Product Descriptions That Pop: Tips and Tricks for Writing Compelling Copy

If you're running an ecommerce business, you know that one of the most important factors in driving sales is your product descriptions. But how do you write product descriptions that accurately convey what your product does and compel potential customers to buy it? That's where this post comes in.

In this article, we'll share our top tips and tricks for writing compelling product descriptions that pop. We'll cover everything from identifying your product's unique selling points to using storytelling techniques and optimizing for SEO. But first, let's talk about why well-written product descriptions are so important for ecommerce businesses.

Well-Written Product Descriptions Are Important for Ecommerce Businesses

Effective product descriptions can make all the difference in converting browsers into buyers. They provide potential customers with the information they need to make informed purchasing decisions and help build trust and credibility in your brand. In fact, according to a survey by Salsify, 87% of online shoppers say that product content (which includes product descriptions) plays a critical role in their decision to buy.

Benefits of Using Strikingly for Creating Product Pages

When creating effective product pages, one tool that can help you do so is Strikingly. Strikingly is a website builder that makes creating beautiful and functional websites, including product pages easy. With Strikingly, you can choose from various customizable templates, add product descriptions and images, and even sell products directly from your site.

Some benefits of using Strikingly for creating product pages include:

  • User-friendly interface. Strikingly's drag-and-drop editor makes creating and editing pages easy, even if you have no coding experience.
  • Customizable templates. Strikingly offers a range of templates you can customize to match your brand and product.
  • Built-in analytics. Strikingly's built-in analytics and insights tools help you track how your product pages are performing and make data-driven decisions to optimize them.
  • SEO optimization. Strikingly's SEO tools help you optimize your product pages for search engines so that potential customers can find them more easily.

Now that we've discussed why product descriptions are important and some of the benefits of using Strikingly, let's take a look at the tips and tricks we'll be covering in this post:

  • Know Your Product: Identify Unique Selling Points and Research Your Product and Audience
  • Write Compelling Descriptions: Use Attention-Grabbing Language, Highlight Benefits Not Just Features, Use Storytelling Techniques, Write for Your Audience, and Use Formatting to Your Advantage
  • Optimize for SEO: Use Relevant Keywords and Optimize Your Images
  • Test and Refine Your Descriptions: A/B Test Your Descriptions, Solicit Customer Feedback, and Make Data-Driven Adjustments

With these tips and tricks in your toolkit, you'll be well on your way to writing product descriptions that pop and driving more sales for your ecommerce business. No more asking yourself ​​how to write a product description – we got you!

Tip #1: Know Your Product

When it comes to writing effective product descriptions, the first step is to really know your product inside and out. This means identifying its unique selling points and understanding how it fits your market. Here are some tips for doing just that:

  • Identify Unique Selling Points

Your unique selling points (USPs) are the things that make your product stand out from the competition. These can be features that no one else offers, particularly compelling benefits, or a combination of the two. Whatever they are, it's essential to identify them and highlight them in your product descriptions.

Pretty Olive Interior Product Description Page

Image taken from a Strikingly user’s website

One way to identify your USPs is to put yourself in your customers' shoes. What problems does your product solve for them? What benefits does it provide that other products don't? Another way is to look at what your competitors are offering and find ways to differentiate yourself.

In addition to identifying your USPs, it's critical to research your product and audience to understand how your product will fit the market. Understanding this fact can help you write descriptions that resonate with potential customers and set you apart from the competition.

To research your product and audience, consider doing the following:

  • Conduct a competitor analysis. Look at what your competitors offer, their product descriptions, and how they position themselves in the market.
  • Gather customer feedback. Talk to your existing and potential customers to understand what they like about your product and what they wish it had.
  • Use Strikingly's built-in analytics and insights tools. Strikingly's tools can help you understand how customers are interacting with your product pages, what they're clicking on, and where they're dropping off.

By understanding your product and audience, you can create product descriptions that really resonate with your target market and help drive sales. Next, we'll look at how to write compelling descriptions highlighting your USPs and benefits.

