The art & science of item descriptions

The opening paragraph of your item description is crucial. It is both a science and an art.

First the science: your description should clearly inform the AI (artificial intelligence) algorithm*:

1. what is for sale
2. context for which the item is appropriate (example: "shower" ... is it wedding or bathroom? See "LSI" at the bottom.)
3. type of query for which your item would be a good response

Craft your opening paragraph to match as many factors in the search query as possible. You must know your target market.

At the same time, your opening paragraph must engage your viewer, converting them into a buyer. Search engines and Etsy love a great conversion rate.

Catching buyers

Capturing the attention of a shopper is an art. It is where your personal writing skills come into play. 

Use your persuasive ability to market your product. Use a writing style and terminology that are comfortable for your target audience.

If you capture the attention of viewers in the first few sentences, they will continue to read the page. They will see all the interesting details you have provided that will convince them to buy.

If you fail to engage your shopper, they will never see the rest of what you have written. Instead they will leave the page, bouncing to another listing in another shop 😟.

Reduce your bounce rate

To restate, an effective item description must:

• accurately convey what is for sale (to the AI in the algorithm*)
• engage your viewer (so they stay and do not bounce out)
• convince your shopper to buy (of course!)

Here are more strategies to reduce your bounce rate.

How long should product descriptions be?

One school of thought is to keep listings brief. Use short paragraphs (even one sentence). Use bullet points. After all, users of smart phones have that small screen.

Yet some guidance is saying to aim for 2000 words. Say what? Supposedly descriptions of that length are ranked better by search engines. (This is taken from advice that is directed to websites and blogs as well as selling websites. Note that even my most complicated my blog posts are not that long, let alone item descriptions...)

Which is best? Use the amount of text that is best for your target customer base. Higher quality writing can be a tool to make your products sound more appealing than your competitors’. And longer descriptions take longer to read, which pleases search engines.

Use longer descriptions for items that are extra interesting, have a backstory, or are ultra competitive. What will work best to engage buyers?

It can be difficult to provide long descriptions that are meaningful. Share some interesting or amusing details about the item. Educational facts are fine. But customers love reading short stories just as much.

Give it a try on a few listings. Craft longer descriptions for pricier items. Save the short and brief ones for low-end stuff. Mix it up. Observe if anything changes.

Insert a link to more items. Most websites try to keep you in their store by linking you to their "latest" items or picks "just for" their shoppers. That tactic works for online vintage sellers, too. 

Can I use boilerplate in my listings?

Boilerplate is repeating the same block of text in each listing. The short answer is "no." There are many reasons. Item descriptions should be just that, descriptions. It should not be returns or shipping information. 

Some feel that the very end of a long description could contain some repetitive material, so you could try that... But put your shipping and return information in your shop policies where they belong.

How to incorporate title words in item descriptions

From Etsy admin in 2016:

Q: Is it better to copy & paste your title at the start of the description, or to sprinkle the keywords from your title conversationally into the first few sentences?

Admin: we recommend using your keywords as naturally as possible throughout your item description because Google does not like unnatural keyword use. Therefore, describe your product in a thorough and accurate way to give yourself the best shot at ranking well in Google.

The importance of natural wording

Search engines do prefer natural wording. That is not the only reason to use it...

Consider the increasing importance of voice search. Many people now own and use Alexa or Google Voice.

(So artificial Intelligence is already here. It is in fact helping people to find what they are looking for online.)

Users of this technology speak their search terms. If necessary, they refine their query. They tell the device what they want, using natural spoken English language (in the USA). The words used are "LSI keywords" in SEO-speak.

Do item descriptions really matter?

*NOTE: Etsy does not use item descriptions in search right now. But indications are that they could begin to use them. For now, the algorithms referred to are only for outside searches by search engines. But that could change. Part of the goal of this blog post is to make you aware of possible changes in the Etsy pipeline.

Extra credit:

What are LSI keywords?

LSI stands for Latent Semantic Indexing. They are keywords related to your main keywords. So write in a natural way, not for a machine. For example, when writing about old things, you might include words like "vintage" or "antique" and "patina." Mention what it might have been used for, its history. 

The terms you use give clues to the search engines what your item is. Even better, those terms lead searchers to your items.

Search engines look for topic and context rather than exact words. Real people do too. So write content for real people. 

