Product description
An introduction
Definition
A product description is just that – a short description intended to help users identify product features before purchasing.
Who needs product descriptions?
Ecommerce sites can benefit significantly from well-written product descriptions.
Not only can product descriptions help buyers find what they’re looking for, but these short pieces of copy can help search engines find the best product pages (PDP’s) to serve search intent.
Writing product descriptions for SEO performance
Length
The ideal length for a product description will depend on what the product is. If it’s something basic or self-explanatory, 80-100 words will do. If the product is more specialist, a longer description might be necessary.
Base the length of your product description on what your audience needs.
Look at this example from glossier.com. We’ll refer to this throughout the section.
Notice the clean layout and concise use of language. With enough detail to encourage users, yet not too much to appear fussy or dull, this is an excellent example of a performance product description.
Write for buyers
A product description should help users find what they want. If it does, you’re more likely to rank well.
Try to write in a way that’s consistent with your brand’s tone of voice (TOV). Your TOV could be the way your prospective customers talk or, if the brand is aspirational, use language which might inspire and encourage them towards your product.
In the above example, the description includes some technical information, ‘packed with antioxidants and emollients’, but follows with an explanation that’s easy to understand, ‘to nourish dry, chafed skin’. The copy offers a perfect balance between detail and usability.
Include product features/benefits
To write a good product description, you’ll need to understand the product and be able to communicate features with your user. Try to focus on unique features that competitors might not have, like ‘in original or seven fun flavours’ or ‘hypoallergenic’ and ‘cruelty-free’ from the example above.
Target the right SEO keywords
Using the right keywords makes it easier for search engines to understand your page, driving traffic as searchers can find what they want quickly.
You might not have keyword research for each product if you’re writing for a large eCommerce site. In this case, use common sense to include long-tail or transactional phrases which a user might search when looking for your product.
Consider layout
Look at the example from glossier.com. It’s subtitled and easy to read, making it appealing to users who might be put off by a single, unattractive block of text.
Try to section your product descriptions into one or two parts. Depending on the product you’re writing about, it can be useful to include some subheadings or a bullet list of features too.
Create unique descriptions for each PDP
As always, avoid duplicate content. Duplicate or similar product descriptions make it hard for users to find the information they need and can negatively impact search engine rankings.
Examples of product descriptions
Category Page Copy
An introduction
Definition
Category page copy, sometimes called banner copy, sits on well-optimised eCommerce product listing pages (or PLPs). This type of copy provides users with general information about the products on the page.
From a search engine perspective, good category page copy helps signify a strong page that serves the search intent. If your category page is well optimised, it’s more likely to rank well in SERPs.
Who needs category page copy?
Any site with a category page can benefit from well-optimised category page copy. It’s important to remember that products must be appropriately categorised for this type of copy to be relevant and accurate.
Writing category page copy for SEO performance
Length
Generally, 60 to 150 words is considered best practice.
Consider your product offering when deciding the most appropriate length for your category page copy. It’s there to help users navigate your site and find what they’re looking for, not to overwhelm them with information.
If your product offering is simple, reflect this in the length of your category page copy. If you’re providing products of a complex nature, adding some additional information might help users navigate your site. As always, relevance is king.
Look at this example from asos.com. We’ll refer to this throughout the section.
Here is an example of engaging, user-friendly category page copy making good use of SEO keywords. We’ll analyse this in more detail below.
Write for buyers
Before you dive into writing your category page copy, it’ll be essential to identify your brand TOV. Identifying TOV means thinking about your target audience, their understanding and needs, and writing copy with language that’s engaging to them.
Look at the ASOS example above. Notice the use of colloquial, youthful language, like ‘your fresh-kick fix’ and ‘ideal for your downtime days’. This type of writing might not work for a brand with an older or more formal demographic, but for ASOS, it’s just right.
Provide examples of products or brands within the category
A classic category page copy technique, mentioning some of the product types or brands on the page can help users and signal your offering to search engines.
