Anatomy of a Stellar Ecommerce Page: Product Descriptions

Whoever said a picture is worth a thousand words wasn’t trying to run a successful ecommerce page. No matter how great your product photography may be, you still need some text describing the items, even if many never read the words. How you present your product descriptions is up to you, but there are a few rules you should follow if you want to experience success.

Write Your Own Descriptions

When you receive products from manufacturers, they probably come with product descriptions already attached. You might be tempted to just use that description. Don’t. This one seemingly tiny decision could net you major punishment from search engines. Recovering from a Google penalty can take months.

All you need to experience filtering by search engines is one other ecommerce site out there using the same manufacturer’s product descriptions. That duplicate content gets a slap on the wrist once. For all products on your site? Well, it’s the kiss of death for your ecommerce site.

Describe Product Thoroughly

Without a description, people can certainly see the images. Do you know what can’t see the images? Search engines. If you want to benefit from Google or Bing directing traffic your way, you just include as much information as you can about the items on your page. When you include colors, item numbers, sizes, categories, and even related products, you give search engines a wealth of information to draw from.

Avoid Duplicate Content

When you sell several of the same items in various colors, you may be tempted to use the same content for each of the product listings. After all, duplicate content only applies if you’re duplicating someone else’s information, right? Wrong.

Consider grouping the different products together with the option of choosing a color upon purchase. This helps you avoid creating fresh content for every single color in your inventory. For items that simply can’t be grouped together, you will need to create unique product descriptions for all.

Remember, too, that even a repeated tagline throughout your site can bring down the wrath of Google. This might include instructions, discount information, or disclaimers. If you want to repeat information, be sure you notify search engines not to index that content with a No Index meta tag.

Optimize for Search

Every time someone searches for products and lands on your page, you gain a little nugget of knowledge you can use. When you learn the trends that land people on your ecommerce site, use them to your advantage. Place specific keywords within your product descriptions and watch the traffic for your site grow.

Also, be sure to use H1 and H2 headings with those keywords. Here are some tips you can use:

• Use model numbers or product codes in your title tag and H1 headings
• Use brand names in H1 headings and title tags
• Use alt-text on images

Now you’re ready to take on the task of creating product descriptions on your ecommerce site. As always, if you need help creating content, applying meta tags, or formatting your descriptions, we can help. Just give us a call, and we’ll get your ecommerce site in tip-top shape right away.