How to create product descriptions in an online store?

What is a product description?

Product descriptions are the most important elements of every product page, which are the places that customers visit to learn about the details of the offer and purchase the product.

An online store in a sense replaces a physical store – the customer does not have the possibility to touch or fully examine the offered item. Therefore, it is important to ensure that the offered product is presented as best as possible. How to do it? The solution is professional product descriptions.

How to create product descriptions?

Unfortunately, there is no uniform formula for the perfect product description. A lot depends on your industry, target group, and even the products or services themselves. However, there are a few principles worth following when creating texts.

Target group

Before you start developing content, do research – find out as much as possible about your client. Describe your target audience by answering these questions:

• Who is the client (age, gender)?
• What do they do on a daily basis (occupation, education)?
• Where do they live (city center, outskirts; rural areas, etc.)?
• What are they interested in? What do they do in their free time?
• What guides them during a purchase (price, quality, aesthetics)?

Create a persona profile, which is your ideal client. This way, you will gain valuable information and know what to emphasize in the description. You will tailor the style and vocabulary (e.g., less formal for younger people). Once you create personas (there may be more than one), you can move on to the next step – building valuable content.

Text structure

Take care to make the description clear. Remember about:

• appropriate length – usually it ranges from 1000 to 2000 characters with spaces;
• an interesting and eye-catching title;
• presenting the most important information;
• formatting – it is worth dividing the text into paragraphs (avoiding walls of text) and using bolding;
• using bullet points;
• using the language of benefits;
• using simple vocabulary (if necessary – translating difficult concepts);
• taking care of language correctness and avoiding inappropriate words (e.g. swear words).

Language of benefits

Using the language of benefits is not just about listing the advantages of your product. In an online store, you sell with senses and emotions, so you must somehow reach the customer. Focus on the strengths and benefits of owning your product. Show the customer what they will gain when they purchase it, but also what they might lose if they don’t.

Write in simple, understandable language – the vast majority of your customers are people outside the industry who do not need to know specialized terms. Focus less on technical details (you can always include specifications in a separate tab). If you believe a specific parameter will be a determining factor in the superiority of your product over the competition, don’t leave the reader with just dry data – explain how this aspect will enhance the user’s life and what they will gain from it.

It is worth reading the entire description carefully at the very end and considering whether the provided information answers the client’s questions. If not, you can change the content or consider placing important data in the FAQ section, which includes the most frequently asked questions along with their answers.

SEO rules

Write for the client, but don’t forget about search engine optimization. To achieve this:

• create unique content – we do not copy text from the manufacturer (so-called duplicate content),
• focus on quality instead of quantity,
• choose keywords,
• link and refer,
• use popular keywords in headlines, mentioning the manufacturer’s name, model and distinguishing features,
• also place appropriate keywords in subheadings,
• use ALT attributes (graphics).

Product photos

Customers on the Internet “buy with their eyes”. They do not have the opportunity to see your product in person, so they have to rely on the images you provide. Make sure to use high-resolution photos so that all details can be checked.

The photograph of the packaging itself will not fulfill its function – it will not catch the eye, nor will it encourage a purchase, because we still cannot see what we are dealing with. Therefore, it is worth preparing photos from several angles (front, sides, back, at an angle), on a well-lit and uniform background. If you want to emphasize a specific detail that distinguishes your product, take a separate close-up of that element.

On this occasion, it is worth remembering the ALT attribute for graphics. Firstly, alternative text allows search engine algorithms to better understand the content of your website (which translates into better positioning and generating organic traffic). Secondly, it is useful information for users about the content of an image when, for some reason, it does not display correctly.

Can you prepare the product description by yourself?

If you run a small business and don’t have the available funds to hire a content marketing company to create product descriptions for you, and furthermore, if you have made it to the end of this article – you are definitely ready to take on the task of creating product descriptions.

If, however, you still have doubts or have a significant number of products to describe (in addition, very similar ones), it is worth using the services of specialists in your field. Copywriting agencies have the appropriate technical background and experienced staff, they will definitely help you quickly and professionally create product descriptions that attract customers.