Smart content writing can help you improve eCommerce sales only when you understand the current trends and rules of writing for the web.
Core Smart Content SEO Strategies
Hiring a writer with some (or basic) SEO knowledge is no longer enough: your writer must understand fundamental content optimization principles.
- Keyword research: imagine what consumers type in the search box when looking for a specific product or service.
- Use keywords in your content as they occur in the natural language and write in an active voice,
- Understand the buyers and write content that responds to their questions and describes products accurately.
- Optimize titles and headings with short and long-tail keyword phrases, related keywords, or synonyms.
- Write catchy, user-focused meta descriptions, which include your targeted keywords and at least one product benefit for the buyer.
- Make your point quickly in longer texts - ideally from the title and summarize the rest in the first paragraph.
- Use simple terms: readers find technical terms and jargon off-putting if they are not radically necessary for understanding a product. For example, no one cares for a complete list of components in a TV. Buyers want to know its size, whether it is HDTV, if it has Wi-Fi connectivity, etc.
- Format texts for easy reading, using headings, short paragraphs, lists, etc. People tend to "scan" before deciding to read all your content.
The Main Benefits of On-site Content Optimization
Smart writing is a prerequisite of on-site content optimization strategies that will influence the four main SEO benefits for retailers and buyers alike:
- Brand positioning: Smart content writing can help you position your brand across the entire buyer journey, from search engines to online reviews and social media.
- Influence buyer behaviour: Today, retailers must battle for the customers' attention and trust. "Micro-moments" are game changers for both consumers and brands. According to Think with Google, 82% of customers consult their phones while standing in a store deciding which product to buy. They also value quality, timing, and the relevance of a company's message. Smart content is essential to capture the micro-moments shaping perceptions and influencing buyer behaviour and decisions.
- Self-serve customer support: Creating content that answers the buyers' frequently asked questions is critical. According to Think with Google, 91% of smartphone users look up information on their devices. Alienating these users by not providing content that delivers information or solutions to potential problems is a mistake no serious eCommerce site can afford in today's competitive environment.
- Encourage autonomous buying: Write content that determines the buyer to make a process without needing human assistance.
Understand Your Buyers and Their Needs
In essence, smart content means writing about what customers want when searching and need what you sell. Of course, it would help if you used the keywords they would use, or your site will have no chance of ranking and being discovered in search.
When they search, buyers have one or more goals:
- Making a purchase, assuming they already know what they want.
- Research when they are unsure what to buy or are looking for ideas.
- Research and purchase when they know what to buy, but they are looking for more information on a specific product.
Delivered products must always match the product description. Use multiple images and videos (where possible) to give users a better overview of the products you sell.
Understanding what customers do not like about products and refining product descriptions with smart content may help eCommerce retailers reduce returns and develop a more sustainable, eco-friendly business.
In 2021, returns generated $218 billion in lost sales, according to Think with Google. When you get to know your buyers, you get to control returns, too. HubSpot's 2021 State of the Industry Report, Retail Returns, states that retailers can prevent over 73% of the reasons for returns.
And according to the same HubSpot report, an omnichannel retailer's blended return rate of 10% amounts to 3% of the annual revenue (or $30 million per $1 billion of sales).
"Retailers can find the root cause by getting the information from places such as retailers' transactional systems and the voice of the customer, which could be social media, call centre transcripts, or customer reviews," explains Navjit Bhasin, CEO of Newmine, cited by Think with Google.
The on-site user experience, which includes reading the content, navigation, cart, and visuals, will maximize the user experience and lower returns.
The user experience is also a fundamental aspect of understanding your consumers:
- How they use your site.
- What products are they searching for?
- What they expect to find.
- What are their pain points?
- Why did they abandon the cart?
Instead of a conclusion, note that 87% of shoppers rate content as very or extremely important when making a purchase decision (Salsify).