When you refer to product sub-categories on a category page, for example ‘gym leggings’, ‘running trainers’, and ‘sports bras’ on a women’s activewear page, you provide more relevant keywords with which to rank. Users are more likely to search for generic category keywords like these than specific product names, which is why we see such high search volume for product-type keywords. It’s your category page’s job to capture these searches.
Target the right SEO keywords
Although category page copy is useful in terms of SEO, you should always write with users, not bots, in mind.
If your category page content is too generic and keyword-rich, it won’t be attractive or useful to your potential customers. Search engines know this. Aim for user-friendly content that’s informed, never led, by keywords.
By targeting the right keywords, you help search engines understand your category page; this is particularly useful if it’s a new page that search engines are crawling for the first time.
Include internal links if possible
If your CMS allows it, include internal links in your category page copy to maximise authority flow and help boost any new or weak pages. Make sure you’re only linking to relevant pages in a way that can be considered helpful users.
You might want to include internal links naturally, as part of your copy, while it can also be a good idea to include a selection of relevant ‘quick links’ just below the text.
Consider layout
Google’s John Muller tells us to “stick to informative content and put that in a place where you think that users will be able to see it. […] one or two sentences that you place above the fold below the heading is a good approach here because it also gives users a little bit more information about what they should expect on this page.”
Try to position category page copy just below your heading, above your product listings. This way, your well-optimised copy will be the first thing users see when they land on your page.
Create unique descriptions for each PLP
Duplicate content is the enemy, but you already knew this. Each category page must have a unique piece of copy that reflects its product offering.
Examples of category page copy
Landing Page
An introduction
Definition
In the context of this guide, we’re defining a landing page as a standalone page that serves a unique, focused purpose on your site.
A landing page provides information and can lead visitors to a particular product, service, or offer. Your landing page might include some varied content like infographics and videos as well as copy. If you can, we recommend involving a designer or development team in the creation of your new landing pages.
Who needs landing pages?
Landing pages are useful in many instances, and there are lots of great examples which differ significantly from each other.
Landing pages offer visitors information about a product, service, or offer and its advantages, aiming to encourage a conversion. Whether you’re writing for an eCommerce site, a blog, or an informational site, you can make clever use of landing pages to attract users.
Writing landing page copy for SEO performance
Write for users
Landing pages are all about users. Your aim should be to create an aesthetically pleasing and easy-to-navigate page that presents information clearly and engagingly.
It will also be necessary, as always, that you stick to your brand TOV when you’re writing the performance content for your landing page. It’s your chance to show off your brand, product, or service.
A well-considered, user-friendly landing page will impress search engines too!
Consider layout
Formatting and layout are two of your most essential tools when it comes to creating a performance landing page. Avoid uploading large chunks of text, focusing on shorter, easy-to-digest paragraphs that users are more likely to enjoy.
Make use of the following features to appeal to users and search engines:
- Clear headings
- Bullet points
- Numbered lists
- Tables (where appropriate)
- Images
Some of these features, like bullet points and lists, can improve your likelihood of gaining a featured snippet position, which is excellent for SEO.
We can’t stress this enough, use formatting features in your performance content.
Examples of category page copy
The copy isn’t usually the star of a top SEO landing page, with snappy statistics, videos, and images often taking the lead. However, you’ll want to make sure any chunks of text you do upload are well written and considerate. Here are a few examples:
Blog (500 Words)
An introduction
Definition
A 500-word blog post is considered standard in most industries. From travel and lifestyle to fashion and fitness, 500 words is generally enough to cover a lighthearted theme.
Blogs are more than just a way to share opinions and ideas. They’re a great way to create brand awareness and engage with your audience on a more personal level. A good blog content strategy should be created with this in mind, aiming to build a brand that people can trust and come back to time and time again.
Who needs 500-word blogs?
Who doesn’t? Well-written 500-word blog posts can help build brand awareness, improve organic rankings for long-tail keywords, provide opportunities for internal linking, and keep people on your site for longer.
When you’re considering the length of your content, you might ask yourself, “how long should my blog post be?”. There are several things to think about here, but the most important in terms of SEO is your topic.
