A description that sells answers six questions, in order: what it is, who it is for, what it solves, what exactly I receive, why this rather than the other one, and what happens if it does not suit me.
Most product descriptions answer only the first — and usually in the supplier’s words.
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Why supplier descriptions hurt you
Two reasons, and the second costs more.
1. The same text exists on dozens of e-shops. Google has no reason to show you rather than your largest competitor carrying identical copy.
2. They say nothing about you. If the text is identical, the customer compares on price alone. And in that game the biggest player always wins.
Even eighty words of your own beat three hundred copied ones. The same logic applied to catalogue structure is in e-shop SEO.
The structure that works
Seven elements, in order, with a word budget.
| Element | What it does | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Title | The name as people search for it | 8–12 |
| First sentence | What it is and who it is for | 15–25 |
| Second sentence | The core benefit | 15–25 |
| Feature list | Technical details, as bullets | 5–8 lines |
| Detail | Materials, dimensions, care | 40–80 |
| What is included | Exactly what they receive | 1–3 lines |
| Returns & delivery | Removing hesitation | 1–2 lines |
The first two sentences do most of the work. On mobile they are often all that gets read before the customer scrolls on.
Features or benefits?
Both, but in the right order: the benefit first, then the feature that proves it.
| Feature alone | Benefit + feature |
|---|---|
| 280 g/m² cotton | Keeps its shape after dozens of washes — 280 g/m² cotton |
| 5,000 mAh battery | Charges your phone twice over — 5,000 mAh battery |
| Non-slip sole | Will not slip on a wet tiled floor — non-slip sole |
| 1.7 litre capacity | Boils enough water for six mugs at once — 1.7 litre capacity |
The test: after each technical feature, ask “so what?”. If you have no answer, the feature does not sell — it merely informs.
The six questions you must answer
- What is it? Without assuming the customer knows your terminology.
- Who is it for? And ideally, who it is not for.
- What problem does it solve? In the customer’s language, not the manufacturer’s.
- What exactly do I get? Box contents, quantity, accessories.
- Why this and not the cheaper one? The difference, in one sentence.
- What if it does not suit me? Returns, sizes, warranty.
The sixth is what reduces abandonment. A customer who fears being stuck with the wrong size does not buy — see also cart abandonment.
Three before-and-after examples
Clothing
Before: Women’s midi dress in quality fabric. Ideal for any occasion.
After: A cotton midi dress for everyday wear, from spring through autumn. It does not crease when you sit, so it works at the office too. 100% cotton, lined skirt, machine washable at 30°C. The model wears S and is 1.72m tall.
Technology
Before: Wireless earbuds with Bluetooth 5.3 and a charging case.
After: Wireless earbuds for running and commuting, with 6 hours of battery and another 24 from the case. They stay put while running thanks to the ergonomic fin. Bluetooth 5.3, sweat resistant (IPX4), USB-C charging.
Food
Before: Extra virgin olive oil 500ml.
After: Extra virgin olive oil from Koroneiki olives, 2025 harvest. Mild bitterness, suited to salads and raw use. Acidity 0.3%, in a dark 500ml bottle that protects it from light.
Notice what changed: specific numbers, an occasion of use, and one piece of information that removes hesitation.
How to add SEO without stuffing
The core term appears three times, naturally:
- In the product title.
- In the first sentence of the description.
- Once more inside the text, in a different grammatical form if needed.
And nothing beyond that. Repeating it ten times does not lift rankings; it makes the text unreadable.
What helps more than repetition:
- Synonyms and related terms that people actually use.
- Answers to questions, because they catch long-tail searches.
- Structured data with price, availability and rating.
- A separate title for your feed, written to a different logic — see Google Shopping.
Can I use AI?
Yes, but not the way most people do. The problem is not the tool; it is the unedited output.
The approach that works:
- Give it raw material, not a topic. Technical specs, price, audience, two real customer questions.
- Ask for the seven-element structure, with a word limit.
- Add what only you know: how the sizing runs, what people ask on the phone, what the manufacturer does not mention.
- Check every number. These tools invent dimensions and materials.
- Read it aloud. If it does not sound like you, rewrite it.
The rule that holds: AI writes the first draft, you sign it off.
Want a description template for your sector?
Tell us what you sell and we will send a ready structure with an example.
How long should it be?
There is no magic number. There is a rule: as long as it takes to answer the six questions.
| Product type | Indicative length |
|---|---|
| Simple, familiar product | 60–100 words |
| Clothing and footwear | 100–150 words + a size guide |
| Technology | 150–250 words + a spec table |
| Handmade or premium | 150–300 words, with a story |
| Complex or expensive | 300+ words, with questions |
The strategy that pays: deep descriptions on the twenty products producing 80% of sales, short ones on the rest.
The six mistakes
- Copying the supplier. The worst, and the most common.
- Capitals and exclamation marks. “UNIQUE OFFER!!!” reduces credibility.
- Superlatives with no proof. “Top quality” means nothing.
- No sizing or dimensions. The number one cause of returns.
- Identical text across variants. It creates duplicate content inside your own site.
- Never updating. A description saying “new 2023 model” signals neglect.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I start with 500 products?
The twenty with the most sales and the most visits. The rest follow gradually.
Do descriptions affect returns?
Directly. Accurate dimensions, a size guide and true-to-scale photographs cut clothing returns significantly.
First person or third person?
Address the customer in the second person. It is more direct and matches how they ask.
What about technical specifications?
Put them in a table or list, separate from the prose. Customers looking for them scan rather than read.
What does it cost to outsource?
Typically €3–€10 per product, depending on complexity and the research required.
This week’s job
Pick the five products with the most visits and the fewest sales. Rewrite their descriptions using the seven-element structure.
Those five are where interest already exists and only the persuasive answer is missing.
For the other levers that grow revenue without advertising, see increasing e-shop sales.
Next step
Book a free 30-minute call with the team at The Dev Alley. We will look at your catalogue and show you what changes in one description to make it sell.