Effective e-commerce copywriting is an integral part of any successful online store (and it goes far beyond simply writing great product descriptions).
With that in mind, here are 6 copywriting tips you can use to supercharge your e-commerce conversion rates.
Write Fun and Informative Product Descriptions
Product descriptions are the obvious place to start, and they serve two purposes: to let the potential buyer know what's being sold and to persuade them into actually buying the product. A successful product description always contains both of these elements.
- An informative description that's boring and lifeless won't lead to many sales.
- A description that's fun and engaging, but lacks information, will leave your potential buyer confused about what it is you're selling.
However, a product description containing both engaging and informative elements is always a winner. An informative tone is crucial to show the benefits of your products, while the playful and engaging language makes sure your reader's eyes stay glued to the page.
Format Your Copy for Success
An overwhelming amount of potential customers will scan the landing page and only read the whole thing if they are very interested in the product. This means your copy has to grab them in the first ten seconds. A clunky page with a lot of text and nowhere to focus your eyes on can't do that with success.
Keep your landing page and product descriptions concise and clutter-free. You can do this by sticking to short paragraphs and bulleted lists for key details and benefits. Add in a pop of colour to highlight the most important parts of your copy, as colour can evoke an emotional response in the buyer.
Use Email Marketing to Increase Conversion Rates
When done right, email marketing can be a powerful marketing tool, but be careful… Many companies overuse their email connections when promoting a product or service. This can irritate potential customers as they can see constant e-mails as an intrusion.
To avoid this reaction, focus on the quality of your email copy instead of the quantity. Nail the subject line and the preview text, and make sure to keep your email concise and to the point.
If you want to learn more about writing great email copy, take a look at these 4 Essential Email Copywriting Best Practices to get started.
Pay Attention to Category Pages
Category pages are an often overlooked part of an e-commerce website. If used correctly, they can be a great asset. While you may not be able to write a lot of text for your category pages, there will usually be enough space for a few sentences at the top or bottom of the page. You can use this space to write, in short, about what you are selling.
This can be great for SEO, and it can also show your potential customers they came to the right place. By highlighting a few keywords, you can improve the look of your page and let the shopper know they found what they were looking for.
Pay Attention to the About Page
Although you can't use the 'About' page to sell your products directly, it's still an integral part of your brand. It's where you can let everyone know who you are and what your company stands for.
Think long and hard about how you want your company to be seen by potential customers. Your 'About' page should be a piece of storytelling that showcases that. It can be about your mission as a brand, what made you want to start a company in the first place, or it can focus on you as a person.
Customers love connecting with a brand and its mission. That's why an amazing 'About' page can have them coming back to your website again and again.
Test Your Copy and Improve Upon It
One of the most important copywriting tips is to improve upon your existing copy. Track your conversion rates, and tweak your email copy, product descriptions, and landing pages in the process. Experiment with different action evoking words, or tell a story that captivates your customers.
Try to understand what your audience's wants and needs are and how you can meet them. No matter how you choose to proceed with your e-commerce copywriting, make sure you measure your success. Compare it with previous versions of your copy to see which tactics lead to conversions in your audience.
Copywriting for e-commerce is an ever-changing field. Keeping up to date with the newest tactics and testing them out is a key way to be ahead of the curb when writing e-commerce copy.
Jade Bloom
Guest Blog