and Other Search Engines Stand For

In a 2015 interview, after the Federal Trade Commission ruled that Yelp — one of the internet’s most prominent review sites — was not guilty of giving companies that purchased advertising better reviews, the founder declared that of course it wasn’t, because doing so would go against everything that the brand stood for. According to the statement, “The reason millions of people around the world use Yelp every day to find great local businesses is because they trust the content.”

That one word  — “trust” — is precisely what customer reviews are all about, and it is why the search engines, and platforms within the search engines, rely on them so heavily.

What These Companies Stand For

Though the goals of every major search engine vary slightly, they all come back to the user. What do users want? What matters to them? For Google, it’s to deliver to users the most relevant and high-quality results based on their search queries. Google must trust a website or business before it will rank it organically.

Facebook’s mission is to give people the power to build a community, and to share and express what matters most to them. While its mission statement does not specifically contain the word “trust,” it’s implied through words like “community” and “express,” that honesty is one of the company’s core values.

Think about the core beliefs of your company. Hiring a freelance product review writer can lose the trust of your readers. Although you may not have many reviews on your website yet, trust us, maintaining integrity can be much more valuable in the long haul.

You may be thinking, how could the search engines and business directories possibly know if a review is false or not. To that we say, keep reading.

2. It Goes Against Search Engine Policies

Companies such as Google, Facebook and Yelp have policies in place that make it very clear that they will not tolerate compensated reviews and/or the trading of fake reviews. Google, for instance, states in its Prohibited and Restricted Content section that all content, reviews included, should reflect users’ genuine experiences at certain locations and should not be posted for the sake of “[manipulating] a place’s ratings.”

It warns users and businesses against posting fake content, the same content multiple times and content from the same IP address from multiple accounts. If Google discovers that you used a review writer to post fake reviews (which it can do using an algorithm), your SEO may suffer.

Facebook is guilty of hosting hundreds of organized groups that recruit freelance product review writers to pen dishonest or outright false reviews for brands. In exchange, these writers receive either incentives or monetary compensation.

The social media platform has come under fire for allowing this type of behavior to continue. In response to the accusations, Facebook issued a statement saying, “We don’t allow people to use Facebook to facilitate or encourage false reviews.”

The Leading Example of Yelp

To date, neither Google nor Facebook has taken what some may call a “drastic stance” on fake reviews, but as a site dedicated solely to the sharing of authentic experiences, Yelp has. In its Content Guidelines, Yelp touches on “factual accuracy” and “personal experience.” It also warns that contributions may not be made if there is a “conflict of interest,” which may occur if a contribution is made for one’s own business, a peer’s or competitor’s business, a relative’s or friend’s business, or a business within one’s networking group.

In case the guidelines leave room for interpretation, Yelp offers more clarity in its Guide to Success for businesses. In this guide, the company explicitly states that businesses will be penalized for the following:

• Offering discounts, gifts or payments in return for contributions
• Asking family, friends and customers to contribute to their online profiles
• Hiring third parties or other companies to improve their online reputations
• Influencing Yelpers to change or remove critical posts

Actions Taken Against Violators

Unlike the policies of Google and Facebook, which do not detail how the platforms identify or punish fake reviews, Yelp’s does.

Back in 2012, the directory developed a Consumer Alerts program, which it runs sort of like a sting operation. In the operation, Yelp has employees pose as review writers who advertise review writing services to any business that would like to purchase them. If a company bites, it will then place a Consumer Alert badge on the brand’s website, warning visitors of its deceitful behavior. To get rid of the alert, a visitor must manually close it, much like he or she would do a pop-up.

Yelp also uses recommendation software that’s designed to sift through reviews and weed out any unreliable ones. “Unreliable reviews” are those that come from a user known to abuse the review system (or who is part of a Facebook review swap page); that are obtained by paying or incentivizing the review writer; that were motivated by a recent news event rather than an actual experience; a disproportionate number of positive/negative reviews that come from the same IP address multiple times; or that are the result of Yelpers defending celebrities.

For companies that routinely abuse the system, Yelp has taken legal action, which brings us to our third and final point.

3. It Is Illegal

If losing rankings and wearing a scarlet letter on one’s website is not incentive enough to not pay a freelance product review writer to procure false testimonials, maybe the fact that doing so is illegal will deter brands.

Per the Federal Trade Commission, it is illegal for businesses to pay or bribe individuals for reviews or endorsements. However, the FTC does provide a loophole. If a brand does compensate someone for a review, it must disclose this fact on the review itself. We don’t know about you, but disclosing the fact that you paid for a review kind of defeats the purpose of customer reviews entirely, don’t you think?

Reasons You Should Steer Clear of Incentivizing Reviews, Too

Now you know you shouldn’t pay a review writer for reviews, but what about incentivizing actual customers to post positive testimonials about your brand? For instance, you may encourage new and existing customers to post about their experiences to Yelp in exchange for a $5 coupon or for a free meal. Though this is not necessarily illegal (after all, customers can take the coupon or do what they will with the incentive), chances that it will bolster your ratings are slim.