If your theme is vague, complicated, or potentially difficult to understand, you should think about writing a 1,000+ word blog post or guide.
If your topic is general and easy to understand, your visitors will prefer a short, concise blog post over lengthy, convoluted content that wastes their time. Avoiding unnecessary information is often the key to user-friendly performance content.
Writing blog posts for performance content
Write for users
As always, writing for your users is essential. There are several SEO performance factors to think about when you’re writing a blog post, but your brand’s tone of voice and purpose should never fall out of focus.
Target the right SEO keywords
Blog content is an ideal place to target both short- and long-tail SEO keywords. Once you’ve identified your keywords, try to work them into your writing as naturally as possible.
Never drop a keyword into your writing if it doesn’t make grammatical sense.
Instead, try to rework your sentence to make the keyword fit, or use a more sensical variation of the keyword.
Use long-tail keywords to shape your content
An easy and SEO-savvy way to include long-tail keywords in your content is to use them as headings throughout your blog post. Look at this example from puregym.com.
The writer has used high search volume, long-tail keywords like ‘what is protein?’, ‘why is protein important for muscle building?’, and ‘which foods contain protein?’ as H2 tags within the copy.
Using keywords in this way gives the blog post structure, usability, and SEO value, as well as directly addressing search intent. The question and answer format – search query and response – is easy for bots and users to understand. Google is more likely to show pages which address search queries in this straightforward way. Additionally, the short, concise format of each section is perfect featured snippet material – win-win!
Consider layout
When you’re writing blog content, whatever the word count, keep layout at the forefront of your mind.
A well laid-out blog post is not only attractive and user friendly (earning you Google brownie points) but will be more likely to win featured snippets and SERP visibility. As well as using H2 and H3 tags to add structure and SEO value to your content, make use of the following layout features wherever appropriate:
- Bullet points
- Numbered lists
- Tables (where applicable)
- Bolded text (where applicable)
Some of these features, like bullet points and lists, can improve your likelihood of gaining a featured snippet position, which is excellent for SEO.
We can’t stress this enough, use formatting features in your performance content.
Target search intent
Search intent is the reason behind a search query, and it’s something you’ll need to get to grips with is you’re going to write high-performance SEO content.
Why did the searcher do their search? Do they want to learn something, buy something, or explore something? Search intent matters because Google is always looking to serve its users with the most relevant content.
Creating content that aligns with search intent means you’re more likely to be the most relevant result for your target query.
There are four main types of search intent:
- Informational – the searcher is looking for information
- Navigational – the searcher is looking for a specific website
- Transactional – the searcher is looking to make a purchase
- Commercial investigation – the searcher is in the market for a product or service but hasn’t made a final decision yet
Informational search queries should mostly drive blog posts. Look at your keywords and ask yourself, “can I address the search intent with blog content?” before you begin.
Depending on your keywords, you might benefit from additional features like infographics, videos, and pictures to help satisfy your searchers’ intent. If your keyword base is more transactional or commercial, consider creating a product listing page or landing page instead.
Make use of internal links
Blog posts are a great place to include internal links, helping boost the flow of authority through your pages and allowing users to navigate your site easily.
Include internal links to other relevant blog posts, landing pages, category pages, and even product pages; just make sure your strategy is natural. Don’t force internal links into your content, and don’t overdo it, but focus instead on helping your user access information or products as appropriate.
Examples of 500-word blogs
Here are a few examples of 500-word blogs written with SEO performance in mind. Look out for the formatting features mentioned above!
Blog (1,000+ Words)
An introduction
Definition
When 500 words just won’t cut it, 1,000+-word blog posts step in as the most effective way to convey detailed or difficult-to-understand information. This type of content can also be called a long-form blog.
1,000+-word blogs are valuable for many industries, from health and medical to legal, finance, and even shopping sites. If you’re writing for a blog and you need to cover a substantial subject, it will be important that your content is long enough to convey all the information your readers might need.
Who needs 1,000+-word blogs?
