“Product descriptions for online stores” covers more than the paragraph under the photo: the product title, the short description next to the price, the specifications, the frequently asked questions and the guide that helps someone choose between two models. All of them answer the buyer’s one question: is this the right product for me?
In a bricks-and-mortar shop, the sales assistant answers on the spot. Online, the copy does that job. We write product pages starting from what people ask on the phone and in chat, in a structure that can be repeated across hundreds of products.
The product page copied from the manufacturer, and what you lose by it
Most stores start out with the text they get from the supplier. It is convenient, but the same paragraph sits on dozens of other websites, and Google has little reason to show yours in particular. It is also written for distributors: it talks about “innovative technology”, not about whether or not the appliance fits under the worktop.
The consequence shows up in support and in returns: people phone to ask what they could not find on the page, or they order on a guess and send it back.
Product descriptions for online stores: anatomy of a page that gives answers
We write every product page in the same layers, so that the eye finds the information in the same place for any product: the essentials next to the price, the details further down.
The part many stores skip is the one about limits: what the product is not compatible with, what use it was not designed for. We say it openly, so people know what they are ordering.
- The title: product type, brand, model and the attribute that sets it apart, in the order people search for them.
- The short description: who it is for and what problem it solves, in two or three lines.
- The long description: how it is used, what you find in the box, what it goes with and what it does not.
- The specifications: a table with clear units of measurement, checked against the manufacturer’s documentation.
- The frequently asked questions: the real ones, gathered from support, from reviews and from reasons for returns.
The buying guide, for the person who does not yet know which model they need
Before the product page there is often a broader question: what kind of product do I need? The buying guide answers at category level: it explains the criteria that matter and then points to the right products.
Say you sell mattresses. The guide explains the difference between firmness levels and core types, then takes the reader to the right filters in the category. Pages like these also answer “how do I choose…” searches.
The same tone across hundreds of products: style guide, templates, import
A large catalogue is not written page by page, as inspiration strikes. It is written to rules: a style guide (how you address the reader, which words you use and which you avoid, how you write dimensions) and a template for each category, with its mandatory sections.
We also use artificial intelligence tools, as help with the first draft, never as the author. A language model has never held the product in its hands and can invent a specification with complete confidence. That is why every text is compared with the technical data sheet by a person.
The copy reaches the store through a file import: WooCommerce has separate fields for the short description, the long description and the attributes, and a CSV import fills them in bulk. Product structured data (markup in the page’s code) helps search engines understand the price, stock and reviews; how they display them is up to Google.
- The audit: we export the catalogue and choose the order of work by sales, margin and traffic.
- The style guide and templates: approved by you before we start writing in volume.
- The trial batch: a few product pages per category, read by someone on your team who knows the products.
- New products: they get copy written to the same template.
Buyers’ photos and reviews, only with their consent
We use a photo a buyer took in their own living room only if they have clearly given consent, for example by ticking a box when they submit the review. Reviews are published as they were written: we do not invent them, we do not polish them and we do not hide the unfavourable ones. Consumer protection rules also cover the way you present reviews; check the details with your lawyer.
For supplements, cosmetics or children’s products, health claims are regulated and are checked beforehand with the appropriate specialist.
Whether the copy is doing its job shows when you compare the rewritten pages with the rest of the catalogue: how many visitors add the product to the basket, which searches bring people to the page (from Google Search Console, the free tool that shows which words you are found for) and which questions no longer reach support.
Frequently asked questions
Do all the products in the catalogue need rewriting?
Not at the start. We begin with the products that bring the most sales and visits and with the categories where returns or questions are frequent. The rest get a short template-based description, filled out along the way.
Can’t we just generate the descriptions with artificial intelligence?
You quickly get texts that sound good, but nobody tells you which ones contain a wrong specification. We use such tools for the first draft; checking against the technical data sheet remains a person’s job.
What does the cost of copy for a store depend on?
On the number of products and categories, on how complete the suppliers’ documentation is and on how many buying guides are included. Technical products, where every value has to be checked, take more time.
This is a typical project description: it shows how we usually approach this kind of work and does not present a project carried out for a particular client. Every real project starts from your company’s situation, and the stages, timescales and price are agreed after the initial discussion.