Though Yelp will give all new reviews and reviewers the benefit of the doubt, it gives precedence to active Yelp users. Even if you incentivize a customer to create a new Yelp account just for the sake of sharing about his or her experience with your brand, there’s a very real possibility that the review will get caught in the directory’s filter.

Yelp isn’t the only online directory that uses an algorithm to weed out false or one-off reviews. This is something to think about before giving out free merchandise or steep discounts to individuals who would otherwise never even have considered raving about your company.

The Best Ways To Get Positive Customer Reviews

Netting positive customer reviews shouldn’t be hard. In fact, if you offer great customer service, quality products and a one-of-a-kind customer experience, reviews should be par for the course for your business. However, maybe you cater to a crowd that isn’t tech-savvy, or that doesn’t realize the value of customer testimonials (the elderly or youth) — what can you do then? There are a few legitimate and legal ways you can encourage shoppers, diners or clients to express their satisfaction online:

1. Reach Out Immediately After the Transaction Is Complete

Think about it … If you’re like most people, you’re more likely to take a brief customer survey after the call is complete than to take a follow-up call asking you to rate a brand’s customer experience.

Why? For two reasons: 1) You’re already on the line, so it’s convenient, and 2) The experience is still fresh in your memory. Whether you conducted business online, in-person or over the phone, immediately reach out to the customer asking him or her to rate his or her experience.

This method is a much more natural way than hiring a review writer. Keep in mind that people are more likely to respond to inquiries made hours after an experience than they are days or weeks afterward.

2. Make Writing Reviews Convenient (and Comfortable)

You may be tempted to ask customers to leave reviews in-store. Don’t do this, as doing so puts a lot of uncomfortable pressure on them. Instead, offer a convenient and virtual way for individuals to leave feedback about your brand. Send a text or follow-up email, or leave a number they can call on your receipt. Whether you offer a survey or simply request a written review, make sure the whole process is short and sweet.

And sometimes the best way to get authentic reviews from customers is to improve every part of the sales product, starting with exceptional product description writing. The more honest you are about products, the more trust you gain from customers. 

3. Offer Multiple Ways Customers Can Leave Reviews

Creating different spaces on which customers can leave reviews serves two benefits: 1) It gives your customers options, and 2) It expands your reach. Not everyone uses Yelp or Facebook or Google My Business. Give customers options they’re likely to use to increase the odds that they’ll actually leave reviews.

Also, by encouraging shoppers to use multiple review platforms, you’re boosting your chances that your business gets talked about on multiple sites, which is great for your SEO.

Should You Hire a Review Writer?

To summarize the content of this article: Hiring a review writer to pen reviews on your behalf is bad. The only real (and honorable) way to benefit from positive customer reviews is to earn them through superior customer service, quality offerings and one-of-a-kind customer experiences.

When you’re thinking about buying a product or service online, there are two factors that help you know exactly what you’re getting: the image and the product description.

If the image piques your curiosity, the next step in your buying journey is to read the product description. During that brief moment of reading, you decide whether to close the page, read more or make a purchase.

If you don’t know how to write product descriptions for your business, chances are that most of your visitors are choosing the first option.

Fortunately, it doesn’t need to be that way. Learning how to write a good product description is a skill that can be learned and practiced. Investing some time to learn could help you to increase your sales by a significant margin.

Why You Need To Write a Strong Product Description

A product description is more than just an explanation of the item. It is also a chance to sell the product to a potential customer.

Think of product description writing as if you were a sales associate in a store. If a customer asked about a product, you would describe it but also highlight the features and benefits that may be relevant to that customer.

Research by Salsify has found that 87% of consumers consider product content to be extremely or very important to their buying decisions. In other words, product descriptions have a huge impact on sales. If you have ineffective descriptions, imagine how many customers you’re losing.

Another study found that one-fifth of purchase failures resulted from unclear or missing information. If you could fix one out of every five failed sales just by writing a better product description, then what’s stopping you?

We have some effective tips that can turn mediocre product descriptions into persuasive pitches. Now is your opportunity to learn how to write a product description.

How To Write Product Descriptions (8 Tips and 8 Examples)

Learning how to write product descriptions that sell is not an easy task. There are billions of products available online. So, even within your product category, you may be competing against hundreds or even thousands of brands.

However, as established above, writing effective product descriptions matters. The following eight tips on how to write product descriptions that sell will help you to maximize the impact of your product pages. We also have eight examples that show you what great product descriptions can look like.

1) Define Your Target Audience

All marketing should be created with the target audience in mind. Ultimately, it is your audience that you need to convince with your product description. Therefore, your writing should be tailored to that audience (or multiple audiences).

