Author: Karon Thackston
Source: articleage.com
by Karon Thackston ฉ 2004 http://www.marketingwords.com
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.