Long-form blogs are often more suitable than shorter 500-word pieces. Well-written 1,000+-word blog posts can help build brand awareness, improve organic rankings for long-tail keywords, provide opportunities for internal linking, and keep people on your site for longer.
When you’re considering the length of your content, you might ask yourself, “how long should my blog post be?”. There are several things to think about here, but the most important in terms of SEO is your topic.
If your theme is vague, complicated, or potentially difficult to understand, you should think about writing a 1,000+ word blog post or guide.
If your topic is general and easy to understand, your visitors will prefer a shorter 500-word blog post over lengthy, convoluted content that wastes their time.
When it comes to what Google calls ‘Your Money or Your Life’ (YMYL) pages or topics, which could potentially impact the reader’s future happiness, health, financial stability, or safety, 1,000+ words are often necessary. If your blog touches a YMYL topic, consider 1,000+ word blog posts to expand on each section thoroughly.
Writing blog posts for performance content
Write for users
As always, writing for your users is essential. There are several SEO performance factors to think about when you’re writing a blog post, but your brand’s tone of voice and purpose should never fall out of focus.
Target the right SEO keywords
Blog content is an ideal place to target both short- and long-tail SEO keywords. Once you’ve identified your keywords, try to work them into your writing as naturally as possible.
Never drop a keyword into your writing if it doesn’t make grammatical sense.
Instead, try to rework your sentence to make the keyword fit, or use a more sensical variation of the keyword.
Use long-tail keywords to shape your content
An easy and SEO-savvy way to include long-tail keywords in your content is to use them as headings throughout your blog post. Look at this example from puregym.com.
The writer has used high search volume, long-tail keywords like ‘what is protein?’, ‘why is protein important for muscle building?’, and ‘which foods contain protein?’ as H2 tags within the copy.
Using keywords in this way gives the blog post structure, usability, and SEO value, as well as directly addressing search intent. The question and answer format – search query and response – is easy for bots and users to understand. Google is more likely to show pages which address search queries in this straightforward way. Additionally, the short, concise format of each section is perfect featured snippet material – win-win!
Consider layout
When you’re writing blog content, whatever the word count, keep layout at the forefront of your mind.
A well laid-out blog post is not only attractive and user friendly (earning you Google brownie points) but will be more likely to win featured snippets and SERP visibility. As well as using H2 and H3 tags to add structure and SEO value to your content, make use of the following layout features wherever appropriate:
- Bullet points
- Numbered lists
- Tables (where applicable)
- Bolded text (where applicable)
Some of these features, like bullet points and lists, can improve your likelihood of gaining a featured snippet position, which is excellent for SEO.
We can’t stress this enough, use formatting features in your performance content.
Target search intent
Search intent is the reason behind a search query, and it’s something you’ll need to get to grips with is you’re going to write high-performance SEO content.
Why did the searcher do their search? Do they want to learn something, buy something, or explore something? Search intent matters because Google is always looking to serve its users with the most relevant content.
Creating content that aligns with search intent means you’re more likely to be the most relevant result for your target query.
There are four main types of search intent:
- Informational – the searcher is looking for information
- Navigational – the searcher is looking for a specific website
- Transactional – the searcher is looking to make a purchase
- Commercial investigation – the searcher is in the market for a product or service but hasn’t made a final decision yet
Informational search queries should mostly drive blog posts. Look at your keywords and ask yourself, “can I address the search intent with blog content?” before you begin.
Depending on your keywords, you might benefit from additional features like infographics, videos, and pictures to help satisfy your searchers’ intent. If your keyword base is more transactional or commercial, consider creating a product listing page or landing page instead.
Make use of internal links
Blog posts are a great place to include internal links, helping boost the flow of authority through your pages and allowing users to navigate your site easily.
Include internal links to other relevant blog posts, landing pages, category pages, and even product pages; just make sure your strategy is natural. Don’t force internal links into your content, and don’t overdo it, but focus instead on helping your user access information or products as appropriate.
Examples of 1,000+ word blogs
Here are a few examples of 500-word blogs written with SEO performance in mind. Look out for the formatting features mentioned above!