How To Write a Product Description for Your Audience

It will help significantly if you write a clear definition of your target audience. Personas are great tools for defining an audience. The process of creating personas will force you to think through your target audiences more clearly. The following are a few characteristics that you may define in a persona:

• The name, age and picture of the persona
• A description of how the person finds your product description
• The person’s interests (keep these general and relatively broad – the persona represents a group)
• Other relevant details that may affect the purchase behavior

Using the persona, you can establish a more meaningful understanding of your target audience. You can also start to ask yourself questions such as which features and benefits would most excite the persona. Additionally, you may think about how the persona would describe your product to his or her friends. In other words, you can tell the buyer story of each persona to think about and understand your audience.

Product Description Example #1

This is a great example of a product description that is focused on its target audience. Pampers® is known for excellent quality diapers and other baby products. The Pampers® Pure Protection Hybrid Diaper is clearly targeted at mothers who care both about their children and producing less waste. Note the focused tagline “Good for baby, Good for the planet” along with the simple yet clear description of the product.

2) Connect With the Reader’s Wants and Needs

Now that you are thinking about your target audience, you should consider the wants and needs of the people who are likely reading your product description. These needs should be informed by the research and analysis you used for your personas.

How To Write A Product Descriptions With a Reader’s Needs in Mind

Before you begin to write the product description, make some notes about how your product will satisfy the wants and needs of the reader. In some cases, there may be specific features that can help with a need. However, your product description may extend beyond features. Often, customers want to find products that will fit into and enhance their lifestyles.

For example, if you have a camping goods brand, you may be writing a description for a high-end tent. The audience for this is likely looking for fairly in-depth information about the product. They know tents and don’t want to see an overly fluffy product description. However, they are also likely seeking adventure. So, the challenge would be to balance providing detailed information about the product itself while also speaking to the lifestyle your customers are likely seeking.

It can be helpful to think about product descriptions as if you are painting a picture. You want the reader to be able to picture him or herself using the product and being satisfied.

Product Description Example #2

Our next example comes from Converse- a brand that definitely has its voice and style down. With this product, Converse highlights the personality of the Clean Leather Platform Chuck Taylor All Star. Phrases like “iconic looks of ‘90s girl bands” and “edgy vibe” give personality to the shoes, which encourages any girl wanting an iconic, edgy lifestyle to buy herself a pair.

3) Use Natural, Benefit-Oriented Language

Write your product descriptions as if you were talking about the item to an in-person customer. In other words, keep the language natural.

Some writers are tempted to be overly formal or dry. It is okay to have a little fun with your product descriptions. Try reading your draft out loud to yourself or someone nearby. If it doesn’t sound like a normal conversation, consider a rewrite. Of course, you want to keep your tone on-brand, but make sure it is relatable and natural-sounding.

How To Write A Product Description That Sounds Natural

When learning how to write a product description, remember this: most descriptions do not require any technical language or jargon. However, if you have a very knowledgeable audience, consider creating a product specifications section. This will allow you to include the technical details without having to cram them into your main description.

Additionally, you want to focus your language on benefits. For a clothing brand, you may take on the role of an encouraging friend. In other words, your descriptions highlight what you love about the item and why it will look great on the reader.

Thinking about your word choice from this perspective will help you avoid creating descriptions that sound computer-generated. It will also help you stay away from overly puffy language that reminds readers of a too-pushy salesperson.

Product Description Example #3

Natural language is important for readers of any demographic. Check out the Lasse Dante Watch from TrendHim, a watch designed for men. The stylish watch is perfectly complemented by a description that is just as smooth and engaging as the product itself. Notice how both features and benefits are highlighted without it being overly technical, or on the flip side, excessively flowy.

4) Leverage Power Words

You can increase the impact of your product descriptions by using power words. These are strong words and phrases that elicit an emotional response from the reader. They help to conjure a more enticing mental image of using the product.

Depending on the context and usage, different words can fit this bill. These are a few common examples:

• Breathtaking
• Blissful
• Uplifting
• Grit
• Defiant
• Fearless
• Conquer

As you can probably guess, using these words is not as simple as picking a few and adding them to your product description. For example, a pair of working boots may be gritty and help you conquer the day. However, they wouldn’t be blissful or breathtaking. A delicious cake, on the other hand, could be blissful.

How To Write a Product Description With Power Words

The right power words can significantly increase the efficacy of a product description. Nonetheless, it is important to avoid letting them make your description sound unnatural. Additionally, you should avoid being too generic. If every pair of boots on the market is gritty, then the description no longer means anything. A good power word should be both evocative and noteworthy.

Product Description Example #4

Here is a product description that uses power words to its advantage. The Soft Glam Eyeshadow Palette from Anastasia uses words like “essential” and “glamorous” to describe the benefits of the product. To go even deeper, they use rich words like “velvety beige” and “warm chocolate brown” to describe the shades you’ll be getting. Who wouldn’t want to buy eyeshadow with a description like that?

