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SEO Product Description Writing – 5 Simple Rules for 2021

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    [Updated 02/07/2021]

    A great product description can make a dramatic difference in your sales. Below are 5 proven templates that you can re-use for profit.

    It seems like pretty straightforward information, but writing your product description is actually an excellent opportunity to let your brand’s unique voice shine through and give a reason for people to click on your website in the search results. Use it to drive home what makes your product amazing and unique. Although we’re using the example of a collapsible bike helmet, these rules apply to absolutely anything that you can sell in an Ecommerce store in 2021.

    Tailor the Description to Your Target Customer (and the intent behind their search).

    The most effective way to tailor your description to your target customer is to sit down and spend a few minutes thinking about who your target customer is. Are they a sporty high-achieving middle aged man? A busy stay at home mom? What is their income, their level of education? What do they do for fun? Where do they shop? Once you’ve identified who is most likely to purchase your product, distill the average features of that customer base into a single persona. Give them a name. In our example of a collapsible bike helmet, perhaps you’re marketing to an athletic career-minded woman in her late twenties. Give her a name and get inside her head. How will your collapsible bike helmet make her life better? For example, she’s likely to be fashion-conscious. You can leverage this information to make your product more appealing.

    Note: one of the most important SEO ranking factors in 2021 is the concept of matching your product pages with the intent of your audience. In other words, if you want your store to rank for “fashionable helmets” you need to understand that you are most likely looking at a female market, and this market should generally consider your helmet as fashionable. If they don’t, they will bounce off of your site in seconds and click your competitors listing to find what they are looking for. Google monitors this activity and automatically demotes sites that don’t fulfill the promise they make in their product titles and descriptions.

    Instead of this: “Collapsible Bike Helmet, Choose from 3 Colors”

    Try this: “Fashionable Collapsible Bike Helmet in 3 Classic Colors to Suit Your Style”

    Identify Pain Points, and How Your Product Can Help

    Once you’ve gotten inside your customer’s head, consider what benefits your product will provide. What problems does your product solve? This may require some creative thinking if your product is simple or very common. In keeping with the bike helmet example, the primary purpose of a helmet is to protect against injury. You’ll certainly want to include information on the necessary safety certifications in your description. But what problem does YOUR bike helmet solve that other bike helmets don’t? In the case of a collapsible helmet, it’s the frustration of trying to lug around a large, bulky item once the cyclist has reached their destination. Briefly call out the pain point, and then describe how your product solves the problem.

    Instead of this: “Bike helmet collapses for easy transport”

    Try this: “Stop dangling that bulky helmet from your arm! This bike helmet collapses down to the size of a hardback book so you can slip it easily into a purse or laptop bag.”

    Make it a Quick Read (and Easy to Scan)

    No matter what your product is, you’ll need to include the technical specs. This may include measurements, weight, materials, pieces or parts included, etc. Cover the technical specifications with a bulleted list that is written in a consistent voice. It should be easy to scan for relevant information. Small chunks of text under bolded headers are also easy to read. The headers or bullets are a great place to quickly highlight the benefits of your product. Take a look at the difference:

    Instead of this:

    Specs:

    Bike helmet when collapsed is 8” long, 4” wide and 2” thick. Weight is 12 oz. Made of polycarbonate plastic and EPS foam. Adjustable to fit most teens and adult male and female head sizes.

    Try this:

    Technical Specs:

    • Sized to Fit Everyone: Adjusts to fit every head size from 52-58 cm. That’s most teens and adults!

    • Made of Conventional, Proven-Safe Materials: The collapsible bike helmet is made of polycarbonate plastic and EPS foam, the same materials used in everyday bike helmets. Not only is our helmet better-looking and a lot more convenient, but it meets the same rigorous safety standards as conventional helmets.

    • Won’t Take Up Space: The helmet collapses down to 8” x 4” x 2”, about the same dimensions as a hardback book!

    Include Social Proof

    Social proof is a fancy way of saying “others love this, so you ought to take a look too” .” Psychologically speaking, we’re more inclined to buy a product that we know a lot of other people are buying, because a high number of satisfied customers is indicative of good quality. An easy way to insert social proof into your product description is with a positive review, inserted either as a quote or a screenshot. This also has the advantage of breaking up walls of text for better readability. Another easy way to include social proof is with a dedicated Reviews tab.

    Pay attention to keywords, but don’t overuse them

    Good keyword research is a must if you want a good Google ranking, but don’t get caught keyword-stuffing. Do your research and figure out one or two good keywords and place them throughout your description in places that make sense. Savvy internet customers will be able to tell right away if you’re shoving keywords without much thought. An example of keyword stuffing looks like what you often see on Amazon:

    Instead, use your keyword in a few headings and in the text body where it makes sense. For example:

    Collapsible Bike Helmet Takes the Annoyance Out of Your Commute

    Are you sick and tired of lugging your bulky bike helmet everywhere, taking up space in your bag and banging into stuff on your way into the office? Don’t go out and buy a bus pass just yet! Our collapsible bike helmet makes bike safety easy, convenient, and stylish.

    Alongside excellent product photography, your product description can either seal the deal or turn customers off and ensure they don’t come back. Remember to target your description to a very specific customer base and identify how your product will make their lives better by solving a real problem. Make your descriptions scannable and easy to read, include social proof that your product is worth buying, and use appropriate keywords judiciously. Clear and enticing product descriptions lead to more interested customers who happily press that Add to Cart button.

    Next Steps – Advanced Ecommerce SEO

    If this was all pretty simple or you are already doing these items, be sure to take a look at the more advanced guide we put together for ecommerce store owners. There we cover the more nuances of product descriptions including tone, task completion, rich snippets markup, link building and other topics. Ecommerce SEO Tips – 4 Surefire Ways to Increase Your Traffic