The Best Content for Your Online Shop †Part 2

The Best Content for Your Online Shop – Part 2 The right content is a must for any online store. Informative content and advice will help to win over your customers. However, as a shop owner, you should make sure to use the right amount of content in the right places and also ensure its suitable for your audience and purpose.In the first part of our series on the best content for your online shop, we looked at content connected with external sites (SERP snippets, ads, social media and newsletters). In Part 2, we now take a look at sites that are accessible to the public and that the shop owner can generally manage alone: landing pages, category pages, product pages and your own blog. The right content is a must for any online store. Informative content and advice will help to win over your customers. However, as a shop owner, you should make sure to use the right amount of content in the right places and also ensure its suitable for your audience and purpose.In the first part of our series on the best content for your online sho p, we looked at content connected with external sites (SERP snippets, ads, social media and newsletters). In Part 2, we now take a look at sites that are accessible to the public and that the shop owner can generally manage alone: landing pages, category pages, product pages and your own blog.Use your website content to convince customers about your products.The content on public pages of your store serve to persuade potential customers to commit to your shop and encourage them to make a purchase. Decide what your content should communicate, which will depend on the status of each customer and his or her customer journey. Are they gathering information on a first visit, making a purchase decision or just looking for the right provider? All these questions will impact your shop communication. Moreover, certain criteria will apply to each of the different types of content mentioned.With the right content, shop owners can demonstrate their expertise and sell online visitors on their p roducts. To be effective, content should provide the right blend of information and advice, and the sales pitch must appeal to the customers emotions.1. Landing PagesThe landing page is where users will arrive after clicking on an ad, for example a search engine result or a newsletter teaser. These pages are designed to move the user towards a conversion, such as buying a product or registering with the shop site.What belongs on a landing page?In principle, as with other websites, almost any shop page should be designed so that it can act as a landing page. Potential customers may be just as likely to open a product page or a category page, and in each case, there should be no need to click through to the shop to get what they want.Specially optimized landing pages can be customized to target the user. The landing page is often the users first experience of your company, and thus it should be well designed and responsive to his or her needs. This means the landing page must contain exactly what was previously offered in a search listing or via a teaser. So be aware of the customers status and journey.The landing page should pique the users interest and be designed to achieve the intended goal with the least possible effort. The content should be as helpful as possible but also brief, clear and to the point. It should praise the merits of a product or service, without being intrusive. Good content doesnt sell a product: It satisfies a customer need. To do this, explain how the product or service can help the customer (emotional), and then confirm this via the products characteristics (rational).In order to create a landing page that will appeal, customize the pages quality and its purpose, be sure to include the right elements and avoid anything irrelevant.Include:A corporate design, including a logo.An appealing heading describing the benefits of the product.A high-quality, compelling description of how the service or the product fulfils the users needs.Elemen ts that increase user confidence, e.g. trust seals or testimonials.If appropriate, a form to obtain user information.A clearly visible call-to-action, such as Click here to download e-book.Useful content providing more information about the product, for example, videos, photos, etc.Where appropriate, contact details.Dont (necessarily) include:A navigation menu taking users to other pages outside the buying process.Social media buttons that may distract the user about to make a conversion.Unnecessary or confusing information, e.g. in the product description, on the data form or within any additional content.Take-Away Points:Landing pages should be clearly focused on the user. They should not sell a product/service but must fulfill the customers need.A landing page must deliver the displayed offer that the user selected.All aspects of the communication should be designed to achieve a conversion and, therefore, must be clearly expressed and persuade both emotionally and rationally.Some standard elements have proven indispensable on landing pages while others are optional, and some should be avoided.2. Category and Brand PagesCategory and brand pages provide an overview and information about a category or brand and its products. They allow at-a-glance comparison of different products.The products available usually occupy the foreground on category pages, allowing customers to focus on selecting the right product filter, images and information. These elements simplify the selection process for the customers and help them make a choice.A high-quality brand or category or description may positively enhance a page, helping the customers while also improving search engine optimization, which is an important ranking factor. These contents frequently follow certain rules.What belongs in a category or brand description?The contents on a category or brand overview page provide general information about the category or brand. You can, for example, describe the advantages an d disadvantages of products, provide tips for their use and explain individual brand concepts to the customer.With meaningful