How to write amazing product descriptions

To write product descriptions well, you need to differentiate your product. Typing the same descriptive words used by your competitors lacks originality.

And writing unoriginal text is boring. Your customers have read it before.

Do you copy the text from packaging and supplier’s product brochures directly onto your website?

Well you’re probably shooting yourself in your foot.

Most likely, this text is already online in one form or the other. Either your supplier has it on their website, or your competitors are also using it.

And because it’s the same text, search engines have to choose which page is more important.

It’s the same for book descriptions sold on different online retail sites.

Do you write the same book description on your Author’s website as you do on Amazon, Kobi, Social Media, and Goodreads?

If you want to improve the success of each listing in search engines:

• Customize your descriptions.
• Use different long tail phrases.

While using a different design or layout might appeal to your website visitor, for SEO it’s your text and markup language that matters. Using a different layout or design doesn’t matter to a search engine bot.

5 Strategies for writing original product pages

1. Use your research data.

Remember all that work you did to set up your business and define your customer?

• The telephone surveys.
• The customer workshops.
• The creation of buyer personas.

Now’s the time to use them. Write product descriptions that speak to your customers. Match your words to your buyers.

2. Tell a story to sell your product.

Stories appeal to emotions. They also ignite imaginations and dreams. Create a short story that places your product or service in the minds of your buyers.

Take a look at these examples:

Service type: Specialized Party Cleaners

When Sally Rae’s party was over, the house was a disaster. That’s why she called Clean-o-Max Party House Cleaners. We arrived with our Dry Cleaning Carpet buffers and soon had the place spotless. In just a few hours our quick dry cleaning method had the house smelling like roses. With Clean-o-Max’s confidential service Sally’s parents were none the wiser.

Service type: Fitness Trainer

Tried your wedding dress on and it feel’s a bit too tight? With Park PT’s Bride and Groom Boot Camp, you’ll shed the kilos and feel healthier and fit. Our twelve-week intensive workout begins in January. Slip into your dress with morning and night group training sessions designed to burn the calories and say goodbye to fat. 2018 is the year of weddings, are you ready for yours?

Service type:  Music Teacher

Every parent wants the best for their child. That’s why Mr. and Mrs. Robinson trusted ABC Music with their son’s private tuition. Hayden came to our soundproofed studios once a week for a half-hour lesson. Six weeks later, his parents no longer wore earplugs when he practiced. And now, he’s preparing for his first exam and eisteddfod.

3. Ask your customers for feedback.

Pick your customers’ brains at every opportunity. Use your social media platforms to get feedback, create an online survey and ask them questions at point-of-sale.

• How would they describe your product?
• What do they use it for?
• What features do they like the best?
• When and where do they use it?
• Why did they choose your product or service?
• How did they find your product? If it was through a search engine, what words did they use?

Aside from gaining great material for your product page, gathering information on how your customers use your products aids strategic marketing and customer service.

Adding customer reviews to your product pages also bolsters original content.

4. Keep text scannable.

Unless you’re writing an eBook (and even then it’s debatable), the online reader doesn’t read word for word. They mostly scan text in an “F” like pattern. How does this affect the way you write product descriptions?

• Use sub-headings such as <H2> and <H3> to break your text up into bite-sized, manageable pieces.
• Create lists, either numbered or bulleted.
• Keep your paragraphs short, no more than three or four lines where possible.
• Choose a font color and size that make it easy for your text to be read.

5. Be bold and daring.

While you don’t want to oversell your products or services, don’t hold back on textual personality. Add some humor if it’s appropriate. And find a voice that appeals to your customers. Seek out their reaction.

Combine the above approaches to write product descriptions that sell

Grab your customer’s attention with engaging descriptions that combine some or all the above ideas. Make the buying process easy and fun. Above all, be honest.

Writing unoriginal product descriptions remains a key reason behind the poor ranking of e-commerce web pages in search engines. Duplicate content found on the same website also affects poor ranking.

When a search engine archives a page that uses the exact or similar description found on another web page, it decides which one gets priority.

As well, some search engines, omit similar pages from search engines results.

So, if you want your products web pages to engage your customer, create original descriptions.

How do you make your product descriptions stand out?

Page header image © Denisismagilov | Dreamstime – The image has been resized and cropped.