Effective Product Page Optimization

Summary

Voices of Search: Effective Product Page Optimization
Voices of Search // A Search Engine Optimization (SEO) & Content Marketing Podcast
Host: Tyson Stockton
Guest: Gabby Troxler, Independent SEO Consultant
Release Date: December 16, 2024

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Introduction

In this episode of Voices of Search, host Tyson Stockton engages in an insightful discussion with Gabby Troxler, an accomplished SEO consultant specializing in finance, banking, and e-commerce. The focus of their conversation centers on Effective Product Page Optimization, a critical component for e-commerce success and SEO performance.

The Significance of Product Pages in E-commerce and SEO

Gabby Troxler emphasizes the pivotal role product pages play not only as landing pages for organic search but also as the final touchpoint before a customer makes a purchase. She remarks:

"Product pages are super important not just in terms of SEO... but being the last touch point anyone has before doing the purchase." ([03:09])

Gabby highlights that despite their significance, product pages often receive less attention compared to other site elements. She encourages businesses to invest creativity and optimization efforts into these pages to enhance both user experience and search performance.

Gabby's Optimization Process: On-Page Focus and Performance Metrics

When discussing her approach to product page optimization, Gabby outlines a dual focus on on-page elements and performance metrics. She states:

"I love to go on page first and kind of look at the page as a user would and identify elements that could be improved." ([04:18])

Gabby prioritizes on-page optimization over technical aspects like site speed, especially for visually-driven products such as fashion items or houseplants. However, she acknowledges that technical factors are still essential, particularly for products where imagery plays a crucial role.

Crafting Unique Product Descriptions vs. Generic Manufacturer Descriptions

A significant portion of the conversation delves into the importance of unique, brand-centric product descriptions versus using generic manufacturer-provided content. Gabby explains:

"If you're a reseller and you're selling the same product as so many other manufacturers... you don't have to spend so much time on it, but bringing the USPs of your brand into that text is crucial." ([06:01])

Instead of merely describing product features, Gabby advocates for incorporating unique selling propositions (USPs) that differentiate the brand, such as exceptional shipping policies or return guarantees. This strategy helps in establishing a distinct brand voice and connecting more deeply with the audience.

Structuring Content for Consistency and Unique Voice

Gabby discusses the challenge of maintaining a consistent yet authentic brand voice across numerous product pages. She shares her experience with her online houseplant shop:

"We had a lot of structured information... it was vital from a business perspective to have fixed elements on the site that people could fill in." ([10:35])

To manage scalability, Gabby implemented a structured framework that allowed team members to contribute content while preserving the brand's unique voice. This balance between consistency and individuality ensures that each product page remains authentic without compromising on standardization.

Managing Customer Reviews and Their Impact on Product Pages

The conversation also touches on the integral role of customer reviews in product page optimization. Gabby highlights:

"Reviews are a big part of growing... we encouraged reviews from the get-go by sending a follow-up email after purchase." ([16:40])

She underscores the importance of including both positive and negative reviews to build trust. Gabby explains:

"Only five-star reviews won't give you that trust. One-star reviews, when handled correctly, show authenticity and offer opportunities to demonstrate excellent customer service." ([18:29])

By transparently addressing negative feedback and showcasing responsive customer service, businesses can enhance credibility and foster customer loyalty.

Scaling Content Creation and Maintaining Brand Voice

Transitioning from a solo content creator to managing a team posed challenges in maintaining the brand's voice. Gabby outlines her strategy:

"I created a brand guidelines document... onboarding would include reading through that document and practicing with structured content tasks." ([12:04])

This structured approach ensured that all team members adhered to the brand's voice while allowing them to bring their unique perspectives, particularly in less rigid sections like blog posts. Such methods facilitate scalable content creation without diluting the brand identity.

Key Takeaways and Conclusions

Gabby Troxler imparts several key insights for effective product page optimization:

1. Prioritize On-Page Elements: Focus on enhancing user experience through detailed, brand-centric product descriptions and high-quality imagery.

2. Incorporate Unique Selling Propositions (USPs): Differentiate your brand by highlighting unique benefits and policies that set you apart from competitors.

