The 6 Ws of Writing Product Content in an Ecommerce Website


On the web content is kingIf you operate an online store or manage an ecommerce website, you want to attract as many visitors to your site as possible without spending a fortune in advertising. One of the best ways to gain exposure to your site is by writing your own unique website content and promoting it, more commonly known as content marketing. This article places focus on the most important aspect of an ecommerce website, the product content. Essentially, the product page is the shortest path to finding exactly what the consumer is shopping for and placing the order.

As an example, let’s say you manage an online store that specializes in Gold Prospecting Supplies and you want to sell a Goldman (brand) Gold Pan that is available in 3 sizes. By applying the 6 W’s to writing product description content, you can deliver useful information that is specific to what you are selling and establish consumer assurance to close the sale. As a direct result of writing informative product content, you can help increase your website’s visibility on the search engines and direct potential customers to your site.

 

1) Who?

Who would want to use or purchase gold pans?

Who is the manufacturer of the pan?

  • This product is used primarily for those who are panning or prospecting for gold. Commercial and recreational prospectors can benefit from using a gold pan.
  • The manufacturer of the pan is Goldman.

 

2) What?

What is it?

What options are there?

What keywords will be used to search for this product?

  • As an example, the gold pan is made from durable plastic and is a round pan with ridges that trap the heavier metal pieces at the bottom of the pan.
  • Gold Pan is available in 3 sizes: 10, 12 or 14 inches in diameter
  • Keywords: gold pans, gold panning, gold prospecting, goldman gold pans, recreational prospecting

 

3) When?

When will you need a gold pan?

  • When gold prospecting in general, the gold pan is an essential tool.

 

4) Where?

Where will you use the gold pan?

  • The gold pan will be used primarily with water, lakes and streams, and can be used for dry prospecting in desert climates.

 

5) Why?

Why should gold prospectors buy a gold pan from your store?

Once a potential customer has found your gold pan product page and discovers that it is exactly what they are looking for, certain factors can help close the sale.

Credibility

    • Offering specific information on the gold pan product or gold panning.
    • Having an updated, informative website
    • Making it easy to contact you: display contact info, offer Live Chat on site
    • Displaying customer feedback and product reviews
    • Letting visitors know how long you have been in business
    • Displaying BBB info

Price

    • Check other sites online to see if your gold pan price is in sync with similar items selling online.
    • Is the item on sale or are there other discounts available?
    • Can the product be bundled with other items to entice the customer to purchase more? For example, a Gold Prospecting Kit.

Shipping Costs

    • If shipping costs are high or difficult to find, this can greatly hinder sales. Let customers know what type of shipping costs can be expected or let them know if free shipping is available.

Policies and Guarantees

    • If the item or store has a money back guarantee or offers hassle-free returns, make this information apparent to the customer. For shopping assurance, a link to ordering policies should be visible to the customer.

Rewards

    • Will the customer earn rewards for their purchase? How are rewards redeemed?

 

6) HoW?

How will the gold pan be used?

How will potential customers find your gold pan?

How can a customer purchase the gold pan?

Photos

    • Product photos should be clear and large enough to effectively display the product.
    • Use more than one photo in a product listing, including a photo of the product in use.

Videos

    • Show potential customers how they can use the gold pan to their greatest potential with an instructional video.

Optimize Page for Search Engines: SEO

    • Now that you have a basic outline of the information that will go into the page, you can write an informative description of your gold pan. Include any information you think your customer would help the customer use the gold pan and be successful at gold panning.
    • Remember to include in the product description the keywords that people will use to find your product on a search engine.
    • Include properly written alt tags with images used with the description.

Links

    • Link to the Goldman Gold Pan Product Page from social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest by sharing the page with friends, fans, and followers.
    • Blog about Gold Panning or the Goldman Gold Pans and link to your Product Page
    • Feature product on the home page of your website

Ordering Info

    • Clearly display ordering options and order button
    • Display payment types accepted in website

 

Each individual product that you offer in your online store has the potential to drive traffic to your site. Remember the 6 Ws when writing your product content and you will not only provide visitors with valuable and resourceful information, but you will direct more qualified customers to your website!


About Pamela Rathbun

Pamela Rathbun is a professional web designer/developer and cofounder of SmartCart.com, an ecommerce web store builder. When she is not at her computer designing websites, or sharing her passion for web development, she relishes in the joys of photography, hiking, and snowboarding in Utah.