5) Format for Easy Reading

You can use the most enticing and persuasive language in the world and still have an ineffective product description if no one reads it. Formatting is one of the most important parts of creating a good description and is also one of the easiest to change (in other words, you have no excuses not to use good formatting).

Put yourself in the shoes of the reader. They are likely looking at a few options for a certain product and comparing them. That also means that they want to get the top-line information about your product without having to read too carefully. Choosing a highly scannable format can help significantly.

How To Format a Product Description

The right formatting depends on the amount of information you need to convey. Bullet points can be very helpful. Additionally, having a split description with a short description immediately below the product name and a separate, longer description slightly lower on the page can aid readability.

Regardless of the layout you choose, make sure your sentences are short and to the point. Try to include the most relevant information first.

It may be helpful to test your description. Give it to some people who have never seen your product and allow them a short timeframe to read the description (10 seconds, for example). Then, ask them to describe or draw the product. You can see whether people are getting the right idea or not.

Product Description Example #5

Amazon product descriptions are often great examples of how to format in an easy, clear way. This waterproof Bluetooth speaker by Loyfun is nicely formatted into bullet points, but it is still packed with important details.

Of course, Amazon has its own way to format product descriptions. If you sell through Amazon, check out our Amazon product description guide to improve your descriptions with ease.

6) Use High-Quality Images

The above tips have primarily focused on the words used to describe the product. However, all product descriptions should also include photos, and sometimes including videos of the product can make a big difference.

Return to your personas and consider what they would likely want to know about your product. Also, take a look at your product and think about what aspects would be interesting. Every product description should at least include a high-quality image of the product from the front. However, you may need rear and profile shots as well. If there are intricate details, consider some close-ups.

If you have a product that your customers are likely to want a close look at, consider adding a way to zoom in on product images. This will help readers inspect any areas that they are interested in.

How To Take Pictures For Your Product Descriptions

The photos should all have high resolution and be taken by an experienced photographer. There are a few approaches to product photography. You can have an image of the item by itself, staged with some complementary items or in context. Regardless of which approach you choose, make sure there is at least one photo in which the product is easily and fully visible (for example, you may have one photo of just the product and another of it in use).

Product Description Example #6

We’re in love with Harry’s product images, especially the Winston Set. The sleek black razors against the soft pink background are very attractive, and their unique use of shadows and color add to the appeal of each image. The five pictures display each of the products, and the tagline “A luxurious set of shaving supplies, in a box” fits right in with the images.

7) Apply SEO Best Practices

Like all online marketing content, product descriptions should be made with search engine optimization best practices in mind. After all, you want people to find your products and read about them. Good SEO is the key to increasing the online visibility of your products.

How To Write Product Descriptions With SEO

Keywords are at the heart of SEO. Spend some time researching the kinds of terms that your target audience searches for. Keep in mind that generic keywords will typically be more competitive than more specific terms. So, you will have to compete with more brands if you are pursuing “black pants” than if you focus on “women’s mid-rise black professional pants.”

Additionally, more specific keywords can be more helpful because they represent a greater intent to purchase. In the above example, the longer keyword will only attract visitors looking for a highly relevant type of pants rather than all kinds of black pants. Selecting keywords involves balancing audience size, budget and purchase intent.

Typically, search engines rank useful and relevant content the highest. So, don’t worry too much about gaming the system. Instead, focus on selecting relevant keywords and applying them in a useful product description.

Nonetheless, it is a good idea to use some best practices such as including alt tags on your images and a meta description and title on the page. Additionally, make sure your canonical headings are well-formatted.

Product Description Example #7

Nike is a trailblazer in the athletic clothing industry. The extensive branding they have done over the years will help the company be known for years to come. They use SEO to help filter their large inventory. If a customer wanted a Nike Windrunner, dozens of options appear. However, if someone was looking for an XL fleece windrunner, Nike’s carefully designed product descriptions include this in the metadata, making it easy for interested customers to find.

8) Fit the Description to the Product

This tip may sound obvious, but it is deeper than you may expect. All the above tips can help with writing a good product description. However, ultimately, it needs to work well for the specific product.

Some items sell best with just a product name and a striking image. Others need in-depth technical data to attract customers. When creating a product description, make sure you follow the needs of your customers and the product, not just general guidelines.

As mentioned above, you can use testing to determine whether a product description works. You can also use testing to decide whether you even need a description.

Product Description Example #8

Our last example is the Solar Powered Fairy Flower Lights from Best Solar Lighting. We love the combination of the images and easy-to-read product description.

We hope that this helps you realize that whether you sell watches, diapers or landscape lighting, you can create amazing product descriptions that grab the attention of your readers.

Work With a Professional Writer To Write Better Product Descriptions

Although you now know how to write product descriptions, writing them is not a trivial undertaking. As explained above, they can have a significant impact on your sales. Furthermore, they are not easy to write well. Consider hiring a professional writing service to craft your descriptions for you. Experienced writers know how to write product descriptions that sell. The investment in a writing service will pay for itself.

