How To Write SEO Product Descriptions: Game-Changing Tips

We often see writers and eCommerce store owners confuse the basics of “good” and “SEO-optimized” product descriptions. But frankly, there is no “good description” without SEO. And yes, any zero-keyword description might be informational and engaging. But will it compel your audience to buy your products? Will your audience even find the descriptions to start?

Besides, SEO product descriptions can be informational and engaging too. In fact, the first rule of any SEO-optimized content is to be people-friendly.  

So, why ditch keywords? Without SEO, your product descriptions will fail at their primary goal of fetching you some money on the side.

They won’t rank on the first pages of search results. And, you’ll see less traffic and conversions. Bottom line: scratch all that good description without SEO that fetches you zero sales.

Instead, learn how to write SEO product descriptions. Fortunately, this post contains tips to help you. And note this: we are not changing the basics of your writing; we only included the practical and tested steps you should take to increase your sales. That said, here is the overview of what to expect:

• SEO tips – keywords research and placement
• Deciding the perfect SEO product description length
• Features Vs. benefits – which one of the two should you prioritize?
• Content writing tips – improving your choice of words
• Getting more stuff done by hiring a product description writer

SEO Tips – Keywords Research And Placement

The bulk of any SEO writing lies in finding the perfect keywords. With the right tool, the work is easy. However, if you don't have the time, you can hire keyword researchers. Either way, the following tips can guide you.

Research Promising SEO Product Description Keywords

If your eCommerce website is new with insignificant authority and minimal traffic, we’ll advise you against using highly contested keywords.

Instead, stick to the low-hanging ones that show promises. And even if you’re already an established eCommerce store, there’s no harm in investing in promising keywords. It'll cost you little time to rank and convert a new audience. So, how can you find promising, low-hanging keywords for your product descriptions?

1. Start with a detailed keyword research tool. Fortunately, there are tons of them. You can use KWFinder, Ahref, Moz Explorer, or SEMrush - they are all equally effective!

1. After selecting your desired keyword research tool, look out for long-tail keywords. They have higher chances of conversion because they capture searchers' intent.
2. If you can't find any long-tail keyword that fits your store from the start, streamline your search. Add more details to your base keywords. How?

For example, if you sell body scrubs, the chances are that the search volume for "body scrub" will be high, and you'll hardly rank.  

So instead of using the highly contested base keyword, you can add “eczema” if you're targeting an audience looking to solve their eczema problem. You can improve your chances even further by including your unique ingredient.

Let’s say yours is honey; you can then search for “honey eczema body scrub.” Follow that approach, and you'll find easy-to-rank long-tail keywords! Finding the right long-tail keyword for product descriptions is half of the job; you still need to learn how to use them. And not just how, where will you place the keywords in your content?

Avoid Keyword-stuffing, Place Your Keywords Strategically Instead

As much as you want to outrank your competitors, overstuffing your product descriptions with keywords won't help your SEO efforts.  

In contrast, it will make your content stiff and seem like clickbait. Unfortunately, that would ire your audience and lead to a high bounce rate for you. So, what should you do? Instead of placing your keywords all over your content, target strategic places in your product descriptions. About that, you should sort your keywords into two groups:

• Focus keywords, and
• Secondary keywords

• Your page URL
• The page title of your production description
• The headings (especially H1) of your content
• If your link text is the same as your product title, re-insert your keyword
• Within the body of your product description
• The description of the images (especially the featured image) in your product descriptions

For the secondary keywords, you don't need a placement strategy. Just place them sparingly across your product descriptions.  

Note: keyword placement isn’t always straightforward. It varies depending on the length of your product descriptions.  

For example, the number of times you’d use “honey eczema body scrub” in a 300-word content will be lesser than in a 2500-word guide. That leads us to a critical question; what is the ideal length of product descriptions? Also read: How To Get Content Ideas

Deciding The Perfect SEO Product Description Length

1. Using the awareness of your audience, and
2. Using content audit tools

Determining The Length Of Your Product Description Using Buyers’ Awareness

As earlier stated, your buyers are the core structures of any SEO strategy.  

For that reason, you should start everything at their level – the same thing applies to the length of your product description. In other words, how many words you’ll write depends on the awareness of your buyers. What do they already know about your products? What more do they need to know? The answer to those questions will guide you in choosing the perfect word count. But in any case, buyers usually fall into two awareness levels:

• Low buyer awareness – people at this level haven't the slightest clue about your product. For that reason, they will need lots of persuasion and information before making a decision. In other words, a low-awareness buyer needs long-form product descriptions.

• High buyer awareness – people at this level are well-informed. They know the product and might have even been using it. For them, they want the next-level deal. What is unique about what you're selling? What more can your brand or recommendation do that theirs doesn't do?

In other words, a high-awareness buyer doesn’t need a lengthy product description. Instead, he craves a straightforward analysis of the features and benefits of your new product. Now, you might ask, which of the two buyers is the best? Well, the answer depends on what you need.  

Low-awareness buyers take time to convert but will often stick with you for a long time. On the other hand, high-awareness buyers are fast buyers. However, they are always searching for the next best thing. So, they won't commit to just you. Our advice: target both low-awareness and high-awareness buyers; write varied length product descriptions!

Using Content Audit Tools

This method is the easiest way to determine the ideal length for your product descriptions.  

Here, you will check the content already ranking for your desired keywords and do better than the average word count. However, you can’t possibly do the counting manually. Well, you could copy web pages and paste them on Notepad, but that will take time. Instead, get and use content audit tools. For that, we’ll recommend Audiit, Frase IO, and Surfer SEO.

Note: content audit tools are only assistants. You'll still have to decide if you want to follow the suggestions and if it suits your low-awareness or high-awareness buyers.  

