How to Write SEO-Friendly Product Descriptions that Convert (+ Examples)

SEO product descriptions improve your product page rankings on Google and tell customers why they should buy from you. Learn how our ecommerce copywriting specialists create product descriptions that drive higher sales for our clients.

Here, you’ll find:

1. What are SEO product descriptions?
2. Tips to write compelling SEO product descriptions
3. Best practices to drive more conversions
4. Why are product descriptions important for SEO?
5. Frequently asked questions
6. How to hire ecommerce expert copywriters

Product descriptions should do more than describe your products. They should be optimized to: draw in organic traffic and compel people to buy.

That’s what SEO product descriptions do.

However, writing product descriptions for SEO has challenges. From overstuffing keywords and poorly written copy to the missing elements that enhance descriptions for better conversions — many things can be wrong.

In this guide, we’ll discuss: how to write SEO product descriptions that address these challenges.

Let’s start with the basics.

What are SEO product descriptions?

SEO product descriptions are optimized text and images that showcase your product’s benefits and ensure it ranks well on search engines like Google and Bing.

These descriptions integrate chosen keywords — terms your potential customers commonly use in online searches.

Here’s an example of an SEO product description:

(Image: theorganicones.com)

If I had to guess, it seems the primary keyword is “hair removal,” which appears in the headline and several times throughout the product description.

When search engines crawl product pages on your website (or on third-party platforms like Amazon), they recognize these keywords, understanding your product’s relevance to consumer queries.

This process increases the likelihood of your product appearing in top search results. It directly enhances visibility and improves the chance of clicks and conversions.

So, SEO product description writing can bridge the gap between your products and the customers searching for them.

12 tips to write compelling SEO product descriptions

Here are tips for writing product descriptions for SEO that Google and Bing love.

Note: Throughout these tips, we’ve used ‘flavored water’ as an example product for added clarity on SEO product description writing.

1. Start with a captivating opening
2. Use keywords strategically
3. Focus on benefits, not just features
4. Employ persuasive language
5. Make it scannable
6. Include sensory words
7. Incorporate your unique selling propositions
8. Use active voice
9. Keep language simple and direct
10. Avoid fluff
11. Use a consistent brand voice
12. End with a call to action

1. Start with a captivating opening

When writing product descriptions, your first sentence should make the reader want to keep reading. Think of it as the cover of a book or the headline of an article.

Say you’re selling flavored water. Instead of saying, “Our flavored water comes in different flavors,” you could start with something more engaging like “Refresh your day with our variety of crisp, fruit-flavored waters.”

This opening tells the reader immediately that your product is refreshing and comes in fruity flavors, which sets the stage for further details.

2. Use keywords strategically

Find out what words potential customers use when searching for products like yours.

Google Keyword Planner, Semrush, and other keyword research tools can identify keyword ideas that withd search volume.

We’ve published a comprehensive guide on this. Check out How to Build A Keyword Strategy in 6 Easy Steps + Pro Tips

Once you have a list of relevant keywords (particularly long-tail keywords with 3+ words), integrate them into your product description naturally.

For flavored water, keywords may include “flavored water,” “natural fruit flavor,” or “zero-calorie drink.” So, a sentence like “Our zero-calorie flavored water comes in various natural fruit flavors” uses target keywords effectively — without sounding forced.

3. Focus on benefits, not just features

People are more interested in what your product can do for them than what it is.

So, highlight how your product can improve their lives. This is 101 of digital marketing for ecommerce.

For example, instead of saying, “Our water is sugar-free,” you could say, “Enjoy the sweet taste of our flavored water without the sugar, perfect for a healthy lifestyle.”

This directly shows the benefit (enjoying a sweet taste without sugar), which clarifies why someone would want to choose your product.

4. Employ persuasive language

The words you choose can convince someone to buy your product.

Use simple, clear language to explain why your product is the best choice.

For instance, rather than just saying, “Our flavored water is made with natural ingredients,” you may say, “Experience the pure, clean taste of our flavored water, made with carefully selected natural ingredients.”

This doesn’t just tell the reader what your product is; it shows why it’s a great choice, using straightforward language to create a convincing reason to buy.

5. Make it scannable

People often skim through content online to find the information they need quickly.

So, make your product descriptions easy to scan by organizing them with bullet points, short paragraphs, and bolded keywords.

For instance, instead of a dense paragraph about your flavored water, use bullet points to highlight key specs, like:

• “Flavor variety: Choose from a range of natural fruit flavors
• Health benefits: Zero calories, no added sugar
• Eco-friendly packaging: 100% recyclable materials”

This format allows customers to grasp the essential information about your product quickly.