BKA Content provides product descriptions and other marketing content creation services. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help your business grow.

A lot of responsibility is placed on the little shoulders of product descriptions. If you do any amount of online shopping, a product description is that part of the digital scenery that you know is there but you may take for granted until it isn’t available. As a consumer, you rely on descriptions of products to help you decide whether to buy. But as an online business, you rely on product descriptions to convert visitors to your websites into purchasing customers.

How can you write a compelling product description that gets the job done right? You start by understanding what it is and what it does.

What Is a Product Description?

A product description is a type of ecommerce marketing content that explains the details of a product to a potential customer. While category descriptions describe a group of products, product descriptions describe just one product. The goal is to convey the vital information a customer needs to make a decision on whether to buy it. Essentially, when you create a product description, you are trying to tell the reader what the item is and what makes it worthwhile to purchase.

Unlike how shopping works at a physical location, you can’t hold a product in your hand while shopping online. When done correctly, the product description is the next best thing to holding the item you’re thinking of buying. In fact, the Nielsen Normal Group notes that up to 20% of task failures on one of their ecommerce studies was due to an insufficient product description.

You should be able to find examples of product descriptions on any site with a shopping cart system that allows you to make purchases. If you click on a product on the site, there should be an explanation of what the product is—if the content on the site was created correctly. Of course, there are good descriptions and bad descriptions. If you come across a bad or non-existent product description, you may be out of luck. Learn from the experience by never leaving your own product descriptions blank.

What Is the Difference Between Good and Bad Product Description Writing?

Yes, there is a difference between an effective description and a poorly written one. The quick of it is the following:

• Good: Contains descriptive details, sizing information, product specifications and benefits.
• Bad: Contains little to no information or the information is irrelevant to the product and reader.

The ultimate measure of the quality of a product description is how many views it attracts and sales it converts. Buyers are more likely to be pulled toward descriptions that answer their questions about the product, so make sure yours is attractive.

How Can You Write an Amazing Product Description?

You know what a product description is and its importance, so how do you write an effective description for your goods and services? Here are some tips that many experienced industry professionals understand about approaching this kind of writing.

Understand the Target Audience

The very first part of approaching product description writing is to know who will be reading the description. Are you selling men’s dress shoes or basketball shoes? Is the reader looking for women’s formal dresses or yoga pants? The more you know about your target audience, the more you can fine-tune the wording to appeal to the reader. Here are a few questions to consider asking yourself as you narrow down the target audience:

• How old is the reader?
• Why would the reader be looking for this product?
• How will the product make the reader’s life better?

While you don’t have to answer these questions in the description itself, understanding the answers will help to guide your word choice and content direction.

Highlight the Benefits

The product description is a quick sales pitch. You want to let the reader know why they need this product right now and how it will make their lives better. It’s important to remember that you need to focus on accurate features for the product; don’t just make stuff up. For example, if you were writing a description for memory foam house slippers, you might discuss the following features if they were applicable:

• Ultra-soft fabric keeps your toes warm any time of the year
• Textured sole prevents slipping on wood, laminate and tile floors
• Memory foam padding makes you feel like you’re walking on a cloud

You can present product specifications in a bullet list format or as full sentences in a paragraph. It depends on your preference of presentation and what will make it easier for your target audience to read.

Keep It Easy To Read

Your target audience should be able to quickly scan the description to find the exact information they’re looking for. That could be color, sizing, style, features or anything else important about the product. It’s also imperative that you keep the description mobile-friendly, meaning it needs to be easy to read and navigate by phone. Business Insider projects mobile ecommerce to jump to 45% and more of the U.S. ecommerce market in 2021. Keep wording succinct but informative. Word choice has never been more important. Make every character count.

Include the Story and Details

According to Search Engine Journal, product descriptions are among the types of content where you are better off being more specific. That doesn’t mean expounding at length about the virtues of the product but rather being succinct and descriptive about it. In this case, invest in the details more than the word count. This includes the story of the brand.

How did the product come to be? What is the manufacturer’s story and how does that play into the quality of the product? Telling your reader the brand and product’s story can help them feel more connected and invested in the item.

Incorporate Keywords

Did you know that you should incorporate SEO into your product descriptions? In fact, according to experts at Amazon, placing keywords in bullet points is especially beneficial for search engine rankings. It only takes a little bit of effort to find out which keywords may be best for your products, and then you just need to include them in the written content.

How Can You Make It Easier To Write a Lot of Product Descriptions?

Writing good content takes more effort than many people realize. You may be a business wizard, but that doesn’t mean you have the time, grammar skills or even the desire to write up descriptions for hundreds or thousands of products. If you find yourself in this boat, use the following tips to streamline your process.

Find a Length That Works

A quality product description doesn’t have to be very long, but it can also be detrimental to have it be too short. The trick here is that there is no one-size-fits-all answer for how long your description should be. In fact, you may need to experiment with descriptions of different lengths to find what the sweet spot is for certain types of products and for your target audience. Remember that your description should also be long enough to discuss the benefits and include the story of the product or brand. Does your description entice the reader with the right sensory words? Is it full of fluff or wording that doesn’t add value to the content? Make every word earn its place.