If, by now, you are not still sure about the length of your product description, seek content audit experts. Here are our recommendations:

• Competitor Analysis Report by Audiit.io
• Content Consulting That Bangs

Features Vs. Benefits – Which One Of The Two Should You Prioritize?

Like we advised against keyword stuffing, don't pack fluffs into your content. That's not how to write SEO product descriptions.  

In contrast, you'll turn off your prospects – and even regulars. So, what should you do? Instead of fluffs, focus on the features and benefits of your products.  

However, you must decide which of the two to include. The tips below can help!

Focus On Benefits – That’s How To Make Your Product Descriptions Unique

Buyers can scroll to a company’s product page if all they care about is a list of features. Unfortunately, that’s what populates most product descriptions.

But you can do better. Don't only list the regurgitated features across the web, state how they will benefit the buyer.  

Yes, your product uses honey to treat eczema, unlike other body scrubs.

Why? How will honey help the buyer's body?

Are there any side effects?  

When is the best time to use the products?

How soon can eczema on the buyer's face fade out using your product?

Those are some of the questions your product description should answer.  

And trust us, doing the right thing isn’t timewasting.  

With benefit-focused product descriptions, buyers will scroll till the end of your content and be convinced enough to buy from you. Otherwise, they will bounce off your page as soon as they land on it. We bet you don't want that.

Include The Features Too

While the focus should be on the benefits derivable from the products on your descriptions, still include the features.  

Including those will help to structure your content. More importantly, features can stand as the focal point for skimmer buyers.  

They (skimmers) can navigate to the part that interests them instead of completely bouncing off your website. Overall, expatiate every listed feature with detailed benefits. Use the so-what technique! Here is an example:

• Our sample eczema body scrub has honey. So what if it has honey?
• Honey is a natural humectant. So what?
• Humectant helps to keep the skin moist instead of oily. So what?
• When your skin is moist instead of oily, you’ll experience lesser episodes of eczema. The moistness will further protect you from any form of acne.

Bottom line: at every step, ask “ so what ” until there is no additional benefit to what you aforementioned.

Suggested reading: 8 Ways To Repurpose Content Across Different Channels

Content Writing Tips – Improving Your Choice Of Words

By all means, you should focus on keywords, word counts, and benefits.  

But don't forget your content writing skills.  

Are you persuasive enough?

Or do you write product descriptions like technical reports and press releases?

Do you even use power words and CTAs?

Do you know how to massage egos and stir emotions?  

Don’t fret even if your content sounds robotic. You can improve how you write product descriptions with the following tips:

Focus On The Buyers

• Be concise – be straightforward and address your points as fast as possible. Even with the so-what technique, you can still be concise.
• Address your most important points as quickly as possible.
• Make your product scan-able – use bullet points and summary boxes. Most importantly, use short and clear sentences.
• Be engaging – you’re not writing a business report. The least you can do is write like a human. Insert questions and show examples.
• Ultimately, put yourself in the shoes of the buyer. Were you a reader, will your product description compel you to buy? If it can’t, forget about convincing your target audience (be it low-aware or high-aware).

Don't Stop At Informing, Persuade!

You might wonder, what makes a product description persuasive instead of just informational?

Well, it’s your choice of words. When you’re intentional and careful about your word choice, you can guide buyers smoothly across your content to buy your products.

And mind you, carefully choosing your words isn’t the same as sugarcoating – don’t do the latter. Instead, focus on power and persuasive words. How?

• For example, instead of just saying your honey eczema body scrub is good, say it shows remarkable results against acne. The latter description is action-oriented, while the former is vague.
• Furthermore, instead of vague descriptions such as “intensive production,” use straightforward phrases such as organic, hand-made, or factory-made.
• You might be tempted to let down your guards when describing the cons of your product. But don’t. The negatives need even more effort.

Infuse Storytelling

The last step of improving your product descriptions and making them truly stand out is to weave stories into your content.  

And mind you, you don't even have to be the best storyteller. All you need to master storytelling is to engage your readers. We discussed why you should prioritize benefits over features. Now, add a few stories of how those benefits work. How? Add story bits to your so-what analysis. Let’s put that into practice by revisiting our earlier example:

• Our sample eczema body scrub has honey. So what if it has honey?

• Honey is a natural humectant. So what?

• Humectant helps to keep the skin moist instead of oily. So what?
• When your skin is moist instead of oily, you’ll experience lesser episodes of eczema. The moistness will further protect you from any form of acne.

Getting More Stuff Done By Hiring A Product Description Writer

If you follow our product description examples, you'd nail yours and improve your sales.  

However, by yourself, you can only do so much. Besides, you might not even have the time to write it all if you own several eCommerce websites. In that case, you can outsource your product descriptions to freelancers.  

But you should be careful of who you engage. Ensure that anyone you hire understands and already writes descriptions of products in your niche. That way, he will understand the terms and the usability, even if he hasn't hand-tested the said products. To ease yourself the workload, use our Legiit product description writers. Here are our top recommendations: Before hiring freelancers, read this guide!

Premium Product Reviews By Deboxe

Deboxe is one of the top-drawer writers on Legiit. His reviews are testaments to the fact. Reviews aside, we love his all-aroundness. Deboxe offers product reviews from 500words to about 3000words. However, you can send a custom order if you need more words.

Write Up Product Descriptions By SEOamber

SEOamber, like Deboxe, is another top-writer on Legiit. But unlike Deboxe, she writes product descriptions in blocks of 100words per product. She offers an x5, but you can discuss a custom order.

300-Word Product Descriptions By BillJ

BillJ is also a level-4 writer on Legiit. And according to his customers, he is one of the best for short product descriptions. The best part: BillJ offers Surfer SEO services. So, you might as well engage him for your content auditing needs.

Verdict