- September 3, 2018
- Posted by: Akbar Lalani
- Categories: Articles, Blog
Product descriptions help sell your products online, not optimizing them can mean leaving money on the table. Most retailers use manufacturer provided standard descriptions which are used by all their reseller partners. This could lead to diluted search authority when people search for your product online using a search engine. The key is to have descriptions that are not only unique but also keep users engaged.
We have witnessed with our own clients that by optimizing just 10% of their product descriptions has led to an 80%+ increase in organic traffic and not to mention higher conversion rates.
Here are some ways you can improve your online store’s product descriptions to help boost conversion rates:
Lifestyle writing:
Product descriptions that tell a story are more likely to appeal to your audience. They would like to hear about how your product fits in their life. Listing the product’s features and benefits alone will not necessarily answer questions a user may have about the product. Assuming that every online shopper is at the same level is a mistake that most retailers make. We need to keep in mind the target audience and the possibility that you have an audience that consists of mixed demographics. Lifestyle writing can help users understand the real-world application of the product and can make your content unique.
Solve a Problem:
Most online shoppers search online for products based on a problem they are facing, they are looking for a solution. Address their problem by providing a description that helps them understand how your product solves a problem. Real world examples could be provided based on previous customer testimonials or experiences. This will help shoppers make a more personal connection with your product.
Target Keywords:
Understand what problem the product solves and include the solution in the form of keywords into your product description. An example would be where you are trying to sell a brand name skin cream that helps with treating Acne, most standard descriptions will talk about the brand name and focus little on the skin condition. Instead, talk about how this helps fight acne and its real-world benefits. Most online shoppers may not be aware of the brand but they certainly would be aware of a problem. Make sure you include the right keywords to attract the right audience and make your description stand out.
Optimize meta-tags:
Once you have identified your target keywords, make sure you cover those keywords in your meta tags. The title meta tags are the first element that most users will see when they search using Google or Bing. Make sure you include those keywords in your meta title and also the description. The copy on the page should also include your target keywords to make it easier for your audience to connect your product with their query. This helps both users and search engines understand the content of your page better.
Include reviews and Q&A:
This is another personalization factor that helps improve conversion rates. Reviews help new shoppers understand how your product helped other shoppers and how it could possibly help them. Q&A also helps with the same scenario, you can include most common questions received for the product to help answer any concerns a user may have.
Keep it simple:
Most retailers think using flowery words improves their products appeal, while that may be true for a luxury product it is not the case for most products. Keeping your description simple and easy to understand makes sure your audience stays engaged and focused on the problem your product is trying to solve. At the same time using a bland description and title is also not recommended. Make sure your product descriptions are simple yet informative and engaging. The key here is to convey as much information as possible within a short period of time to help the user make a decision.
Test your content:
As with any marketing effort, test your content to see what works both from an SEO point of view and also from a conversion rate point of view. Use existing data to provide a benchmark point that you can then optimize from. This will help you gauge if your optimized content is performing better or worse than the benchmark. Study your target audience and start with a limited test on 1% of your top-selling product descriptions. Once you have enough data to conclude that a certain style of content is working better than the other, you can then expand your efforts to cover 10% of your product descriptions and then gradually the rest.
Content is often an overlooked aspect of online stores, most consider it time-consuming and expensive and are not able to gauge the real ROI. With a little effort and a plan, you can transform your content into a sales channel that can improve your conversion rates.
Corelead provides catalog management services through which we have helped re-write over 50,000 product descriptions for our clients. Our writers are SEO trained and can adapt to a writing style that is in line with your brand’s philosophy. Ask for our Risk-Free Pilot to see how we can help you get more out of your content.