The 30-point eCommerce Product Information Checklist

In the world of eCommerce, you’ve got 15 seconds to engage a buyer. The clock is ticking.

Product Information Excellence is the practice of having the best and right information about your product or service in front of the right customer at the right point of their journey – all of the time. Whether your product is sold on your own eCommerce site, on a marketplace site (like Amazon) or on another reseller site (like Walmart or BestBuy), you need YOUR product to be found first and foremost. Then, once it’s found, you’ve got 15 seconds to capture their interest and keep them on your page. 

Optimized Product Information Content is your first step. It’s the first element in the 6 Elements of Product Information Excellence. If you can get your products found and if you have good content, you are more likely to convert that to a sale. Now… that’s not enough for long term success (you still have to do the other 5 steps), but great content is the first critical step that you absolutely must get right. So let’s start here.

Here is a checklist for you – a list of 30 important factors for optimized product information content that will make an impact in those first 15 seconds.

Copy

Your copy is critical. It’s the first line that buyers see, influencing them to click – or not. There’s a lot to do to get it right.

1. The product title uses all available characters. Use them all. Search engines crawl the titles and are looking for the best match. This enables more specific descriptions which have higher conversion rates of sale.

2. Your product title is optimized for search. While you want your product title to be readable by your target customer first, you need to ensure you’ve included the best keywords so that you product is found when searched.

3. Your titles are written to optimize the search algorithm of the eCommerce site. If you are on reseller or marketplace sites, this matters. Not all site algorithms work the same way. Find out how they work and ensure your title conforms to the search rules. This will improve your chances of being found first.

4. The copy clearly demonstrates the right customer benefits. While you might be excited about some key features of the product, be sure that the benefit to the customer is clearly highlighted to be seen in those first 15 seconds.

5. The product copy is visually appealing. This means that it’s well organized and easy to read so that even someone scanning the copy can see within 15 seconds that your product is what they were searching for. Have easy-to-read bullets, succinct points, and good separation of copy. If it meets these criteria, they may read further into your page.

6. The copy includes the right level of detail for your target buyer. Is your buyer a consumer or a pro? The information they will be searching for will be different. Be sure you’re providing the content that will keep them on your site. Make them think it was written for them.

7. The copy is credible and includes proof. You need to sound credible to differentiate yourself. This includes everything from having correct spelling and grammar to specifications that prove your claims. Find someone to proofread it – you’d be surprised at the poor copy out there! Credibility can include industry awards and even social proof (from reviews for example.)

8. The copy in the body of the page is optimized for search. SEO again. Some sites will index the product description or bullet fields as part of their search algorithm. It’s all about delivering the best search result to the buyer and so they are looking for relevancy. You don’t want to simply “stuff” search terms into the copy, so be sure it’s well written while including those important keywords.

Images

Images are critical. They are your buyer’s first impression of your product, and sometimes of your brand itself. On mobile sites in particular, images are often the first and sometimes the only way buyers scan through your product information content in those first 15 seconds.

9. You are using all available image spots on the page.  If the page (yours, a reseller, or a marketplace) allows multiple images, use them all. Never ever leave them empty (this sometimes even impacts the search algorithm). There is so little room and you have so little time to capture attention, that you must use everything available to you.

10. Your images should be of high quality. Use high quality photography and have clean editing. Ensure your backgrounds follow the rules of the site. (Some only allow white backgrounds for example.) The quality of your images reflects on the quality of your product and on the credibility of your brand.

11. Images are presented in the right order. Make sure your images are in order from the most relevant to the least. If not, your potential buyer may check out before they get to the best part. Don’t risk it.

12. Images are enhanced with annotations and describe your product benefits. Think of your images as your visual value proposition. If the site allows, add key features and benefits (dimensions, technical specifications, important labels) right onto the images. If the buyer is on their mobile device and is scanning through your gallery, you want to present as much as possible to keep them on your page. Be careful not to overdo it. This is where a professional graphic designer can add tremendous value.

13. Images show the product in use. Have visuals that show the product in use in some way. This way the potential buyer can immediately see the product “working” and they will be able to visualize how it can work for them.

14. Images convey the brand message. Brand optimizing your content is Element #3. However, in this first step, you should ensure that your images are consistent with your brand. If you are selling to a professional client for example, make sure the images are in a professional setting, clean, and crisp. Consistency is very important.

15. Images are tagged for SEO. Make sure your alt tags (the name of your image) are descriptive. Including keywords in the alt tag will help your SEO efforts since they will help you show up in Google image search.  You can also create an image sitemap to assist web crawlers recognize your image.

16. Images meet the highest capability on the site. Whatever the site allows – do it. If the site allows 360 degree images, include them. They are no longer novel and if you competitors are using them, you should be, too. If you are a reseller or a marketplace that doesn’t have this capability, you’re behind and you will quickly lose buyers to other sites with higher quality content.

Enhanced Content

Most product display pages allow for additional content (Amazon calls it “A+ content”) beyond the title, description, gallery and standard bullets. This is where brands can get creative by including additional images, copy, tools, and even interactive content.

