Is SEO Enough? When Does Copywriting Help?

[BCCopywriting]

How can you tell if the writing in your shop actually makes a difference? Maybe it’s enough just to get your SEO right. How much time should you spend polishing those product descriptions, your "About" page, or anything else?

Lucky you! There’s a way to figure it out, based on a few simple factors. Read through and see how much effort (or not) you need to spend on the copy (the writing) in your shop.

PRICE
The higher the price, the longer it takes for buyers to decide. Good copy is needed to keep buyers engaged, give them something to think about, and cultivate a relationship.

The lower the price, the shorter the “sales cycle.” Buyers might purchase based on the photo alone.

COMPLEXITY
Is your product or service easy to understand? Not a lot of parts to explain? Fewer complications, less emphasis on the text. On the other hand, if it requires a lot of explanation, your writing better be good - clear, precise, easy to understand.

COMPETITION
Lots of other shops selling a similar item or service? Then you better get busy with that copy! Figure out what makes your item different, more valuable and more desirable than others. If you’re the only one selling something of interest, maybe informative text isn’t quite as urgent.

VISUAL QUALITIES
Does your item have visual appeal and come across well in photos? If yes, then you’re already selling with your photo. If not, good copy needs to pick up the slack.

SALES HISTORY & REVIEWS
If you’ve sold a lot in the past, and have great reviews, buyers are already halfway to a purchase. They might glance at your writing, but happy previous customers are very convincing. Fewer sales, a harder transaction, more emphasis on using your writing to engage and persuade.

IMPACT
Is this a significant purchase for buyers? Is it going to change their lives in some way? If yes, they’ll take longer to decide, and will spend more time reading. Make sure your copy is up to the task.

If you’re providing something that’s impersonal, temporary or solely for entertainment, there’s less pressure on the writing.

SEO
How good a job did you really do with your SEO? Can you confirm that you’re successfully pulling in customers who already are looking for items or services like yours? If so, you might be able to get away with lower quality writing that just gets across the facts.

If you aren’t sure about your SEO, and are talking frequently to casual visitors who are just browsing, boost your copy with great selling points, engaging language and convincing information.

So how did you do? Have you been spending time on the right things? Need to switch focus? Have a better understanding of how to use your writing time? What do you think?

[VintageMaineia]

Interesting coverage, Barbara. I really enjoyed it!

Selling vintage, I would add "history" or "background" as factors. Sometimes a piece needs to have its history highlighted.

This history could be of the individual piece. But more commonly I give some background on how that type, design and/or brand fits into the era, and history in general.

Often I have to do extensive research on a piece. I share its story with potential buyers in hopes that they are inspired to buy.

[BCCopywriting]

Joanne: Thanks for the tip about vintage! That's an interesting point. I've found that vintage sellers tend to be very focused because establishing the facts is part of the process of discovering vintage items to begin with. Often it seems obvious to include the manufacturer, year, materials, and so forth, to establish authenticity and value. These are the sorts of details that really make a listing "sing" and quickly draw attention to the most significant selling points. Love the idea of using the "back story." In fact, out of curiosity, I went and chose one of your own items at random, and ended up at a rustic lunchbox. This is an amazing line: "It belonged to a man who worked in a Maine shoe factory." I love that! I mean, how could you know that? And it's exactly the sort of thing that would appeal to a vintage collector. Best of luck with your shop!

[EECustomGifts]

Thanks for this! Seems I'm always tweaking our listings and tags!

[FrenchVintagePrints]

Very interesting. I spend a lot of time on copywriting but now you're getting me wondering if I have too much text.

[BCCopywriting]

Anne: Your prints are gorgeous! I've got a little test that you can take to figure out how important the text is for your business (based on the categories listed above). It helps you determine how much you need to tell the customer and how long they're likely to spend reading. I wasn't sure how to include it here, although maybe I'll post it separately at some point. In the meantime, you can go to: www.facebook.com/chaconsulting and look for the "Take the Quiz" post. Hope this helps!

[FrenchVintagePrints]

Thanks Barbara, I will take a look.

[PearlKissed]

Thank you so much for this information and clarification on copy writing vs SEO. I have been trying to update my descriptions as I renew items but it is a BIG task....especially if you don't consider yourself a writer at heart. :-)

[PeriodElegance]

All good stuff here Barbara. Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge. I have a fairly standardized listing format and each description is unique to the particular vintage/antique item and I'm always tweeking . . . still, I wonder how I might improve.

[ChapulinesCollection]

Great info Barbara!! thank you so much!! I'm glad you´re sending the emails to let us know about the new posts, they're very useful and important!

[AnnieHowes]

Such great points! Thanks for sharing your knowledge =)

[VintageMaineia]

Barbara, I have read many times that to benefit SEO, all copy should be different, not "boilerplate" (mostly repeated).

Google is looking for "quality" content that is fairly unique, right? So that means in addition to being worded differently, our copy should be grammatically correct?

Thanks!