Create a Template

Once you find a length that works, create a template that is easy to follow. For example, your intro might include details about the brand, then a bullet list of the product specifications, and a closing paragraph about additional benefits and a call to action for the purchase.

Keep Your References Accessible

Unless you are writing a product description for a proprietary product not sold anywhere else online or in brick-and-mortar stores, you probably need to research information about it. The more descriptions you write, the more likely you are to collect specific websites and founts of knowledge from which you pull your information. Make a list and keep these references handy so you can go to them quickly for every piece of content you write.

Find a Writer

If your focus is on building your business or service and you are having trouble finding the time to write all of your descriptions, then you might consider having someone else write them for you. Every business is different, so you may need to evaluate if you have the budget to find a writer. Just because you are not able to hire one right away doesn’t mean you won’t be able to hire one down the road as your business grows.

Where Can You Hire Product Description Writers?

If you decide it’s time to hire writers to focus on creating quality product descriptions, you have a few different options at your disposal:

In-house

An in-house writer has specific benefits over outsourcing your written content. In-house writers can specialize in your brand voice because they can become more familiar with your products. You also have more control over how the writer approaches the content because you directly oversee the work. On the other hand, hiring such a writer tends to be the more expensive option because you have to budget in wages and any benefits. However, if you have room in your budget to bring on an employee to focus specifically on your written or online content creation, it can be an effective way to make sure your descriptions are written the way you want.

Freelance

A freelance writer is a person you hire to create the content at a negotiated rate, which could be a flat cent-per-word rate or an hourly rate. Freelancers can be less expensive than hiring a full-time in-house writer, but you tend to have less control over the finished product. In addition, freelancers have varying levels of experience, and the quality of the writing is not always guaranteed. However, many freelancers will work closely with you to determine what your guidelines are for writing the product description, and they will work toward a finished product that hopefully satisfies your needs. You should carefully research any freelancer you are considering hiring. Be sure to check out their portfolio of previous projects as well as any reviews other clients have left online.

Content Company

A content company tends to be the halfway point between an in-house writer and a freelancer. Usually, content companies have their own pool of writers they work with to create content for businesses like yours. Some companies offer managed services, meaning you work with a point of contact to detail the kind of content you need, and then the manager oversees the writers and delivery of the finished product. You may always be able to order content directly from the company without worrying about managed services. You should still research the company to ensure you will get quality content.

There are many places to hire writers for all of your online content. Just remember to evaluate the budget you have available for such a service and to seek products from a reputable source of content creation.

Where Do You Go From Here With Your Product Descriptions?

You have all of the information you need to get started on writing your own product descriptions, so what do you do now? You can start by making a list of items that require descriptions to be written. Your next move would be to collect any references for the information the description needs to include. Then you have to decide if you will be writing the content yourself or hiring someone to do it for you.

A product description might seem like such a small part of ecommerce, but its role packs a notable punch. Taking a little extra time up front to craft a strong template and approach will save you a lot of time down the road, even if you decide to turn the writing role over to someone else. With powerful descriptions at your disposal, your online shop’s performance may improve over time. If you’re looking for help with your product descriptions, let our master writers do the work for you.

Generating content for an ecommerce website isn’t as easy as you’d think. Unfortunately, websites don’t just spring into being fully formed, with lovely words extolling your company and the products you sell. Somebody has to write those words, and descriptions are needed for every single product on every single page of that website. Producing so much ecommerce content might seem like a daunting task—and it can be very tempting to cut corners and to just go and reuse manufacturer product descriptions instead of rewriting them to be original.

In professional content writing, is it okay to borrow the original copy of product descriptions from the manufacturer?

Why Should You Rewrite Manufacturer Descriptions?

When a customer visits your ecommerce site, they’re looking for information on your products. You, of course, have to provide it for them. And look—the manufacturer usually provides all those handy little descriptions of these products on their website! Just copy and paste and you’re done, right?

Wrong. Although this approach is easiest, it also isn’t likely to get you very far. Here are the main reasons why you should always rewrite manufacturer descriptions to go on your product pages:

Helps You Stand Out

The problem is that copying those manufacturer product descriptions is so easy, everyone does it, and if everyone does it, you aren’t going to stand out. Instead of becoming special, new, or interesting, your product page becomes just one more in a sea of faceless websites.

Not only that, there are inherent SEO benefits from rewriting ecommerce copy to make it original. With obscure, niche products, having some original copy with natural keyword usage can help your main product pages to rise up the search engine ranks. You can save money from PPC advertising and organically win rankings for ecommerce keywords.

