How To Optimise eCommerce Product Pages

In the competitive world of online sales, providing a great product is only the beginning of your journey towards success.

If you want to get noticed, you need to make sure that your product ranks for your target keywords, which means creating the perfect product page for each item you sell.

How do you make a good product page? It’s the question on the lips of most marketers and eCommerce store owners as they seek to stand out in an increasingly competitive online market.

The answer is simple: have the fundamentals of technical SEO and page layout down and then use your product’s USPs to make it stand out from the crowd.

At Siteologists, we understand the importance of eCommerce website architecture and design, which is why we’ve created this guide on how to optimise eCommerce product pages.

What Is A Product Page In eCommerce?

A product page in eCommerce is a page that describes a specific item and shares details of its functions and features.

Product pages usually include a range of specifications, images, frequently asked questions and customer reviews.

As a result, they are the font of all knowledge for your product and act as a page where customers can make their decision to purchase a specific product or not.

The Difference Between Product Listing Pages (PLP) And Product Details Pages (PDP)

A product listing page (PLP) and a product details page (PDP) might sound similar, but they are actually completely different.

A PLP is a sub-category page that lists a selection of products in a specific category, such as shoes or bags.

A PDP is a page that shares details on one product and is what we define in this article as an eCommerce product page.

What Is The Purpose Of An eCommerce Product Page?

eCommerce product pages are crucial for any eCommerce website. The product page is the final stage in the sales funnel for the product and serves to convince the user to make their purchase.

The page aims to give users the chance to compare the product to others and identify all the ways it can be used.

The product page should give consumers all the information on the product, including images, videos, if applicable, and relevant product specifications.

Information To Include In A Product Description

When writing a product description for your product page, there are some facts you need to include, no matter what type of product you’re offering.

After all, customers won’t know why they need your product until they get insight into how it can be used, which is why your product description is vital.

Some information will be product-specific, but some facts are essential, including:

· Product name

· Size and weight information

· Benefits of the product

· Who can use the item

· Whether it’s a good gift or not

· What problems the item solves

· Sensory characteristics of the item in terms of appearance and use

· Unique selling points that distinguish it from other items

This information is vital for the user experience and will also help you to include the relevant keywords and internal backlinks that will help boost your eCommerce SEO.

Your eCommerce product description will help you to answer the questions your potential customers are asking and help them to see how it can benefit them.

eCommerce Product Page Best Practices

For any eCommerce product page, no matter what it’s selling, there are some technical SEO practices and features you should always include. Keep reading to find out more about eCommerce product page structure and best practices.

The menu should show sub-category pages and then allow users to travel back to different product categories. If your product offering is small, then you can include product pages on the menu. However, if there are hundreds of items, then consider keeping these on the sub-category pages so users don’t have too many options to choose from.

Breadcrumbs

Breadcrumbs are a secondary navigation tool, similar to the menu but more accessible for users. Typically, on an eCommerce page, the breadcrumbs are found at the top of the page, so customers can quickly get back to the category or homepage.

This means that it’s quick and easy for site users to find similar products by returning to the sub-category page without having to navigate the entire menu.

Product Title

The product title on an eCommerce product page is the product’s name. It needs to be descriptive but not too long.

The best product titles are between 20 and 150 characters and should give a brief description that is unique but informative.

So, one word should mention what the product is; boots, bag, etc. The other words should include the brand name, a brief description and the unique name of the product, which should be short and memorable.

The product title is important because if it includes adjectives that describe the product, such as colour or material terms, as well as the name of the item, then search engines will pick up the product name.

So, if you searched ‘red jacket’ and a product name included that phrase, then search engines would be more likely to include this product page on results pages for those terms.

Product Description

While the product title should include a few adjectives to describe an important feature of the product, such as colour, the product description is where customers really get to know your product.

As detailed earlier in this article, your eCommerce product description needs to contain information about the product, its uses, the target buyer and its USPs.

The product description should be both informative and easy to read. Use bullet points and numbered lists to break up large paragraphs and make the content easy for readers to quickly digest.

Imagery

Images are a key part of any product page. They help your potential customers to visualise how they could use the product and see what it looks like.

As 30% of US customers would not buy a product with missing or low-quality images, it’s clear that you need to focus on having quality images on your product page.

Consider using multiple images on each page on a carousel so that customers can see the product at several angles and being used in various ways.

This will help customers to visualise themselves with the item and see how it could suit their purpose.

Price

Customers expect to see the price for items on the eCommerce product page clearly and be able to get a complete overview of what they’re going to pay.

That means you need to make sure that if the customer chooses a different size, colour or style of product, then the price will update automatically.

When including the price for eCommerce products, remember to make it clear what additional charges might be added at the checkout, such as shipping fees and taxes.

Customers will then get complete transparency over what they will have to pay for their item and be able to make an informed decision.

Route to purchase

A route to purchase is the buttons that allow users to add the product on the page to their online shopping cart.

Before they add the item to their cart, customers should be able to choose any customisation options, such as selecting a specific size, colour or type of item.

All they have to do to confirm their choice is push the ‘add to cart’ button, and the item will be added to their basket.

You could also offer a ‘buy now’ button, which allows the customer to push the button and instantly be taken to the online checkout.

This solution will benefit online customers who want a fast and efficient service, and don’t want to have to click through a long menu to reach their cart.

For anyone who is shopping for multiple items, you can offer them the option to return to the sub category page or go to the checkout to make their purchase.

Availability

Your route to purchase eCommerce software should automatically update to inform customers of how many items are left and when an item is out of stock.

That means you’ll never be able to take more online orders for a product than you can fulfil. If an item is out of stock for more than a few hours, then you should consider updating the page to inform customers about when the item will be restocked.

Also, if you include a navigation at the bottom of the page to similar items, then you can direct your customers to those if they want to buy a similar product that is in stock.

Social Proof

Social proof for an eCommerce page means that you offer a link to social media posts that show reviews, comments or images of the product in use.

These image carousels and review links can be a useful way of highlighting your product’s real-world applications and offering a supposedly unbiased review of the item.

Adding this function to your eCommerce product page can be challenging, especially if you’re not an expert at website development.

Our eCommerce website specialists can help you to incorporate functions like these onto your site and adapt them to suit the needs of your business.

Creating An eCommerce Product Detail Page Template

To ensure consistency across your eCommerce site and save yourself time, it might help if you create a template for product pages.

You’ll then know what needs to be on each one and can get it together before you start building the pages.

Some of the most important content and information you need on every eCommerce page are:

· A brief description of the item

· Customisation options such as the colour and size range available

· An overview of its uses

· A description of its target buyer

· Information on size and weight

· Any details on deals or discounts your company can offer, such as savings for multiple purchases

· Reviews from happy customers

· Frequently asked questions

· Images of the product being used for various purposes

· Video footage of the product in use

· A list of similar products to redirect the customer if needed

Before you create each product page, make sure you have all this information ready to include. You’ll then be able to quickly get your pages set up and start pushing for search engine rankings and those all-important sales.

Optimising eCommerce Product Pages: Conclusion

Fundamentally, your eCommerce product pages are the final destination for buyers and will determine whether they buy from your online store or look elsewhere for the items they need.

Creating the right eCommerce product pages for your site takes time and requires a strong knowledge of technical SEO and website development.

If you’re struggling to find the time or create the right product pages for your site, then get in touch to find out about our services.

Our expert team can help you with product page creation, site audits, website architecture and much more so you can grow your eCommerce store.