6. Include sensory words

Descriptive, sensory words can turn a standard product description into an experience, painting a vivid picture for the customers.

For example, for flavored water, you can use terms that describe the taste, smell, and feeling of enjoying the product. Like, “Indulge in the crisp, refreshing taste of our lemon-flavored water, with its zesty aroma and cool, soothing touch on your palate.”

This informs the readers and also hooks them up by engaging their imagination.

7. Incorporate your unique selling propositions

Your USPs set your product apart from competitors and other retailers. Identify and highlight these in your description.

If your flavored water uses an exclusive filtration process or sources fruits from organic, sustainable farms, mention these points.

Like this: “Enjoy our flavored water, uniquely crafted with fruits from our exclusive, organic orchard and purified through our advanced, eco-friendly filtration process.”

This tells customers why your product is special and why they should choose it over others.

8. Use active voice

An active voice makes your sentences more powerful and easier to follow. It puts the subject in charge of the action, creating a direct, engaging narrative.

Instead of saying, “Our flavored water is loved by many for its refreshing taste,” you can say, “Refresh your day with our beloved flavored water.”

The active voice makes your content more compelling and encourages the reader to take action.

9. Keep language simple and direct

In your product descriptions for SEO, clarity is key. Use plain language and short sentences to ensure your message is easily understood.

For example, rather than saying, “Our flavored water provides an unparalleled taste sensation,” you may say, “Enjoy the fresh, bold taste of our flavored water.”

This straightforward language prevents confusion and makes your content understandable to a broader audience, which ensures your message resonates clearly with everyone.

10. Avoid fluff

Avoid adding unnecessary details, filler words, and duplicate content that don’t add value to your description. Every word in your product description should serve a purpose. This is important in content-centric SEO strategies.

For instance, instead of saying, “Our flavored water is made with a variety of incredibly delicious, superb natural flavors,” you can simply state, “Our flavored water comes in a variety of natural flavors.”

This keeps your content concise and focused, making it more impactful and easier for your customers to understand the attributes of your product.

11. Use a consistent brand voice

Your brand’s personality should cut through in every product description. Maintain a tone/style that aligns with your brand’s identity — whether it’s professional, playful, or sophisticated.

For example, if your brand is known for its whimsical and fun approach, your product description for flavored water may read, “Splash into fun with our whimsically delicious flavored water!”

Consistency in your brand’s voice builds a connection with your audience and fosters brand recognition.

12. End with a call to action

Guide your customers on what to do next with a clear and compelling call to action. Whether encouraging a purchase, inviting them to learn more, or directing them to get in touch, your call to action (CTA) should be direct and easy to find.

For instance, you may end your flavored water description with, “Ready to taste the difference? Order now and refresh your day!”

A well-done CTA turns interest into action. It guides your customers toward the next step in their journey with your product.

Further reading: SEO Content Writing Success: A Crash Course for 2024

7 best practices to drive more conversions with SEO product descriptions

In addition to writing product descriptions for SEO that are technically adept, you also need to focus on aspects that help drive better conversions. How?

Follow these product description SEO best practices:

1. Understand your audience
2. Add social proof
3. Use high-quality images
4. Implement urgency and scarcity
5. Improve readability
6. Provide accessible customer support
7. Test and optimize

1. Understand your audience

To connect with your potential customers, you must understand their preferences, needs, and behaviors.

This is one of the foremost SEO steps for a website. After all, you wouldn’t know what your content should be about if you don’t know who you’re targeting.

Start by gathering data. Use your website analytics to see what products people view the most, how long they stay on your pages, and what they click.

You can even conduct surveys or hold focus groups to ask direct questions about their preferences and pain points.

For instance, if your online store sells smartwatches, find out if your customers value style, functionality, or health features the most.

Additionally, use social media platforms to observe discussions and trends related to your product.

After gathering this information, create detailed buyer personas (fictional representations of your ideal customers).

These personas should include demographic details, interests, and typical problems your product can solve. This comprehensive understanding will guide you in tailoring unique product descriptions that speak directly to your customers’ needs and preferences.

2. Add social proof

Social proof creates a positive impression by displaying what other people say or think about your brand or product. It builds brand trust and encourages potential customers to make a purchase.

To leverage social proof, actively collect customer reviews, ratings, and testimonials. Display them prominently on your product pages.

(Image: ugaoo.com)

If you have a product that’s received awards or endorsements from industry experts, highlight these as well.

For example, if you’re selling a new type of garden tool that was featured in a well-known gardening magazine or used by a popular influencer, mention this in your product description and on the page.

Such endorsements can enhance your product’s credibility and appeal, encouraging potential buyers to trust in the quality and effectiveness of your product.

