How To Write Epic Product Descriptions That Sell – Complete Guide for 2024

“If plan A fails, remember there are 25 more letters.”

– Chris Guillebeau

Writing product descriptions isn’t as easy as it seems. Apologies for breaking the ice soon; but it’s just that individuals have given it such a minority status effort-wise; I had to rant out sooner rather than later.

These days, you find everyone proclaiming themself to be content writers and you can find millions of product description writers online; but not even 1% know the gravity of what it is and what it takes to write something that attracts a fellow customer. It’s a pity really; however, there’s light at the end of the tunnel.

Let’s first tackle why product descriptions are necessary for an e-commerce website.

The Why:

Now that we’ve established the ‘Why’, let’s go ahead with the ‘How’.

Who is My Ideal Buyer?

An ecommerce website description should revolve around your ideal buyer; nothing else matters. First, you need to figure out who your ideal buyer is, what he/she likes, dislikes, notices online, makes them laugh, makes them click that highly coveted ‘Buy’ button, and whatnot.

An ideal buyer is technically your most loyal imaginary customer. He/she is exactly the kind of individual who set up shop for. This process of finding your target audience is a prerequisite to online marketing for e-commerce businesses.

This battle over audience demographics is a battle worth winning; trust me. Given the intensity of competition in today’s frantic business world, such details matter more than you’d think.

A study by NNgroup found that 20% of overall task failures – when the user failed to complete a purchase when asked to do so – could be attributed to incomplete or unclear product information.

Before writing an ecommerce description, you should think about what your customers read online, which websites they frequently visit, what keeps them awake at night, what are the kind of deals they look out for, and what are their major decision-making factors; if you do this judiciously, you’re golden.

This will help you understand and identify just the right tone of voice which will allow you to indulge in product description writing directly hitting the emotional quotient of the visitors.

Product descriptions aren’t supposed to be product-centric per se; they should be customer-centric if you want to see those conversions right up. Get the point?

Benefits They Can’t Say No To!

Doesn’t matter if you pair up with the best WooCommerce development company there is; your sales won’t go up if you don’t showcase an array of attractive benefits in your product descriptions.

Why? Because people want their lives to be better and more convenient in every way possible.

You’re supposed to sell products that you will buy yourself. One should feel that excitement about the many benefits on offer and the solutions that come along with it. And no one’s too attracted by common features being showcased on every nook and corner; they want to know what’s in it for them.

Look at this product description for instance:

Sometimes the scent of seasonal hand wash is all we need to rouse our holiday spirits. Available in an array of festive fragrances, our naturally derived gel hand wash will leave your hands soft, clean, and ready to be tucked into a pair of fair isle mittens. It is the most wonderful time of the year.

This suggests that the product isn’t just a regular soap; the soap induces the holiday spirit in you making you feel more festive and joyful. Better than every other average Joe description out there, isn’t it?

You want to showcase how the lives of your customers will get better for real once they invest in your products and services. Avoid selling products; sell an experience they’ll never forget.

A prominent study recently suggested:

“Leaving shoppers’ questions unanswered can derail a sale or even worse, make shoppers abandon not just the purchase, but the site as well. One shopper in a recent study could not find the information he needed in the product description, so he left the site to search Google for more product information.”

Define Your Tone of Voice

How to write product descriptions which sell? Identify your tone of voice as soon as possible and stick with it.

Do you want your brand to be seen as a big formal entity? Or do you want the customers to see you as a friendly neighborhood brand?

Your tone of voice can act as a huge difference-maker when it comes to grabbing customers; setting you apart from your contemporaries.

Now we’re not asking you to go all-out casual and fun; there’s a thin line that shouldn’t be crossed. What you need to do is let your personality unravel in front of your customers and they will love you for it.

Don’t go all out proclaiming yourself to be the best there is; induce an aura that you’re friendly, approachable, and most of all – a good listener.

Check Out These Contrasting Descriptions for the Same Product:

This key holder has been made from engineered wood and it dons a white color which can be ideally placed over dark-colored walls. It can hold a maximum of 12 average-sized keys and will not be susceptible to scratches for years to come.

The first impression is the last. Set it right for everyone who enters your home sweet home. This ergonomic key holder will surely grab everyone’s attention and give you a whole lot of utility as well; a win-win situation. White is so in these days; pair this up with a dark grey wall and get your home décor done right.

Hope you get the gist now! Define your tone of voice in the sense that you might be all about business, but you’re not boring. You might be cheeky and humorous, but you don’t offend anybody.

