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June 8, 2020 @ 10:22 AM By Marcel Casella
I have a HUGE problem with MANY ecommerce websites.
While I love all the advantages they brought to modern life, many of them make shopping a real painful experience.
And I´m not only talking about encountering faulty sales funnels or outdated looks, which happen to be very common. If I want to buy something I can get past those without a problem.
I’m talking about ecommerce website content and product descriptions. Especially in extremely specialized niches.
Just picture this scenario: I want to try a new hobby, say fishing. So, I want to get started right away, and get me a rod, bait, and some fishing gear, so I can tag along with my friends next time they go offshore. I don’t want anything expensive or terribly high quality. What I want is something that does the job without me looking like an idiot because it keeps breaking or it is intended for totally different purposes.
True, I could jump on a call and ask my buddies for recommendations. But they are really passionate about their hobby, and would talk for hours about the different types of rods or how they set up their boats, and how every situation is different and whatnot. I want a more hands-on experience.
So, I have an idea. I will ask the internet.
Oh, boy… I didn’t know how deep those waters were.
After 10 minutes, I was on reddit and some specialized fishing forums. One hour later, I had watched 4 Youtube videos, and had learned everything about the history of fishing. But I still didn’t know the difference between a $25 and a $300 fishing rod.
No matter how interesting all these articles were, I knew I needed to focus on actual products. So I decided to Google “fishing stores near me” and see what they would recommend.
Alright, there were more than a few ads, and many promising organic results. I opened every one of the first page options, and started reading.
As I expected, many merely offered a barebones stat block for their products. Others just put stock content written for those who already master the lingo. I could not make heads or tails of any of them.
Only a few pages gave me a longer description of their products. I avidly read those, but I needed more information. I felt there was so much more I needed to know before committing to any one product.
I mean, it is just like when you shop around for a new set of speakers. You go to a store´s website and they give you a description, and examples of people using it, and how it is set for various uses. Then you have reviews and tips and you quickly have an idea of why you’d want to buy that product. Right?
Well, it turns out that most of these fishing stores just offered stock content. I was soon reading the same description over and over again, which didn’t actually explain much. It seems like most stores don’t really want to be visited by muggles like me.
Their noob-filters were all the way up. It felt like if I don’t already know what I need, I should not even be checking out their websites.
Don’t take me wrong. I don’t think it is their intention to exclude anyone. I’m sure many of them are really nice and helpful people that take their time to answer questions from their customers. They would not have a business if they didn´t.
Part of having a successful e-commerce is crafting effective and engaging content working in tandem with their conversion strategy.
I hear you say: “Hey, maybe they know that most of the people who land in their page already know what they want, so it is created in a cost effective way”. That might very well be the case. But I don’t see why they would not want to cast a wider net (pun intended).
I mean. Yeah, the home page should go straight to the point and the visitor should know what to do in under 5 seconds.
But, for those who are undecided, the website should also present more options. Many of us are only browsing, and still undecided. Many are just discovering that there are more than 7 types of lure and get curious as to why (seriously, WHY?).
And there is an even more important reason your website should quench our thirst for knowledge.
Having a bit more content will tell Google that your website belongs to the first few search results. Moreover, people coming in just to read your product descriptions, reviews and blog posts, boosts your authority in the eyes of search engines.
It also takes a load off your customer service department. By preemptively answering questions about your products, you reduce the time your employees spend trying to convince people that the product is exactly what they need (or don´t need).
Writing great product descriptions not only helps your visitors find out what they need faster. It also impacts other variables that affect the effectiveness of your ads campaigns.
It supports your ad campaign strategy by providing a broader pool of keywords, greatly reduces bounce rates by offering valuable information for visitors, it breaks possible rank ties due to duplicate content, improves your chances of getting useful backlinks, and opens more opportunities to convert.
What’s not to like?
I know that coming up with amazing content is not everyone’s cup of tea. But you, the website owner, must remember that you´re the real expert in your very specific niche. You get to answer a lot of questions about your products and you know what your customers want when they enter your store or give you a call.
That should give you a great starting point for designing a content strategy for your ecommerce website. In fact. I love it when when I get hired to write website copy and the owner is passionate about his/her business. They talk about their best selling products, common questions asked by their audiences, and how they want to be perceived. It allows for more authentic results, and a copy that really engage with audiences that are searching for specific information and become returning visitors.
What’s more. Great accessible content is an extremely effective way to spark the interest of people who would otherwise think your niche is not for them. There is a huge explosion for traditionally ignored niches thanks to many Youtubers and Social Media influencers. They are creating incredibly fun and engaging content around niches that I didn’t know even existed, and are constantly searching for new content to keep their audiences interested. Building content around their topics of interest is a good way to increase your chances of being picked by them or even becoming an authority in your niche.
If you don’t feel like writing, podcasting is a great option. It is a platform that is in constant growth, and now works in tandem with your SEO strategy. It not only allow you to showcase your products and services. Podcasting also serves as a powerful tool for establishing authoritativeness.
With the current pandemic situation, it is only logic that business owners try to increase their chances of being found and staying relevant.
Those are general tips that would work for most Ecommerce website content strategies. However, each website is as unique as its niche. If you have more specific questions, I suggest you contact us so I can give you an In-Depth eval of your content and fully actionable strategies.
About the author:
Marcel Casella - HEAD OF CONTENT DEPARTMENT I have worn many hats in my life, but I have always been passionate about writing. I share Google´s vision when it comes to content. I read hundreds of websites filled with uninteresting and repetitive content every day, so I see it as my mission to improve the quality of what people find in their searches. Google favors those who contribute with informative and relevant content, and I make sure our clients are among them.