Product Page Best Practices for Your E-commerce Site

Posted on June 9, 2021 | Updated on June 9, 2021

How do you make a good e-commerce site people want to return to repeatedly? Perhaps you want to improve your conversion rates, retain more customers, or gain more referrals. Whatever your goals for your website, sticking to a few product page best practices allows you to gain momentum for your online store.

When the global pandemic struck in early 2020, many experts predicted a decline in both physical and online sales. However, the numbers weren’t nearly as dire as expected and e-commerce saw a boom. According to eMarketer, retail e-commerce grew 27.6% last year.

More retail businesses turned to online storefronts. You may have already had a digital presence, or you may be testing the waters for the first time. Either way, knowing what product page best practices for design are can help improve your conversions and revenue.

1. Create Buyer Personas

You’ve heard the advice over and over to “know your audience.” However, creating a product page that speaks to your customers requires a lot of insight and planning. Once you dig into the analytics and understand who your average client is, you must create a buyer persona to represent your users.

Utilize your buyer personas for your product page best practices. Run any new feature and the overall user experience (UX) through the lens of your persona. Fix anything that might not resonate with the customer.

You can also use buyer personas to choose inventory for your e-commerce site. Product page best practices only make a difference if you sell items your clients want to buy. 

2. Choose the Right Platform

Where will you place your online products? You can go with a third-party site like Shopify, set up a Facebook sales page, or go with a cart on your own website. 

WooCommerce is the most popular WordPress plugin for online retailers, taking around 92% of the market share. Because so many people utilize the platform, there are tutorials, add-ons, and help whenever you need it. It’s an out-of-the-box solution anyone with a tiny bit of technical knowledge can implement into their product page best practices. 

No matter what platform you use, make sure you understand the advantages and limitations of it. Only be seeing where things can improve can you successfully develop product page best practices for your e-commerce site. 

3. Revamp Your Headline

Unless they are a repeat visitor, most people come to your website via a search engine results page (SERP) or social media. Your headline is what grabs their attention and shows them you have the solution to their pain point. 

Think of your headline as the answer to their questions. If someone searches for “small heaters for a home office,” your headline might read “Keep Your Office Warm With These Tiny Heaters.” Try to go with active verbs and descriptive words.

Pay attention to the sites ranking consistently in the top three for your targeted keywords. How can you use the same words in your headlines to alert Google you have a solution to users’ search. 

4. Use Relevant Images

When someone shops in person, they have the opportunity to pick up the product, feel the weight and see the details. Online, you’re tasked with sharing the features without the three-dimensional benefits of a brick-and-mortar storefront. 

If you implement only one product page best practices model, make it a guide for your pictures. Photos allow you to share the details of your product without using a ton of words. Utilize 360-degree videos to show the item from all angles. Allow users to zoom in to see the intricate workings of your inventory. 

You should also create a style guide to ensure your images are the same size or placed in a similar location on each product page users encounter. Consistency shows people you’re trustworthy, and may help increase sales. 

5. Provide Social Proof

According to Pew Internet Research, 70% of Facebook users say they login to the site daily. People are much more likely to believe what their peers say in a Facebook or Google review than what you tell them about your own brand.

In your list of product page best practices, include the addition of social proof. Can you tap into comments by users on your Facebook page? Perhaps your Twitter feed holds the key to showing your customer service model. You can even include links to reviews on sites such as Yelp!

You should also allow users to add their own input, share on their social media walls, and like your posts easily from your product pages. 

6. Highlight the Benefits

Out of all the product page best practices you implement, sharing the advantages of doing business with you is arguably one of the most important. What is your unique value proposition (UVP)? Why should customers choose to buy from you versus your competitor. 

Take time to study what others in your niche offer. How do you stand out? What can you do better? 

You should showcase the benefits of each product on its page, but also tap into your brand’s UVP. Do you offer free shipping? Perhaps your philosophy is money-back returns for any reason. Think about what your customers want and highlight those benefits within your product descriptions. 

7. Tweak Your CTA

A strong call to action (CTA) helps the buyer decide to go ahead and make the purchase. You can have the most beautifully designed website, but if you don’t focus on product page best practices for CTAs, you risk losing the customer before they convert.

Try different variations of your CTA. Use different placement, colors, and wording. Run split tests to see which ones perform best with your audience. 

Keep Up on Trends

Over time, product page best practices change and morph into something different than they once were. Study what your competitors do on their sites. What might work for your customers? 

Pay attention to new technology you might implement into your pages. For example, if more people have the ability to utilize augmented reality on their smartphones, can you make it easy for them to place your product in their home and see how it looks? 

Look for ways to tap into technology while still keeping user attention. With a little focus and trial and error, you’ll wind up with an e-commerce site with excellent conversions.

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About The Author

Eleanor Hecks is the Editor-in-Chief of Designerly Magazine, an online publication dedicated to providing in-depth content from the design and marketing industries. When she's not designing or writing code, you can find her exploring the outdoors with her husband and dog in their RV, burning calories at a local Zumba class, or curled up with a good book with her cats Gem and Cali.

You can find more of Eleanor's work at www.eleanorhecks.com.

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