Keywords: develop and use a purchase phrase list

Etsy search is all about keywords and key phrases. 

Many sellers still try to draw buyers with general phrases. Phrases with a lot of competition like "[holiday] gift" "vintage gift" and "silver necklace" have thousands of search results on Etsy. There is no need to be concerned with placing highly in broad searches.

Instead sellers need to concentrate on long-tail keywords. These are browse-phrase keywords and purchase-phrase keywords. These are words, specific phrases, that a customer types in to the search bar when they are ready to search for something and buy.

Use specific keywords that say what the item is. Select terms that tell people what the item actually is in different ways. Use terminology that your target customer would use.

Advice is out there to have at least 100 relevant keywords available. Have terms at your fingertips for any product genre or type you might sell. If have 2 or more types or genres of products on Etsy, consider having 100 keywords to use for each one.

That might seem like a lot, but it is not.

How to brainstorm for more keywords

Other sellers can help out with this. Check out listings on Etsy or other venues. What keywords are they using? Check out their sold items. Titles are at the top of course. Tags can be found at the bottom of any listing page. (Recently those disappeared for some sellers, so changes could be afoot there.)

Follow a blog, like Apartment Therapy. Note terms that they use to describe items, trends and styles. Their readers will also be searching using those keywords.

Here is another method of market research.

Read magazines for keyword ideas

Try magazines for keyword research

Try magazines for keywords. Magazines that are of interest to your target audience. You will not necessarily be reading the magazine, but rather the advertisements.

Magazines devote teams of staff dedicated to using proper keywords in their ads... key words that cause viewers to want to buy the product! Those marketing people have done their keyword research. Why not apply it in your own shop?

Note the terms used for products in magazine ads. These writers must be on-trend with their use of key words.

If you could, which vintage magazine sums up your customer base? Use it to harvest new terms to attract buyers.

There is no need to subscribe... look at them at your library, or supermarket check-out. (You might even stay there until they kick you out.)

Make a keyword list

Once you have keywords, make a list. (Here is a sample for vintage shops.) Keep that list handy to use when you compose listings.

While writing your listing text, keep an eye on your keyword list. Your goal is to use important keywords in a natural, conversational way. 

Be sure to write your first paragraph for your target buyer, not for a machine. The more you understand about your buyers, the better you will be able to write for them.

Happy vintage selling!

Do item descriptions matter?

I recently had a huge multiple sale. The buyer first asked me some detailed questions about bottle sizes. Bottles are not the most expensive items I carry. However, I treated the inquiry with respect.

The result? One of my largest sales to date.

Her comment to me was: "I loved reading your descriptions; you made several items very tempting."

Did my item descriptions matter?

The need to write compelling copy

After your titles, tags and fabulous photos have drawn in a shopper, your job selling is not over. You must convince visitors to your items to buy what you are selling.

First, your item description must contain some basic information:

• Size
• Identification marks
• Color, pattern
• Special attributes
• Flaws

Compose copy that is search engine friendly

Etsy does not care a whit about item descriptions (right now at least), but search engines do. Here are some tips for optimizing your listings to be found by search engines (called SEO):

• Write naturally.
• Prioritize your information. Put the most important details first.
• Make each item description unique (search engines prefer this).
• Use good grammar and spelling. Write well.
• Sprinkle keywords naturally through your title and text. (Avoid keyword stuffing.)
• Provide at least one working link back to your shop section or a shop search for similar items.

Any boilerplate in your descriptions is a turn-off to search engines. Try to put shipping information under that tab or in your policies.

Being search-engine friendly is the "science" of writing effective item descriptions.

How can you be persuasive?

There is some "art" to this skill. You need to engage the reader.

First, find a writing style that represents you and your shop. Are you and your stuff folksy? Mod? Beachy? French?

• Sell things you love.
• Be positive.
• Make the item relevant to each shopper.
• Tell buyers why they NEED the item for sale.

Try sharing some interesting historical tidbits or a compelling back story. Keep it short, though. Long descriptions can be a turn-off.

Your goal is to help the shopper fall in love with your item. You must make your item into a treasure that the shopper cannot live without. It goes back to selling things you truly love, and communicating that in your descriptions.

May your item descriptions speak to shoppers and motivate them to buy!

If you prefer that your description not be covered by your reviews, here is a quick trick. 

Here is more general information on the subject from Etsy.