Tip #2: Write Compelling Descriptions

Now that you know your product inside and out, it's time to write descriptions that really pop. Here are some tips and tricks for doing just that:

  • Use Attention-Grabbing Language

Your product descriptions should use language that grabs your customers' attention and draws them in. This can include sensory details, emotional appeals, and other descriptive language that makes your product stand out. Here are some product description examples:

  • Sensory details. Use language that appeals to your customers' senses, such as "luxurious," "silky smooth," or "crisp and refreshing."
  • Emotional appeals. Use language that taps into your customers' emotions, such as "feel confident," "find peace of mind," or "discover joy."
  • Highlight Benefits, Not Just Features

While mentioning your product's features is important, it's even more important to focus on the benefits those features provide. For example, instead of simply saying your product has a long battery life, explain how that benefits your customers: "Never worry about running out of power when you need it most."

Kerryn Gamble Product Description Page

Image taken from a Strikingly user’s website

  • Use Storytelling Techniques

Storytelling is a powerful tool for making your product more relatable and memorable. Consider incorporating storytelling into your descriptions by painting a picture of how your product fits into your customers' lives. For example, "Imagine taking your morning coffee to the next level with our premium, hand-selected beans."

  • Write for Your Audience

Your product descriptions should be tailored to your target audience. This means writing in a tone and style that resonates with them. For example, if you're selling outdoor gear, your descriptions might be more casual and adventurous, while if you're selling luxury goods, your descriptions might be more formal and elegant.

To tailor your descriptions to different buyer personas, consider:

  • Creating buyer personas. Develop detailed profiles of your target customers, including their age, gender, interests, and pain points.
  • Writing in their language. Use the same words and phrases your customers use to describe your product and their needs.
  • Focusing on their pain points. Address the problems your customers are trying to solve with your product.
  • Use Formatting to Your Advantage

Finally, formatting can make a big difference in how your product descriptions are perceived. Use formatting to make your descriptions more scannable and visually appealing. Here are some best practices:

  • Use bullet points. Bullet points break up your text and make it easier to read.
  • Use subheadings. Subheadings help organize your content and make it easier to scan.
  • Use bold and italic text. Bold and italic text can be used to highlight key points and draw attention to important information.

By using attention-grabbing language, highlighting benefits, using storytelling techniques, writing for your audience, and using formatting to your advantage, you can create product descriptions that really pop. In the next section, we'll look at how to create a product page template that showcases your descriptions in the best possible light.

Tip #3: Optimize for SEO

In today's digital world, having a strong online presence is critical for the success of any e-commerce business. One of the key ways to improve your online visibility and attract more potential customers is through search engine optimization (SEO). Here are some tips for optimizing your product descriptions and images for SEO, and how Strikingly can help you improve your rankings.

  • Use Relevant Keywords

When writing product descriptions, it's important to incorporate relevant keywords that potential customers might use when searching for products like yours. This helps search engines understand what your product is about and match it with relevant search queries. However, it's important to use keywords in a natural way that doesn't sound forced or spammy. Keyword stuffing can actually harm your SEO rankings.

Puppy Milestone Cards Product Description Page

Image taken from a Strikingly user’s website

To identify relevant keywords for your product descriptions, you can use keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, or SEMrush. These tools allow you to see which keywords your competitors are ranking for and how many people are searching for them. Once you've identified relevant keywords, you can incorporate them strategically into your product descriptions and other website content.

Strikingly also offers built-in SEO tools that can help you improve your product page rankings. These tools analyze your page content and provide suggestions for optimizing your titles, descriptions, and other on-page elements.

Images can play a significant role in improving your SEO and user experience. High-quality, visually appealing images can help showcase your products and make them more appealing to potential customers. However, images can also slow down your website if they're not optimized properly, which can harm your SEO rankings.

To optimize your images for SEO, start by using descriptive file names that include relevant keywords. For example, instead of using a generic name like "IMG_1234.jpg", use a descriptive name like "red-widget-front-view.jpg". This helps search engines understand what the image is about.

Image taken from a Strikingly user’s website  To identify relevant keywords for your product descriptions, you can use keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, or SEMrush. These tools allow you to see which keywords your competitors are ranking for and how many people are searching for them. Once you've identified relevant keywords, you can incorporate them strategically into your product descriptions and other website content.  Strikingly also offers built-in SEO tools that can help you improve your product page rankings. These tools analyze your page content and provide suggestions for optimizing your titles, descriptions, and other on-page elements. Optimize Your Images Images can play a significant role in improving your SEO and user experience. High-quality, visually appealing images can help showcase your products and make them more appealing to potential customers. However, images can also slow down your website if they're not optimized properly, which can harm your SEO rankings.  To optimize your images for SEO, start by using descriptive file names that include relevant keywords. For example, instead of using a generic name like "IMG_1234.jpg", use a descriptive name like "red-widget-front-view.jpg". This helps search engines understand what the image is about.

