If you are not selling a unique product, then you will normally use the product manufacturers product descriptions, but did you know this can actually harm your websites seo? If search engines see you using duplicate content (regardless of if you have permission to use it or not) they see this as plagiarism and this can harm your SEO ranking. Good content is key when looking to get your equestrian store discovered by search engines.
A good product description gives the buyer confidence that they know enough about a product to purchase it. A product description that is original will increase organic traffic to your website, help you stand out amongst other businesses with similar products, and create a better experience for your customers.
At the end of the day with how competitive the online equestrian industry is, its simply not enough anymore to just copy and paste a manufactures description, or to use none at all.
Why take the time to write original product descriptions?
- Search engines cannot see photos, so its important that the description actually describes the product.
- Copying a manufacturers description can hurt your chances at SEO, as many companies use the same descriptions, you won’t stand out in the crowd. Search engines consider websites with unique content, higher than those that don’t, using manufacturers description’s can lead to this.
- Less returns, if the description contains all the useful information to assist in the purchase of the product, then the buyer is informed and less likely to return a product because it isn’t suitable.
- Less annoying emails / phone calls. If your product description includes all the vital information, then they are less likely to ask harass you with questions. Don’t forget a lot of people purchase online on a wim, if they have to think about it, they are less likely to purchase. So make sure everything is there on the page for them to make a spur of the moment purchase.
Think like your customer. Share your experiences.
A major mistake is to write a generalised description trying to target anyone that might visit your store. Different people have different needs, even for the one product, and at the end of the day, just like selecting a keyword for SEO, you cannot use them all. Understand your target market and write your product description to focus on how you can solve their needs with this product.
How can this product make their lives better or solve any problems they might have? Write the product description as if you have used the product, and you can share your insights.
Think about having just walked into a saddlery, and you want to know which is the best horse conditioner. A good sales person will usually share with you what is popular, and what they personally use on their horses and why.
Formatting to make sure customers read your product descriptions
Some shoppers will only scan descriptions so keep it short, and in paragraphs to make it easy to read. Start with a leading headline, i.e “Breathable great fitting horse boots ideal for dressage.”
Then follow up with your short description, that sells the product. i.e “Your horses legs will no longer heat up when wearing these technically advanced boots used by our top Olympic dressage riders. Why risk potential injury when you can look good and protect your horse’s legs at the same time. The bottom of the boot is contoured to allow for the freedom of the most advanced movements.”
Then at the end you can list the key specifications of the product, i.e the material, is it waterproof.
This breaks up the content and makes it easy to read. Don’t forget to check your description for spelling and punctuation mistakes. Nothing is more off putting then a description riddled with obvious errors. You instantly loose credibility.
Writing Tips
- Make the product sound exclusive.
- Make the product sound like it can save you money. “You only need to use a small amount of this hair polish for an amazing glow”
- Detail the product as essential to create a need.
- Highlight multi use – “This horse rug looks great as a show rug or is tough enough for paddock wear”
- Answer the most common product concerns. If you are selling a horse rug, people will want to know if its waterproof, material, etc.
- Place the broad term that you want to rank first in the product title. Example: Weatherbeeta Landa Horse Rug
- Make sure you use the focus keyword of the product often throughout the description without it sounding disjointed.