Ecommerce Copywriting Tips to Rank Higher on Google
Ecommerce Copywriting Tips to Rank Higher on Google
Optimize your ecommerce site for Google with effective SEO techniques — write for your audience first, then refine for search visibility.
SEO, or “Search Engine Optimization,” refers to the various things that can be done to maximize your site’s search results ranking. Since Google dominates search, optimizing for Google is critical.
Over the years, I’ve managed many SEO “clean-up” projects for ecommerce merchants who tried to trick Google into sending them free traffic by stuffing keywords into product descriptions. Their poor writing also resulted in high bounce rates. As Google’s algorithms got more intelligent, these sites were increasingly penalized in search rankings.
So, should we prioritize writing for humans or Google? I say we should carefully craft product descriptions that speak to the hearts and minds of our target audience. Then, revisit them and make sure that they are Google-friendly. In the following sections, I’ll explain what this means.
Keyword Research and Integration
Effective SEO begins with solid keyword research. While several excellent premium tools are available, I recommend starting with the following free options by Google, which are particularly useful for informing your approach to writing better product descriptions.
Google Keyword Planner: Use this tool to discover what your audience is searching for and select the best keywords for your product pages and content.
Google Analytics: Monitor visitor interactions on your site to identify what’s working and what needs improvement.
Google Trends: Track popular topics over time to stay relevant to trends and seasonal interests.
After identifying your target keywords, integrate them naturally into your product titles and descriptions. Be cautious about doing this sparingly; keyword stuffing can lead to Google penalties and a poor user experience.
User Intent and Search Intent Alignment
Understanding the intent behind a user’s search query is crucial. Are they looking for information, ready to purchase, or comparing products? Aligning your product descriptions with the search intent can significantly improve conversion rates.
But it doesn’t stop there — think about where the customer is in their journey. Are they just discovering your brand, considering options, or ready to buy? Tailoring your content to match the search intent and the customer journey stage can create a seamless experience that guides them toward conversion.
Google increasingly prioritizes content that best matches the user’s search intent. Ensuring your descriptions meet this intent and align with the customer’s journey increases the likelihood of higher rankings and better engagement.
Segment your keywords by intent (informational, navigational, transactional) and consider the customer journey stage. For example, a transactional keyword like “buy organic eyeshadow” should lead to a product page with clear, persuasive calls to action. In contrast, an informational keyword might link to a blog post that educates and subtly encourages further exploration of your products.
Content Uniqueness
Unique content refers to original product descriptions not duplicated across your site or the web. Duplicate content can hurt your SEO efforts, as Google may struggle to determine which page to rank. Unique descriptions also help differentiate your brand and products from competitors.
Write custom descriptions for each product, even if they are similar. Highlight unique features, benefits, or use cases in a way that resonates emotionally with your audience.
For example, check out this copy used on the official Allbirds store:
“Effortless by nature. Meet the tree glider. Light, airy tree fiber fabric is made for life in motion.”
Instead of just listing features, Allbirds uses words to make the reader imagine the pleasurable emotions they could experience by wearing these sneakers.
Small but Powerful SEO Details
The key to SEO success is paying attention to the little details on every page of your site. Do this consistently, and you will attract free traffic from your target audience via Google Search.
Here’s an essential checklist for your product details pages:
Title Tags: Keep title tags consistent in style and under 60 characters to ensure they display fully in search results.
Meta Descriptions: These are the brief snippets under your page title in search results. Write compelling, accurate summaries with your primary keyword and a clear call-to-action, keeping them under 160 characters.
URL Slugs: The “slug” is the part of the product details page’s URL you can edit. Use clean, concise formats by removing unnecessary words, replacing spaces with hyphens, using only lowercase, and keeping under 60 characters. For example, if the product title is “Organic Neutral Eyeshadow Shades Perfect for Summer,” set the URL slug to “organic-neutral-eyeshadow.”
Image File Names: Google Image Search is a huge potential traffic source. Help Google understand your product images by using descriptive filenames. These follow the same rules as URL slugs, so you could have “organic-neutral-eyeshadow.jpeg.”
Image Alt Tags: Originally designed to make web pages accessible to visually impaired users, this field is another used by Google Image Search to understand what the image shows. It should also be kept brief, simple, and under 60 characters. Write a simple description of what is shown in the picture, such as “Organic Neutral Eyeshadow.”
Internal Linking: This means linking to other relevant pages on your site from your product descriptions that might help as references. It should be done only to the extent that it is genuinely helpful to your site visitors. If you overdo it, Google assumes you’re up to something, and the links confuse your site’s visitors.
Customer Reviews and User-Generated Content
Customer reviews and UGC (user-generated content) are testimonials, photos, or videos your customers create. These not only build trust but also provide fresh, relevant content that acts as a positive signal to Google about the quality of your site.
How you implement this will depend on your product niche and target audience. Check out the top brands in your industry and decide on a strategy that combines their best practices. If you are using a platform such as Shopify, there are various apps you can use to automate some parts of the process.
Continuous Improvement
To keep your ecommerce site performing at its best, it’s crucial to regularly monitor your data sources like Google Analytics and Search Console. While daily check-ins are ideal, at a minimum, review once a month. This lets you stay informed about how visitors interact with your site and where they’re coming from, giving you the insights needed to continually refine and improve your site’s conversion rate.
Think of it as applying the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle to your ecommerce strategy:
Plan: Analyze your data to identify areas for improvement.
Do: Implement changes based on your insights.
Check: Monitor the results to see how the changes impact your site.
Act: Use what you’ve learned to make further adjustments or set new goals.
Key Takeaways
Know Your Priorities: First, focus on writing for your audience, then optimize for Google. Avoid keyword stuffing, which hurts both SEO and user experience.
Use Keywords Strategically: Use tools like Google Keyword Planner to find the best keywords and integrate them naturally into your product descriptions.
Match User Intent: Tailor your content to what users are searching for and where they are in their buying journey. This boosts both rankings and conversions.
Only Publish Unique Content: Write original descriptions for each product to avoid SEO penalties and stand out from competitors.
Check Everything Google Can Read: Optimize title tags, meta descriptions, URLs, and images to improve your site’s visibility on Google.
Feature Customer Reviews: Use customer reviews and user-generated content to build trust and keep your content fresh.
Keep Refining Your Approach: Regularly check your site’s performance and adjust your processes accordingly to improve your results.