Social Proofing at Its Best!

As every Magento SEO company will tell you, social proofing is a foregone conclusion if you want to set up a potent e-commerce entity and want to stay in the business for a long.

Even if you follow every right practice, there’s only so much you can do, because there are n number of other brands doing the same thing.

Often you see websites without any social proofing altogether; comes as no surprise to see that they struggle when it comes to sales numbers.

When your potential buyer is stuck in a dilemma if he/she wants to go for it or not; often an element that will tip the scales in your favor will be – social proofing. Social proofing essentially means giving your visitors validation, an immense source of credibility which puts your brand in good stead.

Social proofing elements like product reviews and customer testimonials do wonders behind the scenes, even if you might not see it in the eyes. Potential buyers are often swayed by a product if it has loads and loads of positive product reviews.

However, there are other kinds of ways to flush in social proofing elements as well. One of the most prominent ways is to add the image of a person along with the quote. It will make your brand more approachable in ways more than one.

Avoid Mundane Phrases

Whenever we’re short of words and we don’t quite know how to finish a particular sentence because we’ve invested our brains in hundred descriptions over the past few hours, we write something like ‘good product quality.

Well, this doesn’t quite add anything to the description and provides no value; ergo, one should refrain from using such fillers.

Such phrases tell the visitor that this is just another average product forcing him/her to move on. This makes the entire process less persuasive and exudes a very unappealing aura. Be specific as possible to entice the visitor with details that matter.

Ever heard someone say that the devil lies in the details? This is what product descriptions are all about; shedding light on attributes that no one else offers. And avoid beating around the bush as no one has the time or patience.

A potent study back in the year 2001 showcased that restaurants using describing menus faced an increase in sales by no less than 27%. Not just that, this improved the attitudes of the people towards food in general and the restaurant as well.

Next time you transfer your budget towards simple ecommerce website design services; think again. Do pay equal importance to product descriptions as well.

Exercise Word Seduction

For those who don’t know, we’re not talking about actual seduction; calm down. Words have a way of calling out to the audience that matters; if used in the right manner. You have to recognize sooner rather than later that this is one of the biggest marketing tools you’ll ever possess. Want to know the best thing about it? It comes for free.

Restaurants and high-end hotels have long known and recognized this fact – sensory words positively affect sales by big margins. This is because they manage to attract customers who wouldn’t bat an eye otherwise.

This is why whenever you visit a modern-day top restaurant, you can see names like – Sensual Red Velvet Slice – Drums of Heaven – Hypnotic Vanilla Ice Cream With Chocolate Mousse, just to name a few.

Take the Cues

There’s a reason why this trend is gaining popularity as the day passes by; because it works. Hence, you should take these cues and exercise them when it comes to product descriptions. Use words that will instantly hit the psyche of the targeted customers.

Simple adjectives don’t bring much value; however, sensory adjectives leave an everlasting powerful impact. These little bits of storytelling will take your descriptions to another level.

Don’t be like every other online vendor; use your imagination and showcase the abundance of creativity.

Look at this story-Esque product description:

There is a person who is the hero of every BBQ or family cookout and that is the Grill Master. We always looked up to our Mom or Dad as they tended the grill and looked forward to the day when we could be in charge of charring the meat stuff and searing delicious slices of fresh pineapple. Now that we’re adults, it’s finally our turn, and technology has smiled upon us, giving us a tool that is destined to impress.

Say No to Duplicate Copy

If there’s a cardinal sin that exists in the online world when it comes to content; it is writing duplicate content. People indulging in plagiarism deserve a stint in the cybercrime jail if it were up to me.

This can ruin a business from all angles. Not only will the readers maybe identify this fact; but even if they don’t; Google definitely will. The crawlers will soon blacklist all pages with plagiarized content which would mean your website falling down the spiral in terms of search engine rankings.

And once this reputation with Google is tarnished, you can wave your sales goodbye. It would take years and years of perseverance and good practices to come back to the original positions again. All your SEO product descriptions will be put to waste even with a hint of plagiarism.

To remedy this, all you need to do is sign up for Copyscape with a paltry amount. This will keep plagiarism at bay.

So finally if you have opted for a top Magento 2 development company, complement their efforts with good content and do yourself a huge favor.

“Stop writing about everything. So many brands create content and try to cover everything, instead of focusing on the core niche that they can position themselves as an expert around. No one cares about your special recipe… Find your niche, and then go even more niche.”
– Joe Pulizzi