Using Unique Product Descriptions to Enhance SEO

We always ask each client what are the most important areas of your business as you look to launch or revamp a B2C ecommerce channel. The phrases “SEO” and “more of it” are almost always mentioned. 

As we’ve found through reviewing hundreds of ecommerce sites each month and discussing them with ecommerce channel managers, it appears that much time, energy, focus, and especially budget seem to go into a site’s SEO,  but many etailers seem to neglect the sites’ most important content, product descriptions. After all, the product description is likely one of the final page elements a site visitor reads before deciding to add a product to the cart.

 10 Tips to Enhance Product Description SEO:
1. Length – 150-250 Words – Keep it short, sweet, and descriptive, for the benefit of both users and search engine spiders. Use bullets whenever possible.
2. Unique Content – Create original descriptions whenever possible, or if you need to use the manufacturer’s descriptions, tweak them slightly.
3. Word Order – Place the broad term that you want to rank first in the product title. Example: Nike Zoom Air Shoes
4. Add Synonyms – Put synonyms of your products in the description or create a separate “also known as” section on the product detail page, as to not distract or confuse readers. Example – Custom Pint Glasses also known as Custom Beer Glasses, or Custom Bar Glasses.
5. Crowdsource – Let others write good content for you, – Allow product reviews on your pages and carefully monitor posted content for spam.
6. Page Placement – Place your most important SEO product detail pages with the shortest click path from the homepage.
7. Search by Solution – Whether you’re selling vitamins to cut fatigue or the right paper stock for resumes, people are coming to your site looking for the right solution. Add a main category.
8. Remember Your Audience – If your customers know what certain descriptive terms mean, leave them in the description. If they are terms that only make sense to internal teams or your copywriter, leave them out.
9. Quell Concerns – If you are selling hiking boots, your potential customers may want to know if they are waterproof. Add the concern and the answer; it will only help with long tail keyword (multiple term) searches.
10. Use Tabs - Tabs allow you to place more extensive content descriptions in a categorical structure. This allows for better organized product detail pages and more product detail content. 

Are any 1 of these tips the magic bullet that will skyrocket search engine rankings? No. But collectively these best practices will allow your product detail pages to be seen as relevant not only to search engine spiders but to your site visitors. Searchers find your site. Searchers become customers. Customers share your products with their network. A win, win situation for all.