3. Use high-quality images

Visuals are often the first thing a potential customer notices, so high-quality product images are essential.

They should be clear, well-lit, and high resolution to allow zooming without losing quality.

Show your product from multiple angles and, if applicable, in use.

For instance, if you’re selling a backpack, include images of it being worn, its compartments open, and close-ups of material details.

This gives customers a closer understanding of the product and reduces uncertainty about the features and quality.

(Image: vesselgolf.com)

Of course, ensure your images are optimized for fast loading on all devices. Slow-loading images can lead to higher bounce rates and missed sales opportunities.

4. Implement urgency and scarcity

Creating a sense of urgency or scarcity compels potential customers to act quickly. It increases the likelihood of a conversion.

You can do this by announcing limited-time offers or indicating low stock levels.

Phrases like “Sale ends in 14 hours” or “Only 1 left in stock” prompt immediate action.

(Image: lehelmatyus.com)

However, it’s important to use these tactics honestly. Don’t claim an item is running out if it isn’t. Such unethical tactics can damage your credibility in the long run.

Also, ensure that any deadlines or stock levels displayed are accurate and updated in real time to avoid customer frustration.

Further reading: Marketing Psychology: 5 Tips to Win Hearts (+ Examples)

5. Improve readability

Ensure your product descriptions are easily readable to deliver a good user experience. This involves paying attention to the legibility of the text on varied devices and screen sizes.

Use a clear font style and size that makes the text comfortable to read without zooming.

Line height and spacing are also important. Proper spacing can enhance readability, especially on smaller screens like smartphones and tablets.

Also, ensure the color contrast between the text and background is sufficient to not strain the eyes.

6. Provide accessible customer support

While well-crafted SEO product descriptions aim to be comprehensive, customers may still have questions or need clarification.

Offering immediate support options, such as live chat or a prominently displayed FAQ section, can enhance the user experience.

This resolves queries that may arise from reading your product descriptions and also keeps the customer engaged on your page longer, which is a positive signal to search engines.

Moreover, the questions and interactions can provide insights into what information may be missing or could be optimized in your product descriptions.

7. Test and optimize

Regularly experimenting with your product descriptions can lead to better engagement and conversion rates.

A/B testing involves comparing and analyzing two versions (‘version A,’ ‘version B’) of a description to see which performs better. You can test different headlines, keywords, tone of voice, or positioning of the call to action.

Use analytics tools to track metrics like CTR, conversion rates, bounce rates, and other SEO data to measure the impact of each version.

Based on aggregated data, refine your product descriptions, and undertake ecommerce website optimization activities.

At HawkSEM, we use ConversionIQ (CIQ) to track SEO results for our ecommerce clients. It’s our proprietary tool that allows us to see which product descriptions are performing better than others.

In addition, CIQ offers a range of other rich insights that enable us to optimize and improve the descriptions with the goal that they resonate with the audience.

Want to learn more about ConversionIQ? Get in touch with us.

Why are product descriptions important for SEO?

SEO product descriptions boost your product’s visibility in search engine result pages (SERPs), directly influencing traffic and sales.

A keyword-optimized description strategically showcases your product in a way that engages search engines and potential customers.

Here are the broader reasons SEO product description writing is important:

1. Targets the right audience with keywords
2. Boosts organic ranking and click-through rate
3. Increases engagement with SEO-friendly content
4. Lowers bounce rate by matching user intent
5. Drives conversions with benefit-driven content

1. Targets the right audience with keywords

SEO product descriptions use specific keywords your target audience is searching for. This calculated approach ensures your product appears in relevant Google searches, connecting you with potential customers actively seeking what you’re offering.

For example, including keywords like “BPA-free water bottle” directly addresses a segment searching for safe, non-toxic drinkware. It clearly narrows your audience to more interested potential buyers.

2. Boosts organic ranking and click-through rate

Including relevant keywords in product titles, product descriptions, and meta descriptions enhances your product’s visibility in organic search results.

Search engines favor content that closely matches user queries, ranking such content higher. And a higher ranking increases the likelihood of clicks.

For instance, a title like “Keep Your Drinks Hot or Cold for 24 Hours — Insulated Stainless Steel Water Bottle” is keyword-rich and informative, likely improving ranking and click-through rates.

3. Increases engagement with SEO-friendly content

SEO product descriptions are typically written to be informative and engaging. They encourage users to spend more time on your page.

This longer engagement tells search engines your content is valuable to the user’s search query, which can positively influence your rankings.

Descriptions that thoroughly explain product features, like the technology behind a water bottle’s insulation, can captivate an audience seeking detailed information.

4. Lowers bounce rate by matching user intent

A precise, optimized description ensures users landing on your page find what they’re searching for. It aligns with users’ search intent.

