How to Create the Best Product Descriptions for SEO?

Everything depends on your available resources – your time, budget, market research, marketing knowledge, and content creation skills. In both cases, think of it as an investment in valuable content that will enrich your website.

One of the best solutions you can utilize is outsourcing your SEO product descriptions while providing your copywriter with a thought-out brief. This allows you to combine your product knowledge with the copywriter’s skills to get the most out of your content. In other words – you can greatly benefit from SEO copywriting services.

What Should SEO Product Description Briefs Contain?

Distinguishing features of the product – you probably know those from your (or your customers’) experiences. Remember – copywriters create content in many different areas and do not know your products as well as you do.

Your expectations about the content piece. Is there something specific you would like your copywriter to address? The functionality of the product? Colorways? Other properties? Be sure to inform your content creator.

The expected language and tone of voice. A skilled copywriter can write in many different styles – depending on what their clients expect from them. Got a specific idea about the description’s tone? Try to write it down in the form of a few simple bullet points.

The expected length of the description. Be straightforward – inform your copywriter whether you expect 200, 300 or 500 words and decide on a form of payment clearance.

No matter who is creating your content – you ought to know how they should look to meet the demands given both by Google’s algorithm and your clients. This is why education is key and why we’ve prepared 17 tips on how to write product descriptions for ecommerce stores. Get to know them – and nothing will surprise you later.

Firstly – a few basic facts about why we write product descriptions. When creating them, you should put SEO and conversion first. Why?

Product descriptions play a vital role in SEO processes and can directly allow you to boost your conversion rate. Again, why? They can improve your website’s visibility, indexation and targeting. This, in turn, will increase your organic traffic. What’s more, a good product description containing a well-thought-out CTA and unique selling points will encourage your clients to make a purchase.

Of course – if you want to enhance your website’s visibility, you need the right keywords. Keywords, which your customers enter in search engines – place them on your website to let your customer base find you.

A good SEO product description containing a call to action may also lead to converting your website visitors to real customers committing to a purchase. We’ll mention that a lot more later, but you should remember that a product description needs to highlight the product’s unique features and its benefits for your customers. The description should be clear, approachable, and easy to understand for your customers to make a conscious decision. Knowing how to write SEO content will help you a lot here.

Are Ecommerce Product Descriptions from the Manufacturer Enough?

Product descriptions, which were supplied by the product’s manufacturer may be helpful in creating your own, unique descriptions – but they’re most likely not enough for your site to rank higher and to increase conversion rates. They are just not good enough. Not to mention the legal aspects of using them…

Manufacturers often focus on technicalities in their descriptions – instead of the benefits for the customers. How you narrate your descriptions (even if you sell generic white sneakers) is extremely important for your sales.

Don’t forget about duplication issues! A lot of ecommerce stores sell the same products. This means – the manufacturer’s description may appear on many other websites. This alone makes them unsuitable for SEO. A high level of external duplication may cause your site to drop in search rankings – or even get filtered by Google.

Remember – copying descriptions from other websites is a copyright infringement.

SEO ecommerce product descriptions are a type of content optimized for search engines, combining user-oriented web writing and basic SEO good practice.

Remember, that a well-written SEO description contains the right amount of information about the product, is original, and provides real value for the customers. We’d like to remind you again: your SEO product descriptions have to be unique and you mustn’t copy them from other websites.

By using the right keywords, your product page can gain visibility in search results, which in turn can attract a higher number of potential customers.

What Are the Differences Between SEO Product Descriptions and Meta Descriptions?

Meta descriptions and ecommerce product descriptions are two entirely different elements of your website. Both can make a difference in terms of your website’s performance – but that’s the only thing they have in common.

You should know that meta descriptions can aid you in increasing your CTR. Well-written, intriguing meta descriptions can encourage users to click on your website – and increase your organic traffic. It can be really worth it!

To sum it up – meta and product descriptions differ in where they are used, how long they are, and how they are written, but they both are used to make your website more interesting to users.

There are a few good reasons.

They improve your visibility in SERPs. Well-optimized ecommerce product descriptions allow you to rank higher and attract more users. More visits = more potential sales (if your targeting is on point, that is).

They improve the impression you make on customers. It may be counterintuitive, but text content can have an impact on how users perceive your website (including all the things you want to sell). Good SEO product descriptions are clear and accessible to users. This helps in creating positive experiences, encouraging interaction.

They give you a competitive advantage. Ecommerce markets are getting more and more competitive (or perhaps even oversaturated). This is why your website needs to stand out. SEO product descriptions can help with that.

They encourage longer sessions by users. Want users to stay on your website longer? Give them more content, spice up your product cards, and watch session lengths skyrocket. This parameter may have a positive impact on your website’s position.