3. Leverage Customer Reviews: Utilize authentic reviews to build trust and provide transparency, addressing both positive and negative feedback constructively.

4. Maintain Consistency with Flexibility: Implement structured content frameworks to ensure consistency while allowing room for individual creativity and authenticity.

5. Think from the User’s Perspective: Always consider what information and elements will help convince potential customers to make a purchase, reducing friction and answering their potential questions proactively.

Gabby concludes by encouraging listeners to broaden their approach to product page optimization beyond mere descriptions, integrating elements that build trust and enhance the overall user journey.

"Whatever's on the product page should really reduce friction and reduce any doubts or questions that people might still have." ([20:24])

By adopting a holistic and user-centric approach, businesses can significantly improve their product pages' effectiveness in driving conversions and enhancing SEO performance.

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Next Episode Teaser: Tyson and Gabby will continue their conversation in part two, focusing on Mastering Internal Linking. Don't miss out as they delve deeper into optimizing your website's SEO strategies.

Transcript

[Podcast Announcer]

The Voices of Search Podcast is a proud member of the iHear Everything Podcast Network. Looking to launch or scale your podcast, iHear everything delivers podcast production, growth and monetization solutions that transform your words into profit. Ready to give your brand a voice? Then visit iheareverything.com welcome to the Voices of Search Podcast. A member of the iHear Everything Podcast Network, ready to expedite your company's organic growth efforts. Sit back, relax, and get ready for your daily dose of search engine optimization wisdom. Here's today's host of the Voices of Search Podcast, Tyson Stockton.

[Tyson Stockton]

Hey, what's going on? My name is tyson from Previsible I.O. and joining me today is Gabby Troxler, who is an independent SEO consultant specializing in finance, baking and E commerce, providing services for digital marketing solutions for businesses of all sizes. Today, Gabby and I are going to be discussing effective product page optimization. So with that, here's my conversation with Gabby Troxler, SEO Consultant.

[Podcast Announcer]

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[Tyson Stockton]

Gabby, welcome.

[Gabby Troxler]

Thank you so much for having me.

[Tyson Stockton]

So today we're diving into product pages. Obviously this is like such a key kind of competing point and it's usually like the highest volume of pages that like an E commerce site has. But I think sometimes it also feels like maybe it's a little overlooked where people feel like, how much can I actually do or what levers can I really pull on a product page where, you know, you might feel quite structured or limited on some of the creativity for it. So to start things off though, maybe like how do you think about the product page in kind of like the E. Com portfolio of where they're competing in search?

[Gabby Troxler]

Yeah. So I think what you said about product pages being underrepresented or maybe overlooked often that's really the case. Or what I find as well. I feel like they're super important not just in terms of SEO actual being landing pages in that sense for organic search, but being the last touch point anyone, any customer, potential customer has before doing the purchase, doing the conversion. And in terms of creativity, I find that product patients often don't get as much love maybe as they would deserve. And there's really a lot you can do with them even with limited template options. So really no, no point in underestimating them.

[Tyson Stockton]

And what's your, what's your process as far as going about optimizations? Like are you first kind of doing more of a hands on, on page, like visual review of the page or are you first kind of looking at more performance metrics across the page type? Like what's your process to identify the areas for improvement?

[Gabby Troxler]

Yes, I love to go on page first and kind of being or looking at the page as a user would and I identify elements that could be improved. But also of course looking at the performance side as well in terms of how many clicks does it actually get? But I usually do prioritize on page optimization over stuff like speed. But I would also say it depends on the type of product. So if you have a really, really visual product, like in the fashion brands for example, or also the houseplant sector that my online shop that I founded was in or still is in, then images are hugely important and that's something that you want to invest in. And then site speed of course is also a big one. But I still, maybe that's old school, but I still really love deep diving into the copy the actual, the text that's on the product page. And I feel like when you start keyword optimizing, quote unquote, then a lot of the times you feel like that creativity is missing when actually product page text is a huge opportunity to position your brand and to really connect with your audience.

