13 Ways to Your E-commerce Product Page Optimization

Product Page Optimization

It would be best if you organize your product pages to attract more customers and retain the existing ones. Sales conversions do not happen easily. An inadequately optimized product page may even drive the current customers away from the store.

This article explores 13 ways to product page optimization that can help in boosting sales and turn visitors into customers.

(Please remember that you need to be well aware of all the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tactics which may be incorporated on the product page to help it rank on search engines.)

Before that, you may check out the article on e-commerce store optimization.

1. Appealing Product Title

The first thing a visitor will notice on a product page is the product title. So, you must make it unique and stand apart.

The product title should catch people’s eyes. Bigger font and different color should help. 

The title should give the customers a cursory idea of what they are looking for, and it should be engaging enough for them to check out the rest of the product page.

2. Detailed Product Information

Customers need to know what their desired product offers and why they should buy it. The product information does that job for you. It is like a salesperson in a typical commerce store who describes the product for you. 

Customers rely on the product description to make a purchasing decision. They cannot see the product directly or feel it in their hand, so a detailed and informative product description is your shot at convincing them. 

The product information must give the following details about the product:

• Why the product is apt for the targeted audience.
• Features and benefits.
• Specifications of the product.
• Why it is different from other products of different brands/stores.

Your product description, however, should not be too long that the customers will get tired of going through it all. It would be ideal to use drop-down lists or bulleted lists to explain it. 

Focus on the readability of the content and also the relevant keywords that will help the page rank well on search engines.

To keep the interest of the potential customers, make the description concise and engaging. You do not have to rely on the description provided by the manufacturer or the brand. Make it unique and, if possible, personalized per the buyer’s persona. 

Accompany the page with high-quality images (more on it later) and, if necessary, videos that should enhance the description.

Let us look at an example from Root Science. 

They have designed their product description, keeping in mind the type of customers who will likely visit the page and buy the product.

3. High-quality Images (and Videos)

Images can capture the minds and hearts of people. Product photographs are the best way to lure customers into buying the products.

A product page must include high-quality images of the products. Preferably, clicked by a professional. 

Images act as proof of the product quality and the information you provided in the description.

For example, GoPro has an amazing image to support the feature explained:

Using low-quality images that do not show what the product is all about may turn the customers away from the page. 

Customers need to know what the product looks like before they decide to buy it. Therefore, make sure to add multiple images from different angles. This gives them a better insight into the product. 

For example, American Tourister provides multiple photos of the product from various angles. They also let you see the detail with a zoom feature. You will get some feel and look of the product from these images.

Another way to give customers a better look is 360º degree view of the product just like Away has done:

Remember – avoid stock photos. Be original and unique!

Not all products require videos; however, if you can better explain and show off them using video, then go for it. Like, GoPro has stunning videos (of course since it is a camera!) that shows what the product can do.

4. Clear Call-to-Action

Call-to-action (CTA) on a product page, i.e., the “buy now” and “add to cart” buttons should be the stand-out of the page.

Customers must be able to find these buttons easily without having to look for it. 

You can make it stand out by having contrast colors and font compared to other elements on the product page but also compliment the design of the page. This way, it will not be easy to miss it. 

Typically, CTA is placed at the top of the page just after the brief product description and pricing. You can also set it at the bottom so that when the customers have gone through all the information, they will find the button there and take necessary action. Any place where it is easily accessible and noticeable will do.

Amazon has its CTA buttons at several places on the product page, so it is hard to miss. They also stand out on the page with contrasting colors.

5. Visible Pricing and Additional Cost Information

It is a no-brainer that you must include the price of the product on the product page. However, there is other additional information related to pricing that may otherwise go unnoticed but cause trouble. 

The reason behind 53% of cart abandonment is hidden costs. (Source: Baymard Institute)

Not all e-commerce stores mention the additional costs, such as shipping, taxes, and fees, that adds up in the final calculation. Naturally, customers are unaware of it when they add the items to the cart and only come to know about it during the checkout. This leaves a bad impression on customers, making them leave the cart.

It is, therefore, wise to be transparent about this information on the product page itself. 

Include the shipping cost (try to make it free though), payment methods, expected delivery date, tax calculations, etc., so that the customers know how much they have to spend before adding the product to the cart. 

Visible pricing and shipping information can help you earn the customers’ trust.

Once again, let us take Amazon’s example.

Here you can see the additional costs are clearly mentioned and the total amount to be paid is also present. The customers do not even have to add the item to the cart to get the total price. It is all available on the page. It also includes the delivery location confirmation and expected arrival date.

One more example – Other than the additional cost information, eBay also displays the various payment methods it offers.

6. Customer Ratings and Reviews 

Customers need assurance that the product offers everything that it promises. One of the ways it is possible is to look at what others have to say about it. 

The customers who have already bought the product have more experience with it, so they know more about it if it meets the expectations. Their reviews and ratings will help the new customers to arrive at a decision.

Such product reviews and testimonials help in building trust and sales conversions.

