4 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Product Descriptions
Operating in the digital sphere isn’t easy, especially with the increasing competition and reducing customer attention span. Did you know that the average attention span of humans is around 8 seconds? How do you capture a customer’s attention within these 8 seconds? Through captivating and well-written product descriptions. Sounds simple right? But it’s not as easy as we make it sound.
There is an art to writing great product descriptions – an art not mastered by many. But if you want to increase sales and operate online successfully, you will have to learn how to write simple, straightforward, and impactful product descriptions. Here, we list some of the common mistakes to avoid when drafting product descriptions.
1. Using Manufacturer Provided Product Descriptions
They are informative, yes, but they are also quite tedious and unnecessarily lengthy. Even if the manufacturer-provided description is exceptionally well-written, you will have to change it as search engines might end up penalizing your site for copying product descriptions. Getting a penalty by a search engine means you will end up performing poorly on search engine rankings, which can prove extremely disastrous for your business.
2. Describing Product Features Only
A good product description will not focus on features but on the benefits the customer will obtain by using the product. Take Apple, for example.
The company put out the description, “Designed for those who defy limits and change the world.”
The description is short, straightforward and focuses on the target market. There is no mention of the product features, but you do get an idea of the value you will derive from the product. It is ideal for those who are looking for something extraordinary and powerful.
Now you may not be able to describe all your products with descriptions such as that of the MacBook Pro, but the goal is to focus on the benefits and the value the product will add to the customer’s life and not its technical specs or features.
3. Not Writing Customer-Oriented Product Descriptions
When you are writing to attract your customers, you need to write for them. Make sure you target your target audience when drafting your product descriptions. If you are trying to sell a technical product to professionals in the industry, don’t be afraid to use jargon. However, if your target audience is the layperson with little to no understanding of the technicalities of the product you are selling, do not use jargon in your product descriptions.
4. Not Proofreading Your Product Descriptions
You do not want to upload a description riddled with grammatical errors, typos or spelling mistakes. Always proofread your work before you send it through to ensure you spell the product right; make sure there are no errors in your descriptions. Not only do such mistakes lower your credibility, but the search engine algorithm might also end up penalizing your website for the mistakes.
A Word of Advice
We’d like to end with a word of advice, which is to keep all your descriptions short and simple. As we’ve mentioned before, the average attention span of humans is just eight seconds, so a 500-word description is not going to do your business any good. Learn from the best, take the MacBook Pro description as an example to help you write captivating and well-written product descriptions that will help you achieve your business goals.
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