[BCCopywriting]

Julie: You've got a beautiful shop! I took a quick look at a few listings, and I think you're doing a wonderful job presenting the exact kinds of information that I think collectors are looking for. Well done! The only suggestion I can make is in the area of SEO. As you know, SEO helps you make a connection with buyers who are already searching for items like yours. To do that, obviously you want to maximize the use of your top-performing SEO phrases (the ones that buyers actually type into their search bars) throughout your listing. So make sure that whenever you identify phrases as the best ones to use in a particular title (and its tags), you also repeat those phrases exactly in the description, so that they all reinforce each other. Remember, though, not to "cut-and-paste" but rather weave those phrases in naturally, so your sentences sound like normal English (as they do now). Best of luck!

[BCCopywriting]

Joanne: It's true, Google isn't very fond of exact repetition, although you can get away with quite a lot of identical sections. It's probably a good idea to make a few changes here and there if you have a lot of very similar listings. If you've identified some excellent SEO keyword phrases, don't change those. You can repeat the same phrases, but do try some variations on the sentences in the description. It's usually pretty easy to substitute some words occasionally, switch around a sentence or two, and so on.

As for grammar, that's an issue having to do with the categories in this post. If your copy is a significant factor in your sales process, then the grammar becomes more important. If buyers are only going to do a quick scan of what you've written, then not so much. I've got a little test that you can take to figure out how important the text is for your business (based on these categories). I wasn't sure how to include it here, although maybe I'll post it separately at some point. In the meantime, you can go to: www.facebook.com/chaconsulting and look for the "Take the Quiz" post. Hope this helps!

[BCCopywriting]

Cheryl, Annie, Maria: Glad that this information has been helpful! If any questions come up, just let me know.

[BCCopywriting]

Ellen: I certainly can sympathize. The hardest thing, to tell the truth, is getting your thoughts organized so that you know what 1) the most important selling point is, 2) what the next most important selling point is, and so on. The clearer you are in your mind, the easier it will be to write. I'm getting ready to create a screencast about Etsy product descriptions, which will be available on Facebook, so stay tuned!

[TheVelvetPrincess]

I sell clothing. I include the designer if known. The fabric content and care instructions if needed. I sometimes add ideas of how to wear it. What else should I add to my copy?
oh yes of course detailed measurements.

[FrenchVintagePrints]

I took the test and got 16 so not critical but your post still made me realize that in the price range I am, I may have too much text. And I thought also about the people looking at my shop on small screens and who may not feel like scrolling through loads of text so I think I'll get rid o the spaces between sentences I originally introduced for legiility and try to get rid of unecessary words.

[suehodapp]

Thanks for the tips, Barbara, they're so clear and concise, especially in a world of SEO and Relevancy that is like learning a foreign language for me! The category my shop is in is very crowded, and I know I have to explain my price points, as I am at or near the top of the price spectrum. I am wondering if I need to tweak my copy more to reflect why the higher prices without beating the drum too loudly. Also, how much can copy change for my items when they're all so similar? I've run out of adjectives and tags that set them apart. Could be why I don't get a lot of traffic from Google?

[Former_Member]

Thanks Barbara, I have been really enjoying these posts. And I appreciate the email notification. It makes me stop and give it a read - and I am always glad I did.

[Former_Member]

Thank you for taking the time to post this ... I'm relatively new to Etsy and very new to SEO. It all gives me a headache sometimes! I've had quite a few convos not resulting in a sale, but I'm not sure what to do. Any advice would be wonderful! Thanks.

[BCCopywriting]

Anne: Your score is right in the middle, which indicates that many different factors are contributing to your sales (which is good) but that copy is still part of the equation. So make sure that the writing continues to be engaging and that it contains a range of useful information. If you continue to be concerned about the amount, you could try an experiment by condensing several listings in a few categories. Watch sales and see if you notice if those items going faster than others. Also, readability is really important. You want your writing to look appealing and also to tell a great story. You're doing great so far - keep up the good work!

[BCCopywriting]

To Cormeen Home Decor: Your knobs are really interesting and I love all the variety! Looks like you have a lot of potential in your shop, which is wonderful. Keep in mind that a lot of factors contribute to sales, but the one thing I immediately noticed about your descriptions is that they're pretty much "just the facts" about color, materials, and so forth. The easiest and fastest way to improve a description is to quickly identify what makes your items special. What value does it provide? What makes your items so much more desirable than others that are similar? How will this help the buyer? What is it going to do for them? How will this improve their lives? How will this make their lives happier, more comfortable, etc. Start off with that. That's the hook. They've arrived at the listing because of the photo and (hopefully) were already searching for something similar (if your SEO is good), so now they need to be convinced that they're in the right store, and that this purchase will be worth the money. Once you've done that, then you can go on to provide all the physical details about the item. Try experimenting in your listings and see if this approach makes a difference. I'll be interested to hear what happens!

[Former_Member]

Thank you for your help ... looks like I have a bit more work do to!

[BCCopywriting]

Lilli: Love all the vintage items in your shop. Vintage listings do benefit from a lot of details about the background, designers, size, materials, and so on, so that's great. But you might want to start off by tell buyers what's so special about each item. The physical details can go into the second paragraph. The first should really emphasize the special qualities of each item, what is the value, why is this such a unique find, why should they be interested in this particular item at your shop rather than something similar they've seen elsewhere? The history of the item can be useful here, the designer and "credentials" related to the item also might be of interest. Then you can go on to provide the exact size, color, condition, and so on. Then end with care instructions. If you like, copy an existing listing, save it, rewrite, and then bring back a "before and after" for us to look at. That would be interesting!