[Tyson Stockton]

And with that, like are you. Because I know a lot of E commerce players out there are kind of taking like the manufacturer's product description or something typically very generic generic, and there's less players that are actually, you know, writing original content for the product pages. Like, are you looking at these? And mean, like, yeah, pick up the product, hold it, write about it, have something unique or like, how do you view the product description?

[Gabby Troxler]

I think if you're a reseller and you're literally selling the same product like so many other manufacturers or like Amazon, and it's not you manufacturing the product, then the product description itself, you don't have to spend so much time on it, changing it and describing the product from a different angle. It's more like bringing the USPs of your brand into that text or that can be additional text or it can be within the product description. So do you have like super fast shipping maybe, or a great return policy or whatever it is that makes your brand unique? I think that should be on a product page level, always visible.

[Tyson Stockton]

And some of those other elements that we hit on too, like page speed. Are you looking at the competitor's performance to gauge like how much of a lever that is or how would you evaluate some of the opportunities for your own prioritization?

[Gabby Troxler]

I feel like maybe I'm repeating myself, but I feel like on page is so important and the value you can bring leveraging your own brand and your own voice is so great that I only ever go to competitors when I feel like another brand is doing this just as much. Like when I think about or like my biggest experience is in my own houseplant shop that we did. And there we were, the first ones, the first movers to really go online, to sell houseplants online, to ship them in a regular parcel via Swiss Post. So there wasn't really the need to look at competitors and benchmark them in terms of site speed or any other technical factors. The fact that we were producing fresh content with an authentic brand voice, that's never been done before. Talking about plants like a living being and not a decoration object, that was enough to really gain a lot of traffic in a short amount of time.

[Tyson Stockton]

And sorry to double back on that. So all those descriptions that you had for the houseplants, those were unique written descriptions leaning into kind of the unique characteristics of whatever plants particular page was on?

[Gabby Troxler]

Yes, yes, it sounds like kind of how much can you really right about the plant, but it's shifting that focus to the plant being a living being, we actually encouraged or discouraged from the purchase in the product description. So we focused more on is this plant right for you? Are you a person who's always away, always traveling, then maybe that plant that needs water two Times a day isn't right for you, then maybe you'd like some other options. And we gave other options. So there wasn't kind of achieving the purchase for the sake of the purchase, but really finding the right plant for you. That was the focus of the product description. So although we had informational pages and blog posts about the care of those plants, kind of the condensed information, what that plant would later need was also on the product page. So that was maybe kind of the newer idea that we had there. Not just displaying shiny features and what color the plant's leaves are and how big it's going to be, but also an angle on the, on the care instructions.

[Tyson Stockton]

I feel like from that too, a lot of times with, you know, products is you're looking at like some structured data elements from it. And if you're taking that kind of type approach of, you know, the type of person that the plant would be a fit for, it feels like you're probably creating and labeling the products to be in different categories as well. Which I would assume has future use cases that could be like plant finders or you give characteristics of what you are and then you could see what matches that from it. Like, was that part of your thinking? This too of like, how do we have consistent structured information that's going to be across all products that we would have? Or like, how should the user be or the SEOs be thinking about like that balance between consistency and something unique per product?

[Gabby Troxler]

Yeah, that's actually a really good question. And we did have a lot of kind of structured information or template style. Yeah, descriptions or elements on the page. And that was also important because we started as four co founders and had to onboard people really quick, quickly because the content production solely lay with me and I could only write so much product descriptions a day alongside with writing blog posts and everything. So it was vital also from a business perspective to have kind of fixed elements on the site that then people working for me, working in content could only fill in. But plants are so different, they have so many different characteristics and different needs that it's really. You're going to get quite varied product pages in the end.

[Tyson Stockton]

Can you tell us a little bit more about that transition from you doing the content to then having a team? Because I think those are always the interesting, I think like transition points is when you're going from I'm, you know, giving thought, giving the love, putting all the efforts into this and then having more of like, how do you reproduce that at a larger scale through the involvement of like Other people. And so how did you kind of work through that transition and what helped you in scaling kind of content in that same way?

