Product descriptions for small online shops

Why the manufacturer text is not enough

Many shops copy the text from the manufacturer or from the supplier list. It is quick, but then the same text stands on many other shops. It often speaks to retailers instead of buyers, and it rarely answers the questions your customers ask you. Use the manufacturer data as your source of facts and write the text yourself.

Google asks a similar question in its guidance on helpful content: if content draws on other sources, does it avoid simply copying or rewriting them, and does it add value of its own? A product page adds value when it says what the product is good for, what is included and what a buyer should know before ordering.

What belongs where

• Title: product type, brand or model and the one or two features that set it apart, for example size or colour. No slogans and no list of keywords.
• Short text: one or two sentences near the price. What is it, who is it for, and what is the main reason to choose it?
• Bullet points: three to six facts that buyers compare, such as dimensions, material, capacity, compatibility and what is in the box. One fact per point.
• Long text: the details that do not fit into a bullet point. How the product is used, how it is cared for and what it is not suitable for.

Facts before adjectives

Words like premium, high-quality or unique tell a buyer nothing they can check. A number, a material or a situation of use does. Write the fact first. If an adjective still helps, it can follow.

• Weak: 'Premium backpack of the highest quality'. Better: 'Backpack, 30 l, 850 g, coated polyester, laptop pocket for devices up to 15 inches'.
• Weak: 'Super soft blanket'. Better: 'Blanket made of 100 % cotton, 150 × 200 cm, machine washable at 40 °C'.
• Weak: 'The perfect gift'. Better: 'Comes in a gift box. You can add a gift note at checkout.'

Sizes, materials and care

• Sizes: give dimensions with units and say what was measured, for example the inner length of a shoe or the seat height of a chair. For clothing, add a size chart with body measurements.
• Materials: name the material and, for textiles, the composition in percent. Avoid vague terms such as 'quality material'.
• Care: washing temperature, dishwasher or hand wash, how to clean and store the product. This answers questions before they reach your inbox.
• Contents: list what is in the box, and say clearly what is not included, such as batteries or a charger.
• Fit and compatibility: which devices, sizes or models the product fits. If you are not sure, leave it out instead of guessing.

Honest claims

Write only what you can back up with the manufacturer data, a test of your own or a document. Be especially careful with claims about health, the environment or effects, such as 'eco', 'antibacterial' or 'relieves back pain'. Superlatives such as 'the best' or 'No. 1' are hard to prove. If you only have the manufacturer's word, say so, for example 'dishwasher safe according to the manufacturer'.

The same product in several languages

• Numbers, units and sizes must be identical in every language version. Check them again after every translation.
• Keep the same structure in every language: the same bullet points in the same order are easier to compare and to update.
• When something changes, such as the material or the contents of the box, update all languages at the same time. An outdated version misleads the customers who read it.
• Use the words your customers use in that country, for example for sizes or product categories. A word-for-word translation often sounds strange.

Product structured data: the basics

Structured data describes the product in a form that search engines can read. Schema.org defines the type Product for any offered product or service, with properties such as name, description, image, brand, color, material, size, gtin, sku, offers, review and aggregateRating. Google recommends the format JSON-LD.

• For merchant listings, Google requires name, image and offers with price and priceCurrency. Recommended are, among others, description, brand, gtin, color, material, size, availability, shipping details and a return policy.
• The markup must be a true picture of the page. Do not mark up content that readers cannot see, and keep the information up to date.
• Reviews and ratings in the markup must come from real users. Google says that reviews or ratings not by actual users may result in a manual action.
• Markup does not mean that a rich result will appear. Google decides whether to show one.

Many shop systems create this markup from the product data. Look at the source code of a product page or ask your provider which fields are filled. A good markup starts with good product data: the same facts as in your text.

Work with Do4U

Product descriptions turns your bullet points or a CSV list into a title, a short and a long description and bullet points, for several products at once and in the language you choose. The code compares every number in the texts with your input and marks the ones that are not there. Product photo to text writes a first text, an alt text and attributes from one photo. Sizes, prices and similar facts stay only if they are in your note, and you also get Product markup without price and availability, to which you add the offer yourself.

In both cases Do4U builds a draft. You check the facts, add what only you know and decide what goes online.