Product descriptions that sell: what to write for each product

The short answer: someone shopping online cannot touch the product, so the description plays the salesperson at the counter: it answers questions before they are asked. A good description says what it is, who it is for, what it is made of, how big it is and what is in the box, in short sentences, and does not repeat what the photo already shows.

The skeleton of a description

Part What to write
Title The name the customer would use to search for it, with brand and model if they count. “Waterproof backpack 20 litres”, not “Premium X model”.
The first sentence What it is and who it is for, in one line.
The details Measurements, weight, material, colours, what is included. As a list, to read fast.
How to use or care for it Washing, installation, compatibility. The most common question before buying.
Delivery and returns The time and what happens if it does not fit, or a link to the page: The legal pages an online shop needs.
What it is not If the product is not what someone might expect, say so. It saves returns.

Good practice

1 Write each one by hand. Copying the supplier’s description, identical in dozens of shops, does not help you get found. See Getting a shop found on Google.
2 Use the customer’s words, not the data sheet’s. If people say “laptop”, do not write only “mobile personal computer”.
3 Answer the questions you have already been asked. Each repeated question should go into the description or the FAQ page: A FAQ page.
4 Variations in one product: sizes and colours clearly explained: Product variations in WooCommerce.
5 Photos and text together: Good photos with a phone.
Only say what is true. “Original”, “leather”, “two-year warranty”: everything you write is a promise. Rules on what you may claim about a product, and how to present prices and warranties, vary by country: check yours.
Start with your five best-selling products. One good description on five is worth more than a hurried one on fifty.

Want help organising your shop? Open a ticket saying how many products you have.

Open a support ticket

SEE ALSO

Getting a shop found on Google: product pages, categories and duplicates

Product variations in WooCommerce: sizes, colours and prices

Good photos for your business with just a phone: six simple rules

The legal pages an online shop needs: terms of sale, returns and privacy

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