[Gabby Troxler]

Yeah, that's, that's a really good, good one. Because we knew that no one was ever going to be as invested in the brand as us, but we still wanted to try and build a community from the get go. So a community on Instagram and also try to recruit as much as possible people from the community. So people who already knew us knew what the brand was about, what our values were. So that was the first step. And then what I did when I wrote the content, the blog post, the product descriptions, I would basically, in a random document on notion, I would jot down things that were important to me and were kind of part of the brand voice, as I would see it, stuff like killing adjectives, using active voice, not passive voice, stuff like that. So that still in the end the text would be recognizable as coming from fake, coming from our brand, using emojis, using metaphors, using jokes. But then also we would make sure that not on a product level, but on a blog post level we would have an author box and allow people also to kind of let their voice shine through as long as it would be authentic. So we had someone who was like really going overboard with the metaphors and being really flowery with their language. And I would kind of, I would go through it and review their text, but still kind of let that shine through in the end. And in product descriptions, really our template was pretty regulated. The space you have on page isn't that big, so you won't really see differences in terms of voice. But that made it really easy for them. So that running brand guidelines document on notion I made every onboarding process would include reading through that document, reading through a few blog posts that I found good about content marketing or writing in general. And then their first task would always be either a product description or like one of the plant care guides that were really, really structured and quite limited to how far they could go. And that's kind of how they would practice the voice.

[Podcast Announcer]

Time for a one minute break to hear from our sponsor, Previsible. So you're looking for SEO help and you got a couple of options. You could start replying to spam from agencies that claim they can get you to rank number one on Google. You can pay an hourly rate for a consultant who will inevitably nickel and dime you with hourly charges, or you can work with a cookie cutter agency to quickly launch a strategy less project with low success rate. None of Those sound very good now do they? Well, that's where Previsible's integrated consulting model comes in. Previsible draws From a collective 40 years of SEO and digital marketing experience to unlock your organic growth opportunities. They build custom solutions that combine strategy, technical expertise, content and reporting to effectively operationalize SEO for your business. Prefizzle's four stage approach ensures that your SEO programs thrive by starting off with a strategy first approach. Then they support you in your efforts to create quality content, help you identify technical issues, and most importantly, they'll work with your cross functional teams to integrate your SEO strategies to make sure that your SEO budget actually drives results, not just your agency's bottom line. So join brands like Yelp, eBay, Canva, Atlassian Square, all who rely on the SEO consultants at Previsible. For more information, go to Previsible IO. That's Previsible. P R E V I S I B L E IO.

[Tyson Stockton]

Interesting. And so it's like basically you're creating some structure and some framework for consistency, but also to I think support and help the writer. But then you're also leaving enough window or opportunity that also allows for some of the unique voice and the unique elements to kind of shine through. And I feel like we can't hit on product pages anymore without touching on reviews where it's like, I don't know, 10 years, 15 years, whenever, kind of Amazon started really pushing the reviews. I feel like it changed the game a little bit because it, you know, it added these UGC elements to product pages. Like how has kind of your perspective been on reviews or like customer contributions to a product page?

[Gabby Troxler]

Yeah, we saw reviews as a really big part of growing as well because we knew and we kind of encouraged that word of mouth was going to be a really big channel for us in the beginning. So we encouraged reviews from the get go by basically sending an email three days after the purchase asking if the plant arrived. Well, that was also kind of a quality, quality control one because we were the first ones sending plants in parcels and really telling them if they had a problem if the plant didn't arrive like it should look, then we would replace it. Easy as dead, no cost. And if they really liked it, they should give us a Google review. And that was from the very first sell or very first plan sold. And that was the process. And so we gathered reviews pretty quickly. And I mean we've heard that kind of advice over and over, but I'm going to say it as well, only five star reviews won't really give you that Trust. So also the odds, one star review, we would leave that on the page or not on the product page, not as a call out, but in the general reviews. And we would always make sure to reply to those reviews and really take it as an opportunity. Maybe not to win that particular customer over. Maybe, yes, but probably not. But to win the people who are browsing the reviews over and be like, oh, you had a bad experience. Maybe you didn't know about our guarantee that we would like absolutely without a problem, replace this plan for you and then give some useful links and our hotline number. And yeah, this is how we would handle the reviews and of course include them on the product pages as you should.