Avoids Repetition

Search engines are very, very, very good at recognizing duplication. They can tell that your content is exactly the same as content found on the manufacturer’s website, and they know that you didn’t come up with it. If you didn’t do the work, should your site be ranked any higher than the site that had the content first? While you may not always be directly penalized for duplicate content, there are other downsides to using someone else’s original copy of product descriptions.

For one, using a manufacturer description strips you of the ability to infuse the copy with any of your brand voice. Customers are typically loyal to ecommerce companies because they relate on an emotional level with the brand. If your product descriptions are just knockoffs of something they could find on another website, you lose the ability to reinforce that brand loyalty and authority with potential customers. Not to mention you miss out on the opportunity to lure new customers in with your unique brand voice.

Sidesteps Plagiarism Issues

Finally, in some cases the material may have a copyright registered. This doesn’t happen often, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. Stealing material from other sites—even manufacturers’ descriptions—can lead to legal problems down the road. Even if it doesn’t, representing someone else’s work as your own is plagiarism, which is unethical.

One of the most important rules of search engine optimization (SEO) is that all content needs to be original. All of it. Most people are smart enough to be original on their homepage content and other important pieces of online text, but this rule applies to everything from blogs to FAQs—and yes, your product descriptions. Don’t borrow material from other websites, social media, or even printed works.

Conclusion: Rewrite Manufacturer Product Descriptions

So what are you supposed to do? The simplest course of action is just to rewrite the manufacturer product descriptions. You can keep the main ideas, the highlights of the product, and any statistics or measurements; just use your own words. Saying the same thing differently isn’t hard to do, and it will keep you in the clear when it comes to duplication. This is the simplest approach whether you write your own material or hire content writers to do it for you.

If you really want to stand out, use the product description copy as an opportunity to add your own review or a customer’s testimonial. This is the perfect place to convince the consumers to buy from you, and the new ideas can only help your SEO.

Cutting corners might seem tempting, but it can hurt your website more than it helps. Unless you’re trying to lower your search rankings, it’s not a good idea to directly reuse manufacturer descriptions. Rewrite those manufacture descriptions instead!

If someone searches your product and finds it on Amazon, your job in content marketing is done, right?

Wrong.

While a big part of SEO is making your product findable and desirable, you need to reel potential clients all the way in once the hook is set. One way you can do this is by getting creative with your product descriptions. Another is by hiring an Amazon content writer. Whether or not you do these things, the most important thing you should do is create an Amazon product description that is made for Amazon buyers.

You need Amazon descriptions that catch the attention of potential customers. With a few tweaks, you can take advantage of what the e-commerce website already gives you. Not sure how? Look no further, here is a seven-step Amazon product description guide to get you started on new pages or improve the ones you’ve already published.

1. Stuff Your Amazon Title Tags

Think keyword stuffing is a thing of the past? Think again, especially if you’re writing a product description on Amazon. While title tags for blogs are generally under 60 characters with one or two keywords, Amazon allows you to write up to 500 characters and advises that you stuff as many keywords in as possible. With a 500-character limit, you’ll likely have no trouble fitting in every possible keyword variation you can think of.

Although you have plenty of space to describe your product, use it wisely. List the most important features of your product. Try to think like the customer: when searching for your product, what would you be looking for? What distinguishes your Amazon product description from similar descriptions and products? You may want to look at similar products to see how they describe theirs. The title tag can be one of the biggest deciding factors while users are scrolling.

2. Create an Awesome Product Title

According to Amazon’s own customer service page, the key to writing a great title depends on the type of product you’re writing about. Different categories have different formulas that work best. For example, cutlery titles should be listed as the brand + line + size + product type, for example, Calphalon Professional Hard-Anodized 8-1/2-Quart Saucier with Lid. Appliances, on the other hand, would include the brand + model name + product type, and color, as in the Kitchenaid KSM150PSER Artisan 5-Quart Mixer, Empire Red.

Each word should be capitalized, numbers should be in numerals and all forms of measurement should be spelled out instead of abbreviated. Titles also must not exceed 200 characters (including spaces) in all categories.

3. Include Bullet Points

If there’s one thing everyone loves, it’s bullet points. They make finding information simple, fast and clear. Amazon shoppers are no different. In fact, they might be the worst of the impatient information seekers. They won’t spend much time looking at your Amazon product description if the information you present doesn’t help them.

One of the best ways to showcase the perks of your product is with bullet points, but just as in everything else in content marketing, quality trumps quantity every time. While your product may be just as good as someone else’s, it will likely get overlooked if you don’t have enough details in your bullet points.

Make sure your bullet points are brief, yet descriptive and give a good overview of the product at a glance. If you’re selling a phone accessory, for example, it would be wise to include all compatible phones in a bullet point so shoppers can quickly see if your product will fit their needs without having to search through the Amazon description. If you don’t, others will.

Clarity is important, too. If you have a lot of information to offer, try to trim down the list and make it as easy to read as possible. Unless they are extremely interested, potential buyers may stop reading after the fifth or sixth bullet point. With that in mind, put the most important details first.