Know your target audience

You can’t write good ecommerce product descriptions without researching and knowing who you are writing for. Similarly – it’s hard to pinpoint keywords which will improve your conversion rate without telling who’s going to make that conversion.

That’s why the first step is getting to know users who may be interested in buying the specific product. Assess their demographics, interests, needs and expectations. Don’t forget their preferred language and their view of your brand.

Start with branding basics. Define who is the target audience for your products – and why. Draw conclusions, and make changes to your marketing communications – both in terms of social media and product presentation (which SEO product descriptions are part of).

Utilize data gathered by tools such as Google Analytics (if you don’t have it implemented – set up Google Analytics 4!). Use them to identify users that interact with your products and content.

Determine key products for your business. Why are they so important? Who is buying them? By answering these questions, you can take a broader look at the most important group of customers.

Choose the Right Keywords

Your target audience is already defined? Now you have to decide how to attract them to your product pages.

In terms of SEO, we focus on organic traffic, although keywords are vital also in terms of Google Ads or social media. No matter which one you choose, they determine the terms used in search engines to search for the given product.

Which tools should be used for keyword research?

• Google Search Console
• Ahrefs
• SEM
• SEMRush
• Answer The Public
• Google Keyword Planner
• Surfer SEO
• Ubersuggest

They will show you the way you need to go. What terms are users entering to find a “children’s blanket”? Can you utilize blog articles to improve your products’ recognition? Which keywords will be the most valuable? Which of them will be too generic or have a low search volume?

Data extracted from tools must be thoroughly examined. Even better, if a seasoned SEO specialist can do it for you.

Choose the Right Schedule for Adding SEO Product Descriptions

Can’t create and implement all descriptions at once? Set your priorities. It’s extremely important to optimize key products first. Which ones should you target first? You will see that they have:

• the highest amount of clicks
• high conversion rate
• high user engagement
• high session length

If by viewing this data you start to feel that something isn’t right with conversion on your website – be sure to check out our e-commerce conversion rate optimization checklist.

Use Paragraphs – Make Your Descriptions Readable

Nobody wants to read huge blocks of text on badly-optimized websites. This is what makes users reject those pages. We are used to images and simplified content, and even longer posts should make some space for our brains to rest.

That’s even more important in terms of SEO product descriptions, as they play an important role in sales.

Your content should be logically divided into paragraphs. You may want to start some of them with a heading compliant with SEO practices. Rich content is well-received by Google crawlers, but as we already said – huge blocks of text are not the way. They discourage users from interacting with the content.

What if the user is a potential client, ready to buy, but they can’t find the most important info? They’ll leave the site without finishing the purchase process.

Use H1-H3 Tags

If you don’t know how to write SEO product descriptions – remember, that Google loves hierarchy. You want to show crawlers the most important parts of your page – this is why you should use H1-H3 headings. H1 should contain the product’s name, H2s are the place to insert your keywords, and finally, H3 headings can improve your content’s readability by dividing your description into logical sections.

Emphasis

Don’t forget to emphasize what’s really important in your ecommerce product descriptions. Highlight keywords and the most important attributes of your product. Don’t go overboard, though. There’s no need to emphasize whole paragraphs of text. Most frequently, you’ll want to highlight single words: i.e. resolution (of a screen), color (of a dress), pressure (of an espresso machine).

Bullet Points: Clear & Concise

Both users and Google like bullet points. Don’t be shy to describe features and benefits that way. It improves readability, and if done right – can make your page appear as a direct answer in the SERP.

Use the Language of Benefits

Your SEO product descriptions shouldn’t be pushy, but at the same time, they should highlight the benefits customers get by buying your product.

Instead of telling users that you are an award-winning producer of the most durable thermoactive clothing on the market – show them what they will gain if they buy it. Tell them how perfect it is for hiking retreats, morning jogging sessions in the winter, or holiday skiing fun. And that it’ll pair perfectly with a warm softshell jacket, which will allow them to stay warm and active for longer, even during a long training sesh.

Connect Features with Advantages

Show your users what exactly makes your product unique. Does your vacuum cleaner run under 60dB? Tell them it’s perfect for a house with pets or small children. Your caps are 100% natural wool? Tell your customers they let your skin breathe. Does your store sell the latest graphics card? Don’t forget to list out new games with stunning visuals, which will run on full details thanks to your card!

Your customers will appreciate that you know and care for their needs. This in turn helps them decide on a purchase.

Don’t Be Afraid to Use Storytelling

Storytelling is more than just getting to know your customers and showing them examples of using your products. It’s about building experiences and associations. They are key to making users memorize your brand for longer.

Using storytelling in SEO product descriptions often means building narratives based on specific moods and emotions. As research shows – marketing is more about emotions than about facts and features.