[Tyson Stockton]

Fair. And I think that's something that might instinctively be like, oh, I want just everything to be positive and good. But it is so true that it's like if everything's just five star only, it kind of, you know, it leaves a little doubt. At least. I don't know. For me, whenever I visit those pages, it's like I want to know what is potentially negative on something as well as what's good about it. To have that more realistic picture.

[Gabby Troxler]

I think we also had that feeling or even more so below our ads. So people who didn't know us didn't know our brand values. They would always. Our root always gets the odd comment that our plants are way too expensive and like the urge to delete those kind of comments is there, but we always were like, no, we take this as an opportunity and we really explain why the plants are so expensive. Because whenever people bought from us after that, they never complained. We had like 30, 40% of people coming back to buy more. So yeah, they really understood the brand values and what we put into having healthy plans and providing all the care instructions and the plant doctor that's free as well and whatnot. So really having those negative comments and negative reviews as an opportunity to then explain what's different about your brand.

[Tyson Stockton]

I like that. Yeah. Kind of takes something that could be perceived as a negative, but more of, hey, this is an opportunity for education to the customer base rather than something that should be kind of like shied away from anything else that you'd want to kind of, I guess, leave the listeners with as far as maybe things like to not forget on making these product page optimizations.

[Gabby Troxler]

Yeah. Just maybe broaden your horizon a bit and think beyond product descriptions. Even if you're a reseller, you can include reviews. You could always. Whatever's on the product page should really reduce friction and reduce Any doubts or questions that people might still have. So when I optimize a product page, I always like to be like, okay, what's above default? I have my imagery, I have my product description. Now if someone is not convinced, they'll be scrolling and what do they expect next to be convinced? And then that's kind of the next section. This might be testimonials or the reviews or, or kind of more product specifications. And then if they scroll further, what do they need to be convinced? Maybe they even kind of want more information about the brand, about the team, show people, make it more authentic. People buy from people. So that's kind of how I approach the whole optimization, really thinking from a user's perspective. What do they need to be convinced to buy from us?

[Tyson Stockton]

I like that. And it's kind of like regrounding more into like, what is the kind of like the customer journey or decision process and then how do we meet that user as they kind of go through their own pathway to making the decision? Well, with that, that wraps up this episode of the Voice of Search podcast. Thanks again to Gabby Troxler for joining us in part two of this conversation, which will be published tomorrow. Gabby and I are going to continue the conversation and we're going to discuss mastering internal linking. If you can't wait until the next episode and you'd like to learn more about Gabby, you can find a link to her LinkedIn profile in their show notes or go on over and check out her company's website at Fay Ch.

[Podcast Announcer]

Okay, thanks to Tyson Stockton, our guest host. If you'd like to get in touch with Tyson, you can find a link to his LinkedIn profile in our show notes. You can contact him on Twitter where his handle is TysonStockton. Or if your team is interested in SEO consistently consulting or organizational education, you can always head to their company's website, which is previsible IO that's P R E V I S I B L E I O. And a special thanks to Ahrefs for sponsoring this podcast. Monitoring your website used to require multiple expensive tools, but that's not the case anymore, thanks to Ahrefs because they just launched their Ahrefs Webmaster Tools product which monitors your SEO health, helps you keep track of your backlinks, and gives you the insight into what keywords are performing for free. So check out Ahrefs webmaster [e-mail] that's Ahrefs a h r e f s.comAWT just one more link in our show notes I'd like to tell you about. If you didn't have a chance to take notes while you were listening to this podcast, head over to voicesofsearch.com where we have summaries of all of our episodes and contact information for our guests. You can also subscribe to our weekly newsletter and you can even send us your topic suggestions or your marketing questions, which will answer live on our show. Of course, you can always reach out on social media. Our handle is voicesofsearch on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or you can contact me directly. My handle is benjapp B E N J S H A P and if you haven't subscribed yet and you want a daily stream of SEO and content marketing insights in your podcast feed, we're going to publish an episode every day during the workweek. So hit that subscribe button in your podcast app and we'll be back in your feed tomorrow morning. All right, that's it for today. But until next time, remember the answers are always in the data.