How to create product descriptions for SEO: useful SEO tips

Reading time: 8 min - Publication date: August 2, 2023

    Nowadays, online shopping is increasingly preferred to stationary stores, and competition for customers’ attention is growing. To stand out in a sea of competition, it’s important to make your website visible to potential customers. Product descriptions are a key part of an effective SEO strategy for e-commerce sites. Hidden in properly optimized descriptions is the potential to attract new customers, increase the online store’s visibility in search results and improve conversion rates. In this article, we will discuss how to write product descriptions to be optimized for SEO and what strategies we can implement to get the best results.

    Table of Contents:

    1. What makes a product description well positioned?
    2. How to effectively optimize your descriptions?
    3. Using the right keywords
    4. When writing a product description, pay attention to the formatting of the text
    5. Product description length – how to determine it?
    6. Optimization of metadata in product descriptions
    7. Make quality a priority – effective product positioning
    8. Proper product description structure in SEO – how to create product descriptions?
    9. Use multimedia and enrich product descriptions
    10. Summary: Product descriptions for a website – their importance in the SEO process

    What makes a product description well positioned?

    Search engines such as Google use algorithms to analyze web content and determine which pages should be displayed at the top of search results. So how do we make product descriptions “read well” while getting us results on every level? It is necessary to know what to pay attention to. The impact of product descriptions on site positioning is based on several factors:

    • Uniqueness of content: search engines prefer unique content that is not duplicated on other websites. Creating original product descriptions will help your site stand out from the competition and increase its chances of ranking high in search results. Each product description for SEO should be unique. Avoid copying descriptions from the manufacturer or from other sites, as well as publishing the same product description on different subpages of your online store, blog or other e-commerce sites. Attracting customer attention and ranking high in search results requires original content. Search engines do not reward duplicate content, and may even deprecate a site for such treatment. Personalizing your description will help you stand out from the competition and convince customers to buy.
    • Keywords: in product descriptions, it’s a good idea to include relevant keywords that potential customers type into search engines. Try to place these phrases in the content in a natural way to avoid overuse and keyword stuffing (over-stuffing keywords in the text and over-saturating the page with them), which can harm your SEO. It is worth betting on quality, not quantity.
    • Ease of reception of the message: product descriptions for the site should be clear, understandable and useful to users. Search engines are more likely to appreciate content that provides added value to your site visitors.

    How to effectively optimize your descriptions?

    Now that we know what aspects of product descriptions affect your site’s SEO, let’s take a look at some specific steps you can take to optimize these descriptions and improve your online store’s visibility.

    Using the right keywords

    The first step in writing product descriptions for SEO is to identify relevant keywords. Keywords are terms that potential customers type into search engines to find products they are interested in. Find out what terms and phrases are most frequently searched for by potential customers in the industry in which your store operates. Research your target audience, use keyword analysis tools and create a list of phrases that best reflect what your customers are looking for.

    Use these keywords in product descriptions, but always in a natural and useful way.

    To search for keywords, you can use the tools available to anyone, such as, but not limited to:

    • Google Search Console
    • Google Keyword Planner
    • Semstorm
    • Senuto
    • Ahrefs

    When writing a product description, pay attention to the formatting of the text

    Use headings, paragraphs and bulleted lists to make it easier for readers to browse your content. Clear formatting makes product descriptions more readable and attractive to visitors. Particularly important is the bolding of keywords in the content, as well as appropriately tailored HTML headings – from H1 (the main, most important – to the product name/title), through H2 (to the mid-headings), to H6 (each successive less important in the hierarchy). Remember to always include keywords in your headlines.

    Product description length – how to determine it?

    There is no clear answer to the question of how many characters product descriptions should have. The length depends on the type of product, industry, and search engine preferences. Strive to provide enough information for the customer to make a buying decision, but avoid excessive wording. For more complex products, longer descriptions may be more appropriate. It’s worth remembering, however, that long descriptions can discourage readers, as well as negatively affect page loading performance, which is another factor Google considers in rankings.

    Optimization of metadata in product descriptions

    Meta tags such as meta title(Title) and meta description(Description) are elements that appear in search results. Title is the content referring to the content of a given page, up to 70 characters in length with spaces. Description, on the other hand, is a description of what you will find when you click through to the page – that is, the product – up to 155 characters with spaces. Make sure each product description page has a properly optimized meta title and meta description, written in benefit language and including keywords and an inviting product summary that will drive users to your site. They are very important – they play a significant role in determining search engine position.

    Make quality a priority – effective product positioning

    More does not always mean better. Focus on providing valuable and specific information in product descriptions. Pay attention to details that are relevant to customers and can influence their purchasing decisions. Understanding user intent is key in optimizing product descriptions for SEO. This means you need to know what customers are looking for and what their needs are. Providing relevant information in the product description will satisfy these needs and increase the chances of purchase.

    Introducing natural language and a flowing writing style will make your content more accessible to customers and search engines. Excessive combinations over style won’t pay off – it’s worth focusing on conveying the content as simply as possible.

    Proper product description structure in SEO – how to create product descriptions?

    Having learned about the factors that affect the visibility of a product description in a search engine, let’s discuss how it should be structured.

    While it seems obvious – a product description is simply information about a product for many – it is worth mentioning that description is unequal to description. This content should include not only the features and functions of a product, but also the benefits of buying it. Product descriptions are a key component of any online store, as they help customers understand what an item in the assortment offers. The structure of the product description is important for both users and search engines.

    Focus on the following:

    → A well-tailored product name: the product name should include the company, model and color or variant, directing the buyer to the correct item in your store’s offerings.

    → First heading of the description: put the most important keywords in the “title” of the description. Try to make it attractive and enticing to click on.

    → Introduction: introduce the product in an eye-catching way, emphasize its unique features and benefits to the customer.

    → Product features: carefully list the most important advantages of the product, highlighting its unique features. Describe the benefits of buying this item on offer, while avoiding clichés and duplicating popular phrases. Focus on describing the product truthfully and comprehensively. Don’t forget to include information relevant to your target audience – in a mechanics store it will be technical data, and in an online drugstore it will be the detailed composition of the cosmetic. You can describe the most important features of the product by separating each one with an H2 or H3 heading.

    → Additional information: depending on the type of product, you can provide additional information, such as material, size, weight, care, use, etc.

    → Feedback and reviews: include positive feedback and reviews from customers in the description, if available. This builds trust and positively influences the purchase decision.

    → Call to action: encourage action, such as. “Buy Now”, “Add to Cart” or “Contact Us”.

    Use multimedia and enrich product descriptions

    In addition to text, try to enhance product descriptions with images and videos showing them in action. Materials should be of high quality and accurately present the product from several perspectives. This not only attracts the attention of customers, but can also help improve your site’s SEO, as Google appreciates a variety of content.

    A well-designed description combined with encouraging materials is a recipe for sales success!

    Product descriptions for the website – their importance in the SEO process

    Product descriptions have a huge impact on the SEO process of your website. By creating unique, valuable and optimized product descriptions, you will effectively and long term increase the visibility of your online store in search results. Remember that SEO optimization is an ongoing process, so regularly monitoring and updating your site’s product descriptions will be key to SEO success.

    With these simple but effective steps, you will gain an edge over your competitors, increase website traffic and attract more customers, which will ultimately increase sales in your online store. Remember that product descriptions not only help position your site, but are also a key part of communicating with customers, so make sure they are attractive and useful to your target audience. Good luck!