6 Tips for Building Great Product Pages

If you run an online business, chances are you understand search engine optimization, traffic reports, and meta data as general concepts. However, what you may not realize is that you need to optimize every single page on your website -- especially your product pages.

Here are 6 great tips for building effective product pages for your ecommerce website.

1. Turn Product Pages Into Great Content

In the product pages of your website, always use original images and videos with creative descriptions that are both entertaining and informative. Make your pages unique in order to separate you from your competitors. And always avoid duplicate content at all costs.

2. Design Your Pages So They Focus on Conversions

Layouts should be three columns with the most important content on the left and center, as close to the top as possible. Make it very easy for the user to add the product to a cart with just one click. Keep the checkout button near the images or videos and away from user-generated content, like comments, that you can't always control. 

3. Create Unique Content and Descriptions

Descriptions should always be your own, but you can add to them with charts, graphs, fun facts, or anything else entertaining that gives the user information and adds to the user experience on your site.

4. Optimize Your URL Structure

Including the product name with the category in your page's URL is the easiest way to attract targeted traffic because search engines take URL structure into account, and your product page will look more relevant to them it includes keywords for the product name.

Think: http://www.mysite.com/product-category/product-name

As Opposed To: http://www.mysite.com/Item/9002497111

5. Add Rich Media, Like Videos

Images, videos, charts, etc. are great for reaching a wider number of users. High-quality, original media has several benefits. Here are a few tips for using multimedia elements:

• License original media
• Use original content exclusively, not stock photos or generic videos
• Be innovative

Rich media is a specialized subset of search queries and, as such, if you have a video or photo that becomes popular, make sure it links back to your product page to bring you more traffic. 

6. Take a Look at Zappos as an Example

When you conduct a Google search for 'Zappos,' the first thing you see is "Free Shipping." By putting the word, "free" into their meta description, they have already captured the attention of many users. Then they use their product pages to complete the sale.

For example, click the Nike shoe product on the Zappos homepage, and you will arrive here. From top to bottom, you'll notice these features:

• The URL includes the product name.
• The navigation bar has the name again.
• The SKU number is also at the top because users searching for a specific product often know the SKU number and search by it.
• The photo is original, unique and able to be enlarged.
• The layout is organized into three columns with supplementary content on the right.
• Controllable customer feedback is much higher on the page than comments from customers.
• Main content is perfectly crafted for keyword optimization**.
• Bullet points and tags are displayed openly and cleanly.
• The keyword (product name) is written again in the bottom of the main content but above the supplementary content.
• The site map is at the bottom of the page.

** There is a bullet with the product name, but this time the name is written with a trademark sign between the words, "Nike" and "Free." They have broken the words up in this way to keep the full product name from looking like spam to a search engine. Notice, they did the same in the next bullet by leaving the "2" off the name and adding the SKU number.

Yes, it will take some effort to optimize your product pages, but it will also pay off. You'll see a decrease in bounce rates and a rise in conversion rates as you attract your target audience and convert them into reliable customers.