Katarzyna Jakubów-Tyka 
Published: 17.06.2019 
14 minute 
How do you create on-page content so that it not only satisfies SEO guidelines, but also sells? Where and how to layout the content? How to enrich them with user-generated content and format them correctly? In this article you will learn about ready-made solutions and examples of developing content in eCommerce, supporting the optimization of the site for SEO and user and sales.
Content expansion is a key component of SEO efforts and will not be bypassed if you want to effectively increase visibility in organic search results. But does content have to be just a block of text with keyword phrases? Definitely not.
Content is supposed to build a company’s image, increase user trust, make it easier to choose an offer and encourage a purchase decision. When well thought out and developed, they will be an effective element not only of an SEO strategy, but also of a comprehensive marketing strategy, contributing to an increase in sales.
Home page – a good first impression and introduction of the user to the offer
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The homepage phrase selection strategy should focus on the intent of the user who accesses it. It is intended to familiarize him with the company and confirm thatthe offer corresponds to the topic of interest. Phrases of this type specify, among other things, the industry in which the company operates and the main categories of the offer (as much as possible without duplicating the match from the subpages of the actual categories on the site – https://www.senuto.com/pl/blog/kanibalizacja-slow-kluczowych/).
PROOF! If you don’t know or have no idea how to match such phrases, you can use the “Positions” summary in the Senuto Visibility Analysis. Check which phrases with the highest average monthly search volume are visible on the homepage of direct competitors’ sites and select them from this pool.
Content worth including on the homepage includes:
1. Short text information on the slider
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Adding a sentence or two on each of several slides is a few hundred extra characters of content in the initial part of the page code. It’s worth using this space to expand information about promotions, news or key offerings.
IMPORTANT! Content on slides should not be an element of a graphic, but text with a background from a given graphic (text visible in the page code).
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An example of not using the potential of a slider as a result of capturing content as a graphic on lepukka.co.uk
2. Boxes next to subsequent sections indicating their content, characteristics
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(e.g., next to the sections of latest products, recommended products, new collection or main categories)
In most cases, each box only needs to be expanded into 2-3 sentences to indicate the theme of the page to indexing robots and encourage users to continue shopping.
3. Box with content about the company
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The company description is important to confirm the validity of the user’s choice. Here we can praise the company’s awards, highlight the company’s years of experience in the industry, emphasize the quality of its offerings or present the company’s mission and vision.
Including by the way phrases that define your offering will also help Google’s robots associate your site with your subject matter. It is also an ideal place to indicate the location and area served, which is important in local positioning.
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When publishing from a company blog or user guide, it is worthwhile to provide space for a unique summary of the articles in a few or a dozen words. This will not only enrich the content on the homepage, but also have the opportunity to encourage people to read our publications.
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The above examples are hints that do not exhaust the possible solutions for enriching the homepage content with valuable content. It is worth considering other forms of communicating to potential customers what the company does, what distinguishes its offer and how it will meet their needs. Let’s not limit ourselves to content – let’s also build the message based on videos, graphics or infographics.
Category sub-pages – support in selection and highlight the advantages of the offer
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When entering the category sub-pages, users are most often at the stage of analyzing the offer. Each category should be saturated with phrases that define its content using different variations and synonyms for content accuracy and to match more long tail phrases. In doing so, it is worth considering the suggestions of the “Dependent words” in the Senuto database and Google’s suggestions when searching for a phrase.
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The content worth including in the category subpages is:
1. Category description
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Most often, the description is a text-filled section, but it is worth thinking about its layout and content. Introducing a long block of content above the product listing will not positively affect either the usability of the site or conversions. It is worth breaking it up into a shorter, more general section at the top of the page and longer boxes next to/under the product list.
It’s a good idea to connect with the user and, for example, suggest specific product groups or products that best address specific problems or needs of potential customers.
PROOF! Establishing relationships is important in content. But don’t forget to optimize content for key phrases on graphics or CTAs. In the example below, the subtitle “Spread out comfortably. Sweet dreams…” highlighted with <h2></h2> will be used more effectively if we include the words that define the offer.
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Here, as on the homepage, it is worth using the recommended thematically related articles section. To avoid duplication of content, it is worth taking care to exclude from displaying in the boxes on category subpages the most recent articles already displayed on the main page.
Duplication of the same content can negatively affect the visibility of the site in search results and the interest of users.
3. Offer selection guide based on its parameters
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We want to help users of the site to select an offer. It is worth finding a place on the category sub-page to indicate the main features of the products and characterize them. If possible, let’s specify pros and cons or value the features based on a numerical scale.
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Product subpages – encouragement to buy and discussion of the features of the offer
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When browsing product sub-pages, users will often be close to making a purchase decision and in this context, it is worth taking care of appropriate selection of key phrases for content optimization. Phrases should not only correspond to the form of direct product queries by users (product name) but also complement them with words such as “price”, “reviews”, “features”, “specifications”.
You can look for inspiration by examining phrases suggested in Senuto keyword database, answerthepublic.com tool or the “Searches similar to:” box under search results.