Image taken from a Strikingly user’s website

Next, add alt text and captions to your images. Alt text is a brief description of the image that appears when the image can't be displayed, such as for users with visual impairments or slow internet connections. Including relevant keywords in your alt text can improve your SEO rankings. Captions, on the other hand, can provide additional context for the image and help users understand your product better.

Strikingly's image optimization tools can also help you optimize your images for SEO and user experience. These tools automatically compress and resize your images to reduce page load times, and provide suggestions for optimizing your alt text and captions.

Tip #4: Test and Refine Your Descriptions

When it comes to creating effective product descriptions, testing and refining your copy is key. This section will cover the importance of A/B testing your descriptions, soliciting customer feedback, and making data-driven adjustments.

  • A/B Test Your Descriptions

A/B testing involves creating two versions of your product page, each with a different element that you want to test (e.g. a different headline, product description, or image). You then show each version to a group of visitors and measure which one performs better.

A/B testing can help you identify what works and what doesn't, allowing you to optimize your product page for maximum conversions.

Some examples of what to test include:

  • Headline. Try testing different headlines to see which one resonates with your audience the most.
  • Product descriptions. Experiment with different copy lengths, formatting, and language to see which descriptions perform the best.
  • Images. Test different product images to see which ones drive the most clicks and conversions.
  • Solicit Customer Feedback

Getting feedback from customers is essential to improving your product descriptions. You can learn a lot from their experiences, opinions, and preferences. Some tips for soliciting feedback include:

  • Surveys. Create a survey that asks customers about their experience on your product page. Use this feedback to make improvements to your descriptions and product page design.
  • Reviews. Encourage customers to leave reviews on your product page. Analyze their feedback to see what they liked and disliked about your product descriptions.
  • Make Data-Driven Adjustments

To make improvements to your product descriptions, you need to use data and feedback to make informed decisions. Some examples of how to make data-driven adjustments include:

  • Changing descriptions. Use A/B testing and customer feedback to refine your product descriptions. This could mean adjusting the language, tone, or formatting to better resonate with your audience.
  • Images. Use data and feedback to determine which product images are the most effective. Make adjustments to your images, such as changing the angle or lighting, to improve their performance.
  • Pricing. Analyze your sales data to determine whether your product descriptions are effectively communicating the value of your products. If not, consider adjusting your pricing strategy.

Strikingly's analytics and insights tools offer a wealth of data that can help you understand how your product pages are performing. You can track metrics such as page views, bounce rates, and time spent on page to gain insights into how customers are interacting with your product descriptions. You can also see which products are most popular and which ones may need some adjustments to better appeal to your audience.

With this information, you can make data-driven decisions about how to optimize your product pages for better performance. For example, if you notice that a particular product has a high bounce rate, you can review the product description and see if there are any improvements that can be made. You can also experiment with different pricing strategies and test different versions of your product descriptions to see what resonates best with your audience.

Overall, Strikingly's analytics and insights tools make it easy to keep track of your product page performance and make informed decisions about how to improve them. By using these tools, you can ensure that your product descriptions are as compelling and effective as possible, which can lead to higher sales and better customer engagement.

Conclusion

In today's competitive ecommerce landscape, well-written product descriptions can make all the difference. By following the tips and tricks we've covered in this post, you can create product descriptions that pop and effectively communicate the unique value of your offerings to potential customers. Remember to identify your unique selling points, research your product and audience, write compelling descriptions, optimize for SEO, and test and refine your approach over time.

At Strikingly, we believe that effective product pages are essential to the success of any ecommerce business. With our user-friendly platform and built-in tools, you can easily create compelling product pages that showcase your products in the best possible light. Whether you're a small business owner or a seasoned marketer, Strikingly has everything you need to start improving your product descriptions and boosting your sales today.

Why wait? Sign up for Strikingly now and start creating product pages that pop!