Is SEO Enough? When Does Copywriting Help?

[#1]

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?

[SewCreativePatterns]

Thanks for the invite. I'm excited to be a part of this team.

[BCCopywriting]

Hi, Taren! Welcome!

[DianaKiteArt]

Thanks, Barbara, this is so helpful! These are fantastic guidelines. My prices are high and not impulse purchases, and everything is custom, made-to-order. So I want to sell customers on quality and options, but not overwhelm them with text. And yet all of my items are similar in nature, so I struggle with how to vary the descriptions and keywords. I've tackled about half of my listings, and I have a long way to go with SEO! Thanks for the tips.

[BCCopywriting]

Diana Kite: Well, I think I have some good news for you! First of all, your boxes are gorgeous! And I can see that each one has a unique design. The way that you've talked about the special features of each is excellent. If you start off your descriptions in that unique way, then you can have some repetitive information in the rest of the listing. In other words, you can have details about size, materials, quality, history of the store, or whatever you want, without too much variation, and you'll be OK (as long as the opening information is at least somewhat different).

Also, stick with the SEO phrases that you've identified as the best ones. You don't need to vary those too much. The tricky part is working those same SEO phrases into the unique paragraphs that you create for each listing. Whatever phrases you use in your titles/tags should also show up in the description (again, naturally, not as a "cut-and-paste" list).

Best of luck with your SEO! It can be a challenge at first, but it does get easier as you become more familiar with the process. The two Mary's here are great resources!

[Former_Member]

I try to add a little spice to the description to engage the customer.

[BCCopywriting]

To: Treasure Chest New Mexico
Spice is good! Definitely helps to know who the customer is, the kinds of information that will appeal to them, the lifestyle details that might interest them, and so on. Keep going, and feel free to link to a sample if you'd like a quick review.

[onedaysgracenz]

Hi Barbara, thanks for sending out the email - a good reminder to check in to teams! Your post sets out the copy-writing decision factors very nicely thanks. I went and took your test to see if I need to improve my listings & got the lowest score - well, the top end of the lowest bracket.

I structure my listings for Google where a lot of my business comes from, but wonder if I am missing sales on Etsy because of that? What do you think? On Etsy most of my sales are the result of search & a lot of them are from mobile viewers - are the copy-writing rules the same for mobile -v- PC buyers do you think? Thanks!

[ShopOrangeBlossoms]

Yay! I sounds like I'm doing well!

[BCCopywriting]

Nikki: Congrats! I'm assuming that means you have a high score. Keep in mind that a high score indicates that the writing in your shop isn't crucial to you - that your sales are driven more strongly by other factors. Which means you don't need to pay as much attention to it. But it still pays to offer well-written information that is meaningful and helpful for customers.

I did take a quick look at your shop - great items! - and your writing looks as though it's doing a good job. I didn't examine anything from an SEO standpoint, but if you continue to follow good SEO advice, you'll continue to do well. Best of luck!

[BCCopywriting]

Deborah: Thanks for your questions. Let's take the last one first. In general, the rules of writing apply across all platforms, but you're right, there are a few things to keep in mind for mobile vs. desktop users. Long sections of text look even longer on mobile, so plan ahead. For example, suppose you had a complicated listing with a lot of options. If instead you listed several different (though similar) products with fewer options, then the text wouldn't be so long. Keep descriptions and About sections shorter rather than longer - unless you have totally entertaining copy that keeps people riveted to their screens!

In places where it's necessary to write at length, provide a lot of paragraph breaks, so that it's easier on the eyes and easier for readers to grasp what you're saying as they move along.

In a way, since mobile screens are so small, mistakes (grammar, punctuation, not leaving spaces between paragraphs, and so on) are more visible, so that's something to keep in mind, too.

As for Google vs. Etsy, usually if you write and research SEO with Google in mind, that will take care of the Etsy audience, too. There are some differences, but I wouldn't worry about missing a huge number of people on Etsy due to a Google orientation. You can double check with Mary for SEO specifics.

Keep in mind that a low score doesn't mean your copy is bad. It just means that the writing is very important for sales. Buyers are going to spend a lot of time reading what you write, so make sure your writing is focused, engaging, talks about your top selling points up front, contains clear instructions where necessary, and so on.

Hope this helps!

[AndreaIJewelry]

This is one of the best threads I've seen on this subject! Very informative! I sell jewelry and know that good descriptions, tags, and photographs are key components for success so I'm always tweaking them, trying to maximize their effectiveness....a daunting process at times. Thank you for the email notification Barbara; I'm glad I checked in!

