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 Optimizing Online Catalog Copy for the Search Engines
by: Karon Thackston
It only makes
sense. You have an e-commerce catalog site. You want lots of visitors to
come to your site and buy. The best (and most cost-effective) way to do
that is with great search engine placement. However, search engines are
text machines, and most catalogs don’t have a lot of text, so herein
lies the problem.
The obvious answer
is that you need more copy on each page. However, the pictures of your
products are just as important as the copy, so they can’t be removed to
make more space. That doesn’t leave a lot of room in the product
description area, does it? Maybe not, but who said all the copy had to
go in the description area? Who said you have to create a site the same
way a paper catalog is created?
Sometimes we view
our site’s pages with a very narrow vision. This causes us to have an
“it’s always been done that way” mentality. While direct mail catalogs
may be sorely limited on space and require short sections of
copywriting, Web pages have infinite room for copy.
Your Home
Page
Most often, online
catalogs have a home page that is almost exclusively graphic. There may
be short blips of copywriting here and there, but not much. Since your
home page is the most important page to have optimized for the engines,
you’ll want to include a minimum of 200 words of SEO copywriting there.
Don’t panic… it doesn’t have to all be in one place.
You can create a
short section of keyword-rich body copy as an introduction to the site.
Then, under a graphic of your new spring additions, include some SEO
copy explaining why your visitors will just *have* to have these
products. You can then add a sentence or two of copy under the graphics
in your sidebar. Lastly, give the highlights of your customer-service
program or money-back guarantee and an invitation to click further into
the site to shop around, and you’re all done.
Obviously, where
the copy goes is dependent on your site’s layout, but you get the idea.
Spread the copywriting around. You don’t have to put it all in one lump
in the middle of the page.
Category Pages
What traditionally
happens with online catalogs is that you click from the home page to a
“category” page. That category page usually just has links on it to
other individual product pages plus perhaps a picture or two. That’s a
shame because category pages are another perfect place for SEO copy.
Since keyphrases
are often highly descriptive of products (i.e., crew neck sweaters,
six-disc CD players, etc.), they work wonderfully on category pages.
Because category pages are selective (they only show products within a
certain category), they are exceptional arenas for SEO copywriting.
Let’s say you have
a catalog site that deals with interior design accessories for the home.
One category might be Tiffany lamps. Because the phrase Tiffany lamps is
also a wonderful keyphrase, its inclusion in the category page copy
comes quite naturally. This means you can create SEO copywriting for the
top or middle of the page (just a short paragraph or two) and also write
blips of copy for each product description. For example:'
===================================
The Tiffany Lamp - A Timeless Masterpiece
===================================
Tiffany lamps have long been considered icons of style. While certain
characteristics are constant (that’s what makes a Tiffany lamp a Tiffany
lamp), there is also tremendous variety. From Tiffany lamps for your
floor to those made to adorn your ceilings, you’ll find one reflective
of your own personal taste and style.
Next you could
list all the individual products (floor Tiffany lamps, ceiling Tiffany
lamps, desk Tiffany lamps, etc.) and give brief, keyword-rich
descriptions of each one.
Product
Descriptions
When you get to
the product description level, you’ll want to include enticing,
keyword-rich copy with each listing. However, you’ll also want to
include more text on each product page.
Consider that most
people shopping online don’t have the benefit of being able to touch,
feel, smell, taste, or see the actual products. Use the lack of human
senses to develop more descriptive information for your visitors.
You might also
want to include any technical information you have for your products on
the same product description page. Contrary to Internet myth, people
don’t mind scrolling one bit *IF* there is information they want to see
on other parts of the page.
By reconsidering
your catalog-copywriting techniques when it comes to the Web, you can
get your e-commerce catalog ranked highly in the search engines. It just
takes a little open-mindedness and a willingness to break free from the
ways of the past. When you do, more customers and higher sales levels
are bound to follow.
About The Author
Copy not getting
results? Let Karon provide search engine copywriting, catalog
copywriting, or other types for you. Just visit
. You can also learn to write your
own SEO copy that impresses the engines and your visitors at
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