Long Is Good, but Longer Is Not Always Better

Don’t stretch out your content to infinity. Be sure to get the most out of your product, though. With a bit of practice, you’ll quickly see that creating a coherent, interesting, and appropriately long content piece isn’t as hard as it sounds.

Be sure to verify the length of ecommerce product descriptions that appeals to your customers the most. Use analytical tools. With their help, you’ll determine whether longer content helps to boost conversion rates or discourages your users – even if your content is perfectly readable.

Allow Product Reviews

User-generated content can be extremely valuable. Reviews and opinions can make users trust your website more. Apart from SEO product descriptions, your website should feature honest reviews by your customers.

You can use plug-ins for your CMS, comment, or rating sections. Google often displays well-implemented ratings in search results as part of page snippets – which can help increase your CTR.

Basics First

Although starting with basics may seem like an obvious, banal even rule – it works. Of course only if it’s followed properly. In terms of ecommerce product descriptions – let the most important aspects appear in your introduction to attract and engage users. Further sections may explore other functionalities and applications – which you can combine with storytelling techniques.

The conclusion of your SEO product descriptions is the place to summarize everything. But not only that! Show users which products they can add to their carts to complete their outfits, finish their preparations for a trip, or plan their skincare routine.

Use Keywords Naturally

Have you ever heard of keyword stuffing? That’s one thing you don’t want in ecommerce product descriptions. Users don’t want to read five keywords stacked right next to each other. They want to know what they’ll gain by buying your product and decide whether it’s worth the purchase.

That’s why all keywords should be used naturally, unseen at first glance. Google will know, what’s going on and users won’t have to tear through unimportant content – so they’ll add your product to their carts quicker.

Don’t Forget About Internal Linking

SEO product descriptions are the perfect place to implement captivating internal linking. Which, as we know, is extremely important for your website’s SEO. Add a few links to similar products with appropriate anchors, in the middle or at the end of your content. Everything depends on where they’ll look natural and help your sales and SEO.

Add Alternative Text to Your Photos

The alt attribute is a short description of graphic elements accessible to Google crawlers. Alternative text is a great place to add your keywords to. Always add alt text to images on your website. It’s important both for SEO and users who can’t visually access your content – it’s a crucial part of website accessibility.

Use the Right Language

Good communication is key for successful sales. It applies to ecommerce, too. How to write SEO product descriptions which fit your customers’ needs? Remember, that different audiences need different communication styles. What does that mean? How to choose the right tone when writing descriptions? You have to think about a few questions.

Is the user proficient in this area, or do you have to explain everything in detail?

Example: a beginner’s tattoo set in a tattoo supply store has to be thoroughly explained in simple language – given the context, the target audience doesn’t know a lot about tattooing. Expensive, high-end tattoo machines are targeted at pros – you can describe them using more complex, industry lingo.

Does your potential customer prefer simple, user-friendly language or terms evoking luxury and extravagance?

Example: You’ll communicate with clients looking for outdoor backpacks differently than with clients wanting to buy luxurious jewelry. In the first case – SEO product descriptions should contain simple, accessible language, whereas when describing luxury products – you want the client to feel that merely wearing the jewelry takes them to the next level.

What do you know about the demographics of your target audience?

Example: It’s hard to incorporate zoomer humor into your ecommerce product descriptions if your core customers are over 50. Even Gen Y won’t understand the specifics of language used by today’s teenagers.

Tip! Always make sure your content fits your target audience. Personalize it. One-size-fits-all is not a valid approach to product descriptions. Be sensible and mind the gap beyond which your content starts to become incomprehensible – even to your target audience.

Elements, which should be added in all ecommerce product descriptions:

• Product name – you can’t write about a product without mentioning its name. Best case scenario: the name appears along connected keywords (name + main features/benefits).
• A description of the product’s functionality – the content should contain specific features and functionalities along with benefits for the customer (in compliance with the tips we’ve shared before). The description should be easily understandable, comprehensible, and focused on the needs and expectations of your customers.
• Photos – web users concentrate on visuals. Photos are key – they help potential customers visualize the product and decide whether it meets their expectations. Remember to add alt attributes to your photos!
• Internal linking – we’ve described this in detail, but it’s worth repeating. Internal linking is crucial for SEO and UX (which is connected with UX writing – be sure to read more on this topic [link wewn])
• Keywords – as you already know, they are extremely important for SEO. Let’s just recap the places they should be implemented in:
  • Headings – especially H1, H2, H3.
  • Content – in a natural way.
  • Alt text on images.
• Call to action – remember, when we were talking about conversions? Speed up the customers’ decision-making and buying process by using thought-out CTAs.

What Can You Do to Make Your SEO Product Descriptions Stand Out?