Amazon’s (really, they get these things right) includes ratings, average ratings and by-feature ratings, and customer reviews on their product pages. 

It also includes images and videos from customers about the product. This is a huge plus point since it gives a better look at the product and if it differs what was shown or described on the page. 

You can encourage the customers after the purchase to write the product review or to rate the product. 

The reviews and ratings also open rooms for improving your products or store. You can analyze where you went wrong and resolve them. Good ratings will motivate you to do better.

7. Transparent and Accessible Return policy

Returning a product could seem a bit complicated, especially not much information about it is available.

You must very specifically brief about your return policy on the product page. It should include details about the time frame for returning. 

In most cases observed, customers are unsatisfied with the return policy.

Unsatisfying return policy leads to 10% of cart abandonment. (Source: Baymard Institute) 

Some stores do not provide relevant information or free returns. Even if there is free return, the customers do not get a decent time frame to return the product to avail it.

In some cases, the return policy is hard to find on the product page.

Therefore, your return policy must be easily accessible on the product page, and if possible, you should provide free returns. 

Boohoo lists the necessary details about returns on its product page. It also includes a link to the full policy that discusses the different terms and conditions related to returns.

8. Upselling and Cross-selling Techniques

A product page is an ideal place to promote other products in the store. 

Upselling means recommending customers products that are of better quality or more expensive than the one they are looking at.

Cross-selling means recommending customers products that are related to the product they are currently looking at.

Many e-commerce websites make use of these techniques to promote their products. And let’s agree, it is so convenient when we do not have to look for better or similar products when the store does the work for you.

It encourages customers to make more purchases.

Misguided displays a ‘also viewed’ section that helps customers in selecting other products that other customers frequently check out.

9. FAQ and Customer Questions

Customers may have a lot of questions concerning the product while browsing through the product page.

You can address the frequently asked questions in a separate FAQ section. This will be an excellent resource for them to find answers to queries. 

You should also encourage them to ask any questions and provide a space/link for the same.

GhostBed not only provides a neatly arranged FAQ section but also encourages its customers to ask questions.

10. Deals, Promotions, and Urgency 

Displaying special deals and discounts on the product page is the best way to persuade customers to purchase the product. You can add a link or coupon code on the page for them to immediately apply the deal/discount in the cart.

These links/codes can be made to stand out with special fonts and color or display them as a popup. 

Root Science displays a popup to inform its customers about a discount offer.

The other way to encourage customers is to create urgency. The fear of missing out on a product on sale or because of low stock will convince them to buy it.  

Misguided displays how customers are frequently checking out the product to create a sense of urgency among customers.

11. Mobile Optimized Product Page

Half of the e-commerce purchase happens through mobile phones. So, it is clear that any e-commerce websites looking to have a successful run must optimize their pages for mobile devices. That includes the product page as well.

The product page must fit the screen of any mobile device the user is browsing the site on. The performance of the page or any feature should not be affected because of the smaller screen. 

Google gives a lot of emphasis on mobile responsive web design to rank a page on search engines.

The user experience on the mobile phone should be as good as it is on the desktop screen. 

Lush has a good mobile responsive web design.

It is ideal to have a mobile app for the store, as it will be more convenient and easier to use.

12. Loading Speed of Product Page

Having faster loading pages is vital for any website. For e-commerce, it is even more vital since you will lose out on sales if there is a delay of even a few seconds.

If the delay in the load time of a web page exceeds 2 seconds, there is a 103% increase in bounce rate. (Source: Akamai – 2017)

Some of the factors that are responsible for slowing down your product pages are:

• Heavy media files
• A large number of product page plugins
• Number of internal links more than necessary
• Complicated site structure

To improve the load speed, you could start with compressing the media files, such as high-resolution images. There are plugins available that make it possible without compromising the image quality.

Use plugins or third-party services for product pages in moderation. Do not go overboard with them because it will bring down the loading speed.

Internal links should also be used in limited numbers to avoid delays in loading.

A simple site structure is necessary for easy navigation through the product page and thus improving the speed of the page.

13. Social Share

Internet users love sharing their interests on various social media platforms. Most often, you may have seen people share their shopping interests or their purchase status on social media, like Facebook and Twitter.

Adding social share buttons on your product pages will not only help customers share the pages easily but also promote these pages.

These posts can act as a review and rating system that will persuade other people who see them to visit the product pages .

Not all social media is popular among people. You need to carefully analyze and decide which one you want to add on your pages. Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest seem to be the most favored among e-commerce shoppers.

The social share buttons, however, should not come in the way of customers’ shopping experience. It could backfire.

They should be set in a place where they do not obstruct the customers while browsing through the page. Also, the buttons should be of decent size – not too big to distract the customers and not too small that they will miss it.

Here is how Alibaba has integrated social share buttons on its product page:

Wrapping Up

These are some of the best ways to e-commerce product page optimization. You can implement them and see how it turns out.

If you think we missed anything, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.