How to Create a Product Page
As you probably know, commerce has moved online recently more than it ever has been. Whether you’ve been thinking about taking the plunge and selling your products directly, or you’ve been doing it for a while now, there is no better time to learn how to put together a persuasive product page.
Think of the last thing you purchased online. What made you buy it? No, not your monthly Amazon subscription for [insert practical item here]—something you didn’t really need. What did the product page look like?
I’ll give you a personal example. I’m a big fan of coffee—iced coffee, specifically—and I make regular stops at my local coffee shop. One day recently, I stumbled across a website that sells koozies made to fit the exact cup that my favorite cup-a-joe comes in. I’m not very strong-willed when it comes to nifty products that appeal to my interests, so of course, I bought it.
What Is a Product Page?
A product page is a page on your website that has been specifically designed to get customers to buy your product. I’m sure we’ve all done our fair share of online shopping, especially in the last two years (hello, pandemic).
From a marketing perspective, if I’m honest with myself, the product page definitely helped talk me into buying that $15 koozie. The page was aesthetically pleasing, and informative, and made me feel good about the purchase. These are the elements that go into making a successful product page, so let’s jump in and look at each one a bit more closely.
Use Quality, Engaging Photos
There are two types of photos your product page design should have—a featured image and a gallery.
Featured Image
The featured image is the most important photo on your product page. It’s the photo that will capture your audience’s attention and leave them wanting to learn more about your product. This should be a well-lit, high-quality image that showcases your product from its main angle, without a distracting background.
Skimping on image quality or having a photo that does not represent your product well can harm sales. Taking the time to learn product photography can help you capture images that best showcase your product.
Gallery
The gallery consists of your remaining product images and should include photos that show additional product information and lifestyle photos. This is your opportunity to visually tell your product’s story and highlight its benefits and features. If you are selling a coil bound book that lies flat when open, you could include a photo of your open book. Turn to a page you want to preview, and your customer will get a peek of the way the book will lay when it’s open AND a preview of the interior.
Did you know that more than half of all online shopping is done on a mobile device? Increase mobile sales by making sure your product page is optimized for mobile users so your product photos (and everything else on the page, for that matter) are displayed clearly and in their entirety.
Write a Compelling Description
You’ve written a book, so this part should be a piece of cake, right? The beginning of a good description should be similar to the first sentence of a novel. It needs to capture the interest of your customers and make them want to learn more without overwhelming them with information. When writing your product description, keep the following in mind:
1. Demonstrate Your Product’s Value
When you are in a store, you can hold and closely examine a product before buying it. Using words to make your customers see the value in your product can be tricky, but necessary to make a sale. To do this, combine a description of the practical features of your product, with a description of what makes it unique to your audience.
For example, the practical features may include your product’s dimensions, its binding type, and what kind of paper your [book, calendar, magazine, etc.] has. Why you chose those specifications based on what your product will be used for, when the customer will get the best use out of the product, and how it will benefit the customer are the unique pieces of information that will add value for your buyers.
2. Give the Facts, but Don’t Be Boring
One ecommerce study found that up to 20% of unsuccessful purchases could be attributed to incomplete or unclear product information. When writing your product’s description, take care to include any details your customers will need to make an informed purchase while also staying true to your brand.
If your cooking blog has a fun, upbeat mood, for example, you’ll want your cookbook’s description to echo that same tone. In other words, starting out with, “This book contains healthy recipes,” isn’t as effective as, “Feeling uninspired in the kitchen lately? Eating healthy doesn’t have to be boring!” Verbs and sensory words are your friends here.
3. Make It Skimmable
When was the last time you read the entire description of something before you bought it? Use bullet points to highlight key features and make your description quick to read and easy to digest. These snippets of information should outline the most important parts of your product—don’t try to cram huge paragraphs into your product description.
Build Trust With Your Customers
The final piece of the puzzle is to create trust with your customers. Even though online shopping has been around for a long time at this point, people still worry about what’s going to happen after they click that buy button. You can have high-quality photos and a description that is perfectly tailored to your audience, but if they don’t feel at ease when it comes to actually purchasing, all of your time and hard work might be for nothing.
1. Feature Customer Reviews
What better way to build trust with your customers than to have other customers do it for you, right? Having a section for ratings and reviews builds credibility with your current and future customers, and it also serves a similar purpose as your lifestyle gallery photos – it helps your clients picture themselves buying and using your product.
2. Put Yourself in Your Customers’ Shoes
Try pretending you are a potential buyer visiting your product page for the first time. What questions would you have? Some things that come to mind may be, “When will it ship? When will it arrive? Can I return it?”
Get ahead of the questions by familiarizing yourself with Lulu’s shipping and return policies, and then by creating your own store policies. You don’t need to include a full FAQ section on your product page, of course, but including a link to your FAQs will help customers feel at ease, knowing you’ve taken the time to answer any questions they may have.
Start Selling
Your product page’s main purpose is to convert visitors into buyers, and now that you know the basics of what goes into a great one, you’re ready to start selling!
