How to Write eCommerce Product Descriptions That Sell Fast

So you run an eCommerce store and you’ve written a production description for each of your products.

But you feel something isn’t quite right, even though you can’t put your finger on it.

Still, you’re hoping your store items will pop up on the major search engines when your target customers type in their transactional search queries on any connected device.

You’re also hoping your product description snippet and images on the search engine result page (SERP) will convince them enough to want to click through to your e-store.

And that when they land on your website, they’ll read the rest of the copy, “add to cart,” ‘checkout” and make that purchase.

Here’s the thing. You can actually stop guessing or hoping and instead be confident your target consumers will likely follow through this buying process.

How?

With a production description technique that sells fast.

This is what will trigger positive emotions in your online shop visitors and convert them to customers.

Below, I’ve broken it down into 9 easy-to-follow steps for writing an effective product description.

#1. Identify your ideal buyers and their pain points

Every good product has an ideal buyer or buyer persona. And the brands that win are those who are able to identify them.

To write a product description that sells, the first step is to determine your target audience.

Hot Miami Styles – in the example below – shows just how to be bang-on with your ideal buyer in your description and visuals, starting their copy with “YAS GIRL!”

It’s the kind of lingo or jargon the Insta-obsessed glitterati that shop for their brand of stylish apparel love using. 

The rest of the copy seduces this group with sensory words that will spark their imagination and interest.

“Walk in this navy velvet set and expect all eyes on you. Designed with a one shoulder unique crop top and fitted capri pants.”

You need to be able to determine the product benefits and features that your potential buyer would most likely be interested in. This starts with identifying the characteristics of your buyer persona and their pain points or the solutions they’re craving for.

By spotlighting the need of the ideal buyer in your product description and focussing on how your product is designed to satisfy that desire, you minimize the chance of cart abandonment.

Don’t forget that the average web user takes about 20 seconds to make a purchasing decision, which means that you’ve only got one shot to convince them to buy.

#2. Optimize content for search engines

You must optimize content in virtually everything you do in your online shop.

Showing up on the top pages of Google and other major search engines is the easiest way to attract new customers to your e-store, which is the first step in the buyer journey.

How do you ensure your product will show up on the top SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages) when your ideal customers are searching for it on the web? By integrating search engine optimization (SEO) into your digital marketing strategy.

Optimizing your products for Google starts with finding transactional keyword opportunities for your online store.

These are usually your target buyer’s search terms to find your product online more quickly.

Here’s how to do this step:

• Do a competitive analysis to identify the gaps in the product description copy of your top-ranked rival brands.
• Use keyword research tools like SemRush or Moz to determine the transactional keyword opportunities to explore.
• Develop keyword clusters (focus on longtail keywords) from the research.
• Naturally and contextually incorporate the identified keyword clusters into your product description content in just the right keyword density (about 1-2% or 2 times per 100 words).

Many marketers often make the mistake of writing product descriptions first before optimizing them. But the truth is, a well-planned and optimized description will deliver better and faster results for your eCommerce page.

#3. Highlight the product’s benefits

Let’s be honest, people don’t buy products; they buy the benefits of those products.

If your product does not provide clear promises on how it can solve specific needs or pain points of your ideal customer, then people won’t be willing to buy regardless of how much you talk about all of the product features.

You might think that your product has many features and is special in many ways, but if the buyer doesn’t see how those features match their needs, they won’t be interested in buying it.

What to do?

Try putting yourself in the buyer’s shoes and deciding what they would want out of the product.

You could also base your approach on asking questions about how you can make the customer’s life easier.

#4. Tell a short, interesting story

Stories have a powerful effect on us. They can inspire, seduce and even entertain us.

Writing stories to go with your product is a great way to show people you’ve put some thought into your product.

Yes, you should indeed write compelling product descriptions by editing with your target customer in mind. But customers are people and they’re much more likely to read your content if it’s interesting and relevant to them.

Using storytelling to elicit emotions in your product descriptions is the perfect way to influence buyer behaviour.

What story should you share with your customers? Think about a story you can relate to the product that will spark the imagination of your buyer.

Consider the buyer’s deep underlying emotional or psychological need for the product.

Can you imagine a story that meets or taps into this need? How could your product feature in the story?

And then start writing!

#5. Use a natural, conversational tone

When you write using conversational language, it makes the product feel more familiar.

It bridges the gap between you and your customers and makes them feel like they’re talking to a friend rather than an anonymous seller. Your customers will feel more connected to your brand and product.

You need to make sure your product description doesn’t sound like some automated jibber-jabber. It needs to feel like what you would naturally say to a friend about the product.

If it doesn’t pass this test, then it’s time to breathe life into them.

#6. Capture your audience’s imagination with sensory words

It’s a proven fact that people are more likely to purchase a product if they are able to hold it in their hands. But since you run an eCommerce store, your site visitors can’t hold your products.

Unique, high-resolution images or videos certainly help.

But there’s also a copywriting trick to make your customers truly desire the product: Capturing their imagination.

Nevertheless, be careful when using adjectives. They can often be redundant and you’re better off deleting them.

Sensory adjectives, on the other hand, are effective because they draw the reader in.

Think about power words that can spark vivid imaginations in your target consumers. Sensory words like delight, smooth, crisp, heavenly, sensation, etc.

You can more easily convert your e-shop visitors and undecided customers to purchase by exploring these words and phrases in the right ways.

#7. Make it scannable

Today’s average web user has a short attention span and reads only about 20% of a page’s content.

Most consumers are in a rush to buy and they don’t want to feel like they’re reading an entire book just to get the information they need.

Instead, they prefer to get all the salient points at once without having to read the whole copy and risk missing important information. It is just like scanning the back of a book and web users expect this format.

So, using bullet points, short paragraphs, lots of white space, and different font sizes will make your description easy to scan and get your readers interested in your product.

As well as having a descriptive, keyword-rich title – all the text needs to be relevant and useful for visitors. Using key phrases at the start of paragraphs will also help with search engines.

#8. Use quality images

Even if you know how to write a great product description, you still need quality images to go with it.

If you are shopping on Amazon, you’ll notice that product photos that have better quality are more likely to make the customer click on them

Why?

Because half of the customer’s brain is devoted to interpreting visual information directly or indirectly.

Don’t forget that the best product images use clear photos of the actual product in a natural environment. They show all of your products important features and allow the customer to visualize themselves using the item.

#9. Nudge with credible testimonials

Research shows that users tend to be more trusting of social proof like testimonials when they’re in the middle of high engagement with a product (like in the process of completing a transaction),

Let’s say you have a product with only four reviews on average. You surely want to add more before your visitors see this. One way is to write a testimonial or collect customer quotes through surveys and interviews.

You can also integrate a key review into your description, if you have it, as B.Witching Bath Co has done below with a House Beautiful Magazine endorsement in the first line of its copy.

An effective product description will always reward you with higher sales

Creative and cute product descriptions are the best. They’re conversational, brief and free-flowing – no words wasted.

In addition to giving your site visitors all the information they need and letting them know why the product is perfect for them, it should engage them with a warm, fuzzy feeling and leave a lasting impression.

Don’t be boring on your product page, but rather delight visitors with captivating descriptions. Above all, let your enthusiasm shine through when writing about the products because passion is contagious.

Guest author: Isabelle Munachimso is an experienced SEO copywriter and brand strategist who’s worked on multiple digital marketing projects for clients across different niches in the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. She is the CEO of NaijaCopy.com. You can follow her on Twitter @NaijaCopySEO.

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