An online retailer’s first steps towards success - content

Low-quality content will bring you savings – in the form of lower packaging and posting costs. However, if, instead of these savings, your main goal is getting your sales volumes up, it would be best to make sure your content is great. So, let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work.

Product descriptions

Product descriptions have a major effect on how high your web shop is ranked in search results and they can also be the difference between a customer buying your product or going elsewhere. Search engines value original and well written content, so I recommend resisting the temptation to copy and paste the manufacturer’s descriptions onto your product pages.

It is most probable that many of your competitors have chosen the fast lane and are using the manufacturer’s product descriptions, which offers you a great opportunity to stand out. Just plan and create original content on your product pages and your web shop will rank higher in search results, enabling you to outshine your competitors from the beginning.

1. Be sure to know who you are writing for.
2. Create a list of product features which are important to your target group. If you have customer reviews available, you can find the key features there.
3. Complete the list by adding a reason why the customer should buy the product from you.
4. Define the style you are using when writing: what tone would work with your customers? Does the tone support the style of your web shop?
5. Now, create a product definition based on the list you made in stages 2 and 3. Remember to divide the text into paragraphs and use subheadings.
6. Remember that your customers are not willing to buy a pig in a poke. Support the purchase decision by using high quality images and videos.

Other content

If you want to rank higher in search results, create a specialist status and turn your customers into followers; offer your target group something extra. You can, for example, offer them guides or blog posts.

1. Keep in mind whom you are writing to and dive into their world. For example, if you are selling paw wax for dogs, whose problem are you solving? Erm... a dog’s? But who searches for information and pays for the product? Yes, that’s correct, the dog owner.
2. Know the context around the customer and your product. The HC buyers of paw wax are most probably those people who actively run and jump outdoors with their dogs no matter what the weather, such as those who go hunting or compete in dog sled races.
3. Create content. As a paw wax retailer, you could write a blog about sled dogs and hiking with dogs. Remember that the content should always offer additional value to the customer and fresh content must be published regularly.

How have you used content in your web shop?

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An online retailer’s first steps towards success -online presenceAn online retailer’s first steps towards success – search engine optimization