Eccomerce websites have an explicit opportunity in search results for products. This search simply delivers products to people who are clearly looking to “buy” something. Many times this is triggered by the query “buy” being in the search, but there are many other words that easily trigger a product rich result. So as shop owners, you must be using Google shopping… It’s free and brings highly targeted traffic. Today, I want to spend some time on enhancing shopping by creating product titles that rock!
I ran a quick Google search for “buy dog jacket” and as expected was delivered some shopping results in a high visibility location with image(s), titles, prices and company/site names. So as you look at this result layout it is very simple to see the opportunity to elicit a click lies in title, price and company name.
As you can see here Orvis gets some additional eye tracking by having physical stores nearby. I don’t think that online shopping searches are very likely to drop in to a local brick and mortar store because of this result…. But the simple difference in their listing can easily get attention, build trust and get a click through more effectively. Next we note that Amazon has done a very poor job here with a product title which is both bland and cut off due to length (Sophisticated Polar Fleece Varsity Dog Jacket -(Black and Gray, XXXXXLarge). Land’s end wins this battle with price, brevity and trust. But there are ways to beat out the big box brands in product search….
Small shops have a great opportunity with product search… We just need to understand it better to maximize it’s potential.
Writing Great Product Titles
A great product title describes the product in a short (63 characters or less) and concise manner, but there is no reason why you cannot add some flair to elicit clicks more efficiently. Additionally, page titles and product titles are quite different. In page titles we may find it helpful to include model numbers and prices, but for product search pricing is redundant and most times the model is in the searcher’s query already. How about these examples:
3×5 Nylon US Marines Flag – Semper Fi!
Nice, describes the product effectively and has flair. Not only is this an excellent product title, but it certainly builds trust by using “US” and “Semper Fi” in it. It conveys patriotism and marine pride, which are generally both traits people searching to buy a Marine’s flag would posses.
Natural Vegan Lipstick – 14 Colors & Cruelty Free!
How about this one, zeros in on the “vegan” need, boasts color selection and finally builds trust by adding “Cruelty Free”.
So looking at these examples we can easily surmise that product titles are more than just content on your page, they have a very important job in product searches (organic and paid). We can use just a few words to convey purpose, description and trust. We just have to use our creative minds! The big box stores have far too many products to effectively create and manage great product titles, but you the smaller shop owner can make this small investment and get a great return.
I just want to touch a minute on price. While most product searches are or can be sorted by price, it isn’t the final word on purchasing for shoppers. If 3 listings were displayed to the shopper and they were all the same, the shopper is most likely to select the price in the middle… Not the lowest. The reasoning for this is quite simple really. We have been groomed to believe that low low pricing equates to low low quality and service. We also rationalize that the higher priced items, while we observe they may be higher quality are perhaps just more money for the same thing or equivalent item for less right above it. So do not let pricing deter you from creating and capturing the value of product search for your store.