Online retailers have to work exceptionally hard to get the attention of finicky shoppers. After all, a customer can click their way over to a competitor’s site in a matter of seconds. If you run an online retail store or e-Commerce website, it pays to use as many tricks of the trade as possible. Even if you have put search engine optimization to work for your site, you may be overlooking one very important thing: your product descriptions. If you’re using the generic descriptions that are provided by manufacturers or aren’t using descriptions at all, you are missing out on many exciting opportunities; learn more below.
Why Unique Descriptions Matter
When customers are confronted by generic descriptions, they get the distinct impression that you aren’t overly concerned about getting and keeping their business. If you can’t be bothered to put a unique spin on the content of your site, why should they give you their business? People respond favourably to well-written descriptions. They like it when product descriptions paint a clear picture of the item at hand. Think of your product descriptions as your salespeople; you wouldn’t want real salespeople to stand mute while people shop in your store, right?
Creating Great Item Descriptions
It isn’t easy to create great product descriptions. In fact, many people hire professional copywriters to do this work for them. Your descriptions need to have personality. They don’t have to be zany or witty, but they do need to reflect the overall vibe of your business. It’s generally best to write those descriptions in the second person; in other words, you should address the reader directly by using the word “you.” In addition to describing the item in detail, you should give plenty of great reasons for a person to buy it.
Adding SEO to Your Descriptions
This final point is extremely important: You need to incorporate SEO into your site’s product descriptions. Doing so will dramatically increase the odds that they are picked up by the major search engines. Many people begin their search on sites like Google. If they search for an item that you sell, well-optimized descriptions are more likely to appear near the top of the search engine results pages. It is well worth it to put in the time and effort to give every item in your store a unique description. It is a labour of love, and it might cost you a little money; in the long run, it will be worth it.