What you’ve just read are absolute basics. This is not the end! Now let’s take a look at things that can make your content stand out from the rest of your competitors.

Add unique info and tips – if you can, add information that is not available in your competitors’ descriptions. Details about the production process, unique features and applications, and so on.

Dispel customers’ doubts – what are your customers afraid of and what blocks them from finalizing the purchase? Perhaps the product is unjustly infamous for some reason? Make use of your content. Convince your customers that purchasing your product will be worth it. This is a good moment to present your USP or a rating system for users (see, why reviews from users are important).

Additional photos – if you have just a few official photos from the manufacturer, add more visual elements. Photos showing the given products in use or product combinations are the way to go.

Content isn’t everything. You have to take care of the logistics of the whole process to see results. What will you need to make your work easier?

Set Priorities – Products, Which Need Unique Descriptions

Why are priorities so important for this process? By setting them, you can start crafting an action plan, optimize asset allocation (both time and money) and improve your ROI.

This will have an impact on your sales – and on the revenue of your business. Most of the time the priority products bring the most money.

How to tell which ones you should set as a priority? You should thoroughly analyze your product range and answer the following questions:

• is this product popular with customers?
• what is its current position and visibility in the SERPs?
• how competitive is the market for this product?
• how large of an impact will this product have on sales?

After completing the analysis, you’ll have the means to concentrate on the most important products. This way, you’ll achieve effects faster, than without a consistent strategy.

Create Outlines of Descriptions with Variables (Names, Parameters)

Need a large quantity of SEO product descriptions for a big ecommerce site? You can bet on automation. Find the variables in your CMS and off you go. The process is a bit similar to generating titles and meta descriptions on Shoper.

If you want a more natural and varied approach – try creating a set of outlines that differ in the used variables. For instance – you can combine the dimensions and the name of the product in one outline versus the manufacturer and the product’s color in another outline.

Generate Descriptions with AI

AI should be your friend – you just have to know how to approach it and have some knowledge about the generation process.

To make it fully effective when using ChatGPT – you need to utilize the Open AI API. By connecting it to the right script, complete with your product list and data describing your products – AI will generate new, unique content. If you choose to enter your data by hand – you can be sure that the generated content won’t include unchecked, hallucinated data. Its answers will be based on information delivered by the person who knows their products best.

This part will be dedicated to the reality of product descriptions. Here are a few examples – we’ll show you what’s hot and what’s not. Are you ready?

Source: https://www.oceansapart.com/en/product/beverly-set/

Let’s start with something which is both extremely cute and useful to potential customers, making it stand out in terms of user experience. What’s not shown here are the other sections of the description: “product details” and “features” could be perfect to list out other information valuable to potential buyers (materials used, dimensions etc.), whereas the “product description” section could be a place to implement an SEO-optimized description.

But that’s not the only cool thing on their site. Apart from their descriptions, their internal linking is on point – just look at the “similar products” section:

Source: https://www.oceansapart.com/en/product/beverly-set/

Now let’s take a look at well-structured and optimized SEO product descriptions. This is an example created in cooperation with yours truly.

Source: https://www.wrenchscience.com/

Apart from a lot of technical information, which will be most certainly useful to potential buyers, the description section has a clear structure with an appropriate heading and paragraphs containing both keywords (emphasized with HTML formatting), features, and advantages of the described product. And let’s not forget about the internal linking!

Want to see something innovative? Look at Apple. An impressive way of building users’ engagement with your website – clicking well-designed, visually enticing panels reveal useful information, which is also well-structured, provides insights for customers, and contains product-related keywords.

Source: https://www.apple.com/apple-watch-se/

Does your competition really pay attention to alt attributes on their photos? As you can see – they definitely do, even when the description doesn’t contain a lot of keywords. You could say that it’s a delicate, almost invisible way to optimize your website which can help it rank better.

The perfume’s description on Notino’s website doesn’t really tell you if it was optimized for search engines. However – the title, alt text and internal linking can show you that optimization was done diligently, but very carefully.

Source: https://www.notino.co.uk/calvin-klein/euphoria-eau-de-parfum-for-women/

A well-written description can help you in improving your website’s ranking in SERPs and increase your conversion rate. And this is exactly why it’s worth spending some time on creating effective ecommerce product descriptions.

Want to hear the biggest pros of content creation for products again? Here you go:

• you can improve your website’s ranking in organic search
• you can increase the number of visitors to your website
• you can lengthen the session duration on your website
• you can improve your conversion rate
• you can build your brand image
• you can improve the competitiveness of your brand or ecommerce website

However, if you are not able to do good E-commerce SEO yourself, contact us and we will devise the right strategy for you!

You should also know why is it worth investing in copywriting.