This relevance reduces the likelihood of visitors quickly leaving (bouncing), a factor search engines use to gauge content quality and relevance.

A lower bounce rate is often interpreted as high relevancy, adding to your search engine optimization goals.

For instance, a user searching for “long-lasting insulated water bottle” will find detailed and keyword-aligned content more satisfying, reducing the chance of them bouncing back to the search results.

5. Drives conversions with benefit-driven content

Good product descriptions persuade people by focusing on benefits that resonate with the target audience’s needs and preferences.

These descriptions encourage purchasing decisions by highlighting how features meet specific user needs or solve problems.

For example, emphasizing a water bottle’s eco-friendly aspect can appeal to environmentally conscious consumers, nudging them towards a purchase.

“SEO product descriptions are fundamental in ensuring your site ranks organically for the specific products you offer. As with all aspects of SEO, our focus should always center on the buyer,” says Sam Yadegar, Co-founder and CEO of HawkSEM.

“When creating product descriptions, it’s important to strike a balance between resonating with your audience and providing them with substantial value. This means understanding not just what your product is but how it fits into the customer’s life or solves their problems.”

Frequently asked questions

What are SEO keywords for products?

SEO keywords for products are specific words or phrases that potential customers use when searching for products online. They can help your product pages rank higher in search result page.

It’s important to note, however, that while search engines consider keywords to understand the product, you should avoid keyword stuffing. In semantic SEO, where the page’s topic is prioritized over the keywords the page includes, you must be strategic in using the right keywords in the right way.

What are Amazon keywords?

Amazon keywords are specific terms or phrases shoppers use to search for products on Amazon.

Just like with general ecommerce SEO, these keywords help your products appear in search results on Amazon’s platform. They impact the visibility and discoverability of your products on Amazon.

Do product descriptions matter for SEO?

SEO product descriptions help search engines understand what your product is about.

Optimized product descriptions with relevant keywords can boost your product’s visibility in search results.

Moreover, engaging and informative descriptions can improve user experience, potentially increasing visitors’ time on your page, which is a positive search engine ranking signal.

How long should SEO product descriptions be?

The ideal product description length for SEO can vary. But generally, they should be long enough to inform and engage the reader without overwhelming them.

A good rule of thumb is to aim for about 150-400 words. This range gives you enough space to include essential details, benefits, and relevant keywords without being too verbose.

How to hire ecommerce expert copywriters

Writing effective product descriptions and landing page copy is challenging. It’s typically recommended to work with expert copywriters with experience in the ecommerce store category.

Here are a few factors to consider when hiring an SEO product description writing services provider:

• Track record: Review their portfolio or case studies to assess the quality of their work and its impact on clients’ SEO performance.
• Understanding of SEO: The writer should be well-versed in current SEO trends and practices for online retailers.
• Ecommerce expertise: They should understand how to engage online shoppers and have knowledge of the SEO nuances of ecommerce sites.
• Writing style alignment: They should be able to adapt their style to match your brand’s tone and audience’s preferences.
• Turnaround time: Assess their ability to deliver quality content within your required timeframe.
• Cost: The pricing structure should be competitive yet reflective of the quality and expertise offered.
• Communication: Team up with a writer who communicates clearly and is open to feedback and collaboration.

How HawkSEM helps ecommerce brands scale

HawkSEM is one of the fastest-emerging digital marketing agencies that work with brands like Microsoft, Nike, Honda, and Verizon.

We have a large team of ecommerce specialists, including expert copywriters. It allows us to offer end-to-end SEO services — from local and national SEO services to programmatic SEO to platform-centric Amazon and Shopify plus SEO.

Over the years, we’ve worked with many ecommerce brands, enabling their growth with conversion-optimized copywriting and data-driven SEO strategies.

NorthStock, a leading online HVAC distributor, recorded a 53% increase in conversion rate with our SEO services.

“Copywriting is a core part of our conversion-focused SEO strategy. We don’t just want to publish content for the sake. We want content that ranks better — and, most importantly, converts optimally. This definite approach has been the biggest difference-maker for our ecommerce clients,” says Yadegar.

“Our team of copywriters understands what ticks the search algorithms and end-consumers. From product descriptions to landing page copy, we mix psychological principles with creative ideas to publish content that becomes the industry’s north stars.”

The takeaway

Well-written SEO product descriptions can get your product page to rank higher on SERP and motivate users to take action.

So, when writing product descriptions for SEO, spend time understanding what the search engine wants and what your audience expects. Tailor your copy accordingly.

Leverage proven copywriting tips and best practices.

If you need help, get in touch with experts at HawkSEM. Book your free consultation today.