4. Call Your Shoppers to Action

CTAs on an Amazon product description page? That’s right! A call to action doesn’t have to include phrases such as, “If you’re in need of an expert in lawn care, click here.” They may be disguised on Amazon, but they’re still intended to move your customer to the final checkout.

So what kinds of CTAs can you use? The main goal of a call to action is to create a sense of urgency in a customer’s mind. You want potential buyers to feel that they need your item, and they need it now. If you are offering any promotions, let users know about them.

As you’re writing each detail of the page, keep in mind that there are several ways you can lead your shoppers to the checkout. Be personal and clear when writing your Amazon descriptions and CTAs. The more presentable you look, the better chance you have at getting those buyers.

5. Make Your Images Sell Themselves

Years ago, you could get away with one simple image with your Amazon product description, but those days are gone. Viewers now want to see the product in a variety of shots, whether you’re showing different angles or demonstrating it in use. Because these transactions are done completely online, customers want to feel comfortable during the buying process. Pictures can help them trust your product more and get a better idea of what they’re buying.

Zoom buttons are a must as well as expandable images. Even videos are becoming a common way to display your product in action or show its design from all angles. Whatever you do, display multiple shots. Also, don’t upload any low-quality photos, or you might risk losing customers who view your product as fake or untrustworthy. Use good lighting, a quality camera and do some extra editing to get the best-looking photos for your product page.

6. Keep it Short

Obviously, this is not about your title tag, but rather the amount of time your page takes to load. Check out this graphic from Kissmetrics for proof.

According to the graph, almost half of all users expect a page to load in 2 seconds, and if it doesn’t load by 3, 40 percent of shoppers will leave. In fact, even a delay of 1 second can lead to a reduction in conversions of up to 7 percent. Those are big numbers, especially when the people who manage to stay on your page aren’t guaranteed customers.

That’s a big loss over a long period of time, so make sure your page loads fast. While you can’t control many of the factors that determine load times on Amazon product description pages, you should at least make sure your images and videos are optimized to load quickly and not be too large. Do all the optimizing you can to give potential buyers the best experience.

7. Get a Second (and Third, and Fourth) Point of View

Your page might look perfect to you, but you may be slightly biased. A new set of eyes can go a long way in spotting eyesores and inconsistencies that you may have missed. Find a few reliable friends or associates who can look through your page and point out things you can improve. You may even want to study a competitor’s page to see what their strengths and weaknesses are, and adjust accordingly.

You’ll also want to find out what your viewer’s first impression is when he or she lands on the Amazon product description page. Sites like UsabilityHub offer testing options to allow visitors to give feedback on what they thought immediately after landing on your page. The user experience is extremely important, especially on Amazon where there can be hundreds of similar products to choose from.

8. Give Your Amazon Product Description Personality

While the main purpose of the Amazon description is to give more information about your product, there’s nothing wrong with giving it a little pizazz. An interesting, enjoyable description will not only attract shoppers but also give them an idea of the personality of your company and set you apart from your competitors that may offer a similar or identical product.

Loyal customers are gained by quality products and excellent customer service, but they are also won by endearing yourself to them. Your branding strategy is a vital part of winning sales, especially online. Besides, letting clients see a more personal side of your company will make you relatable and human and encourage buyers to stick with you.

How To Get Personal With Customers

Not sure how to give more flair to your writing? It’s hard to do. Not only are you trying to use good grammar, but you want to catch the attention of readers. Writing quality content is a little tougher than it sounds.

Start by thinking about your target market. Who are you marketing to? Imagine that you are speaking to them specifically: what kinds of things would stand out to them? Then as you write, reflect your brand. Be authentic and honest, and let that flow into your Amazon product descriptions.

Next, focus on the content itself. To get the technical part down, use Hemingway App to help you get the right reading level down and catch complex sentences. You may also want to download a free grammar app that can help you catch silly mistakes.

If you don’t have the time or skill to create quality Amazon product descriptions, that’s okay too. A product description writing company can do the work for you.

9. Completely Fill Out All Fields

When you’re creating a listing, you may not want to take the time to fill in every single field, but doing so can make a big difference in how likely you are to show up in Amazon’s search results. Including UPC’s, attributes, brands and variation themes give you a better chance at being found. In fact, Amazon takes this very seriously and neglecting details could mean you’ll become a suppressed listing in the search results.

Amazon Product Descriptions Are a Big Deal!

If your product descriptions have been lacking, you may be losing out on sales. The unique content you create and the way you present it is what differentiates you from your competitors. You can use every win you can get, so start with your product descriptions.

With these tips, you can create some of the best Amazon product pages that stand out and attract buyers. Remember, content is very important, especially during the buying process. People want to know what you offer them. With the right details and persuasive words, you’ll start seeing big results.

For additional help, check out our guide on creating persuasive descriptions or use product description writing services to find competent Amazon content writers. As you get serious about your Amazon product descriptions, you can give your business a big boost. Get started today!