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On product subpages, the variety of solutions for introducing extended content is much greater than on the home page and category subpages:
1. Product description
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It is worthwhile here to include more information than the competition has and describe it differently than the manufacturer-supplied ready-made descriptions that generate the problem of content copy.
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2. Product features
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Mentioning the parameters of the product is essential. However, it is worth taking the time to fill in any information that may be helpful in making a decision. For example, if you are selling a table, in addition to the height, width and length of the piece of furniture, it is worth specifying the material from which it is made, the solution for assembly and possible variants (other materials or dimensions).
3. Product reviews
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Extending content with free and unique user comments is a valuable solution. Not only does it help increase sub-page visibility for so-called “long tail” phrases, but it can also support the buying decision process of potential customers. “Social proof”, or social proof, is a very important element of a sales page. Positive reviews of a product encourage and confirm the right choice.
Reply! It’s worth encouraging users to make longer and more detailed comments by suggesting additional evaluation elements, like the “pros and cons” in the example below.
Response! Show your customers that you care and expand the content by responding to comments as in the example below. Not only will you expand your content and help other users make a buying decision, but you will also establish a closer relationship with your customers.
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4. Product Review
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Similar to reviews, reviews help you decide on product choices, but additionally act as an authority – someone who knows what to choose advises you on that choice. We can amplify the message by hiring influencers or industry experts to create reviews, or by undertaking cooperation with influencers or industry experts in this regard. This will expand the content, but also give us a chance to gain links as a result of the cooperation undertaken.
5. Expert advice on the product
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Expert advice is a different form of using authority than a review to convince potential customers to buy. An expert can point out how best to use the product to solve specific problems of customers, while enhancing the site with unique and valuable content.
6. Examples of product use by customers
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It is worth describing the use cases of the product, while confirming its usefulness in solving certain problems of customers. Here we not only enrich the content, but also can use the grouping elements of the offer to extend internal linking. In the example in the figure below, the category name and destination types are worth linking to, respectively.
7. Product questions and answers
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The section allows you not only to expand the content on the site, but also to answer questions that can help you make a purchasing decision. Take inspiration from the “Questions” report at Senuto and the aforementioned answerthepublic.com.
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A new version or contests in which the product won, was a prize or part of a competition is a great excuse to supplement the product page with additional information. The product’s popularity associated with well-known contests can provide an advantage over similar products from competitors.
9. Compare the product or service to competing offerings
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A statement showing the advantages of the product compared to competitors’ offerings will encourage people to buy it. Including the weaknesses as well will give the whole thing realism and reduce the perception of the content as well as the advertisement.
Product sub-pages can also enrich other media that support the selection process along the path to purchase and improve the usability of the site, such as:
- product demo e.g. for computer-operated tools,
- video with product presentation, discussion of how to use, maintain or repair the product,
- photographs of the product.
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What to keep in mind when developing eCommerce content?
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Formatting text is an important part of working on a site’s content. Punctuation, enumeration, bolding, paragraph division and other distinctions of the content not only emphasize its quality, but also make it easier for readers to perceive.
At the same time, it is worth remembering that too much bolding or underlining will work the opposite way – it will hinder reception and distract from the importance of the various elements of the content.
Internal linking from content should be an integral part of editing descriptions, especially in extended structures. It is worthwhile to include thematically and business-relevant subpages in the links, which are not linked to from the existing navigation. Repetition of links to the same sub-page is not necessary, and will even reduce the effectiveness of the other links..
Content in the structure of the offer is not everything. It is also worth taking care of the content in content sections such as:
- company blog,
- industry guides,
- FAQ,
- case study of cooperation,
- company recommendations (not offers as above),
- dictionaries of industry terms, specialized terms,
- industry reports,
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Worth reading:
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E-Commerce content analysis and development
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Creating content and publishing it on the website is not the end of the work. Visibility Analysis (Senuto) and impressions (Google Search Console) are the basis for ongoing content administration.
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It should be deepened by verifying for which phrases (whether corresponding to the offer, or sales, etc.) and in which positions (whether in the top3 / top10 or top50) the site appears in search results, and in which form the results are displayed and for which subpages.
Based on this, we can assess, among other things, whether:
- we need to expand the content or divide it into narrower topics,
- we should saturate the content with key phrases or differentiate the form of the phrases already used,
- it’s worth testing a different title and description for better CTR,
- you can enrich internal linking with links from the content to other pages,
- to content on the site there are queries from users / customers,
- for particular search phrases, relevant subpages appear in search results.
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Improving conversions is the second key element of ongoing content administration. On-page content is not only supposed to help increase visibility, but more importantly, to sell. It is indispensable to constantly work on effective CTAs, improve the usability of the site on mobile and for people with disabilities, or reduce page load times. Changes should not be made at “random,” but as a result of testing using AB tests, heat maps or surveys in our daily work.
Effects
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Optimizing your site and ongoing link profile building is essential. However, it is crucial to take the time to develop a content-building strategy based on the above solutions. Constant content trowel allows you to achieve dynamic increases as shown in the charts below.