[OffOnAWhimJewelry]

Thank you Barbara for the good information and article and food for thought. SEO boggles me so much! I still haven't figured out my keywords, but I'll keep working to define them.

[Former_Member]

Hi Barbara,
Thanks for helping us to learn how to improve our shop visibility. Does this apply to supply shops too or is total number of listings more important?
I've not taken the test yet but wonder what else I could do to have a more steady flow of sales?
Thanks!

[BCCopywriting]

Andrea and Erinn: Thanks for your comments. Glad this information was helpful. The good news is that there's a lot of reliable advice here that will definitely get results. It does take some time to understand, and there is some testing and trial-and-error involved. But with patience, it all gets easier. Good luck with everything!

[BCCopywriting]

To: aFabric Day: Shop visibility does depend on a lot of things. The copywriting doesn't really help in terms of drawing buyers into your shop (that's an SEO issue), but it does have a lot to do with whether or not buyers stay there once they arrive.

To make sure that you're using the phrases that buyers actually type into their search bars to find items like yours, follow the SEO advice here as closely as you can. My understanding is that total number of listings doesn't really affect search engines, but you can double check with Mary. The total number of listings is sometimes a psychological thing with visitors - if they see a full shop, it looks busy and popular. If there are only a few listings, then the shop might not look like a "real" business. But it depends a lot on what's being sold.

The quiz gives you an idea of how important the writing is for your business. How much do sales depend on the copy? How much of your copy do buyers actually read in order to make a decision? But this refers to what goes on when they've already entered the store.

The SEO process isn't always clear or obvious at first, but you'll get there. And one really great thing - it actually works! If you do it right, you'll get results.

[onedaysgracenz]

Thanks Barbara!

[Former_Member]

Appreciate such prompt feedback from you, thank you.

[SuomiiDesigns]

Thank you Barbara, It's very interesting your approch in copywriting.

I will re-write my descriptions according to your suggestions!

[Former_Member]

Thanks Barbara for all this useful information! For me it's so clear that price is a big handicap in my shop, as I live in Switzerland one on the most expensive countries in the world. I should be able to get most buyers from my own country so I am thinking if I should have my tags and copywriting in our official languages ( they are 4!!).. at least in German and French?

[WaveSong]

I scored 20, I think. I have no trouble selling vintage things, but my baskets are another story.

[BCCopywriting]

to: Suomii Fabrics: Glad this information was helpful! Best of luck to you!

[BCCopywriting]

Ev: Congrats! Looks like you've got a lot of things going for you in addition to your copy, which makes selling easier. But don't let it slip completely. Unless your score is a perfect 24, some people are still reading your descriptions and About pages, so keep them up to date, engaging, and informative. Great job!

[BCCopywriting]

Claudia: Do you have any information on where your viewers come from? If you have any statistics, that would help determine whether or not you need non-English-language tags and titles. If there is substantial interest from buyers without adequate English skills (or who speak English but prefer to shop where their first language is used), you might consider separate listings in different languages. Check with Mary for her view on how this affects SEO.

From the copywriting standpoint, again it depends on the shopping habits of your customer base. Do your target customers have a proven preference for their own first language and tend to favor online stores that advertise in those languages? If yes, then - as above - you might consider some separate listings in those languages. If not, probably not important. Since you're in a higher-end market, being sensitive to customer preferences is critical. Another thing you could do is open a separate shop in a single language (pick the most used one, probably German or French where you are?).

This is an interesting issue. I would be curious to see which way you go, and if you notice any changes to sales volume or patterns. Keep us posted!

[LoriJDesign]

I think copy is important, however I don't like it to be super long. I sell prints and stationery i like to list benefits or useful ways to use my product in a small description and then use bullet points to make it clean and easy to read. I know some people that you can hire makes it way to wordy it sounds great but people on the internet don't want to read a book. Great article thanks.

[Former_Member]

Thanks so much Barbara for you answer!!! I am in the Italian speaking part of Switzerland . German speaking are 64% ,and French 22% Italian only 8%. So I guess the first language to consider would be German . I don't have any information on where your viewers come from, I want to install Google Analytics I heard this works fine.
I know for sure that German and French Swiss from 50 years and older speak little English so I think I will for sure consider to open a separate shop in a single language. Thanks again and have a wonderful day!