17. Provide enhance content. If the site allows it, provide it. It’s as simple as that. This is where you can go beyond the restrictions in the galleries and standard bullets to really show customers the value of your offering. You can use tables, graphs, and more complex images. You can embed documents and videos. This section is a fantastic opportunity to differentiate yourself and your product.

18. The enhanced content educates the buyer. Think about educating the buyer on something that leads to your product. For example, by educating the buyer on the science behind your product (technology, nutrition, etc.), you immediately build credibility for your product and your brand, and that differentiates you from the competition.

19. The enhanced content is interactive. If the site allows, include interactive content. For example, the buyer may be able to hover over a portion of the content while additional information pops up. Engaging the customer with interesting content keeps them on your page, builds interest and credibility, and encourages conversion.

Video

There are so many reasons to have a solid video strategy for eCommerce and we could do an entire post on the subject. Videos are important for search and they contribute to other Elements in the path to Product Information Excellence. So for this list, I will focus simply on the importance of video on your product pages for conversion.

20. Video capability is used to the maximum level. This one is simple. If the site allows video, be sure to have one. If the site allows more than one, post what you can. Not only does this enhance your listing, but in some cases it supports the search algorithm on the site and will give you a boost in search.

21. Videos have consistent, eye-catching thumbnails to encourage viewing. Often overlooked, thumbnails can encourage viewing. Especially if you have multiple videos, you want it to be easy for the buyer to see the value of each video and click on the correct one. (product info, how-to, etc.) The customer experience needs to be positive.

22. Video(s) show the product in use. This is the most basic reason to have a video. Just like the point above about showing the product in use in an image, showing it in video goes that one step further.

23. Video(s) show deeper content. There’s so much that you can do with video to differentiate your brand, engage the buyer, and drive conversion. Here’s a good list of 7 eCommerce product videos that will boost conversion from coredna.com:

i. Unboxing videos

ii. Product tour videos

iii. “How to” videos

iv. “Lifehack” videos

v. Production line videos

vi. Customer testimonial videos

vii. Customer unboxing videos

Managing your Product Information Content

As was written in the first article, The 6 Elements of Product Information Excellence, the product Information Content creation and maintenance must be a closed loop system. Content degrades and requires updates over time. You must have a system to monitor, audit, correct and evolve your information content.

24. The Product Information Content is audited frequently and regularly. This is a big one. Content can degrade and even change, especially if it’s on a reseller or marketplace site. The marketplaces in particular are so dynamic that things “just happen.” I have seen images disappear and copy overwritten. You need to ensure that your content stays correct. If the content changes or is incorrect, you’re less likely to even be found in the first place.

25. Audits are done using automation. If you have a handful of products in a small number of locations, you could audit it yourself. But for brands with hundreds or even thousands of products in multiple locations, that would be near impossible. There are several content auditing tools in the market that can help.

26. Product Information Content corrections are submitted regularly. This seems obvious, but you need to have a system that enables the regular maintenance of this information. Many of the automation tools also have automated processes for correcting the information as needed.

27. Competitive Product Information Content is regularly reviewed. How much time is your team spending looking at how your competitors are displaying their content? Be honest about how that compares to yours. How often do you review it and what is the process for providing feedback? What is the process for updating your information content to ensure that you are staying up with or ahead of the competition?

28. Product Information Content is adjusted based on customer questions and reviews. Customer reviews and user generated content provide critical feedback not only on the product itself, but also on the quality of your product information content. If you notice that customers tend to be asking similar questions, this is an indicator that you should be including that information in the content. If it’s there and they are still asking, then this is telling you it’s not obvious. If that’s the case, how many other buyers are missing it and moving on? 

29. Product Information Content should be tested regularly. You should be regularly testing your content (A/B for example) to determine what’s working and what’s not, what content will help your organic ranking, what content is most engaging to buyers, driving the highest conversion. This also goes for your ad content on reseller and marketplace sites. Test for success.

30. Product Information Content should be created and managed with automation. This could be an article all on its own (and probably will be!) but as your company, revenue and product offerings grow, it will become more complex over time. You will likely start to list your products on more than one site and each one has different requirements for attributes like product descriptions, how the content is laid out, image sizes and the types of graphics allowed. Creating, updating and managing your product information content quickly becomes unwieldy and the ability to keep it current and in its best form is next to impossible. PIM (Product Information Management) tools are good places to start. 

The first Element of Product Information Excellence is having optimized content, and that takes a lot of effort. It needs to be well-written, SEO optimized, attractive and credible. It needs to include professional images and videos that tell the story of your product and your brand. It needs professional marketing to build enhanced content that understands the target customer and speaks directly to their needs, and it must do it better than the competition. 

Product Information Content should never be “set it and forget it.” It should be written, created and posted within a closed loop system that regularly audits, tests, evaluates and compares that content so that it’s always correct, fresh and telling the most important story. Automation should be your best friend – not only because it enables the creation and management, but also because it provides data that can help you get better.

Optimized Product Information Content is a critical first step on the journey to Product Information Excellence and it’s non-negotiable for eCommerce success. 

Read all 6 Elements of Product Information Excellence (with Infographic) here.