sub-headings you can give the reader a quick overview, but dont use too much detailed or extravagant information. Try instead to clearly set out the product categorys core information.To offer the user added value, you should provide links direct from the content for certain main- and sub-categories. So, for example, you could directly link a sports surface with matching tennis shoes.Include your chosen keywords within the contents of category pages because this will improve your chances of gaining a better ranking.Some online stores link their category pages to an advice page. The advantage of this is that the category can be described in much greater detail. However, the category page thereby loses its content, and the user has to leave the page to view the advice page a possible conversion killer.Take-Away Points:Category content is not a must but is a pl easant addition with lots of potential to offer added value to the customer.Your content should be search engine optimized to potentially improve your page ranking.You should first of all provide users with general buying advice, and use main- and sub-categories rather than descriptions of individual products.Dont include too much detail, and avoid useless facts.Create content with added value by linking to matching pre-selected products.Linked guides can serve as an alternative to category contents.3. Product PagesProduct pages are the pages specifically designed to persuade your customers to purchase their desired products. Your core content, the product description, ideally provides the prospective customer with all the important information and the arguments about why the product should be purchased.What belongs on a product page?Whether headings, product photos, videos, delivery details or cross-sell products, each element plays its part in informing and advising the customers and persuading them to buy. One of the product pages key elements is the product description. This crucial content converts prospects into buyers.A good product description is informative, concise and speaks to customers emotionally, and it is very important that the description is tailored to the target audience. Tonality, content length and density of information should all match the product and its prospective buyer.A product description thats too salesy can quickly create a negative effect. Remember, its not just a matter of persuading the customer to make a purchase but also to boost their trust in the store. Its very important not to sell the product but instead fulfill the needs of the customer. Explain the benefits of an article and clearly point out what advantages the product may offer the customer.Important elements of a product description:A meaningful title that, if possible, mentions some of the products key features.An introduction that leads the customer to the produ ct. Connect on an emotional level and explain what problems the product can solve.Liststo provide a quick overview of the product and its benefits.A product data sheet to download, which lists the full product details and is available as a separate download.If appropriate, a link to the manufacturer, which can increase user confidence in the shop. However, any link to an external site also risks losing a prospective purchaser.Reviews and tests, extracts from which may be cited in the description.In addition, each product page is also a potential landing page that the user may arrive on via Google or directly from an advertisement. So ideally, both the product description and the rest of the page should be search engine optimized.Take-Away Points:A product page consists of many different elements. One key element is the product description.Product pages should advise, inform and persuade browsers to purchase, yet they should not be too promotional, or they risk losing the trust of cu stomers.The product description content should solve a problem for the customer: It should demonstrate how the product can help users and prove the case with its arguments.Clear and easily understandable style and wording is important.A good product description must specifically address its target group.More on Product Pageshttps://www.contentbroker.com/product-descriptions4. BlogsA blog allows online shops to offer their users an additional service and also provides a means of differentiating themselves from the competition. In addition, search engines like a quality blog, which makes it a great source for increasing web traffic.A blog can act as an advisor and purchase consultant and usefully supplement or replace category or even product contents. In contrast to the inherent restrictions on product or category pages, shop owners can offer detailed content advice within a blog and thus convince the customer more effectively. The extra effort required to operate your blog can be wo rthwhile in terms of the higher customer satisfaction and better SEO results it brings.What belongs in your blog?You have more or less complete freedom in a blog. As a shop owner, you can describe product testing, write guides and produce reports about your shop. A blog is mainly used to inform your users, to entertain and to offer advice. With a high-quality blog, you can generate more traffic and backlinks, boost your visibility in search engine rankings, set yourself apart from your competition and increase customer satisfaction.Given the amount of blogs available, you must deliver high-quality content to get traffic. This includes:Unique content.Language that is perfectly tailored to your target audience: Clear and understandable for the reader with appropriate jargon.Neat, well-structured and properly-edited content: Paragraphs, subheads and bullet point lists are mandatory; images, videos and infographics are encouraged.Optimum length: A blog post can only be as long as its co ntent will allow. Content should be concise and to the point, without empty words and meaningless phrases.Error-free content thats easy to read no convoluted sentences.Content should be search engine optimizedd.Above all, information should be entertaining and helpful.Take-Away Points:Producing a blog can be very beneficial: More customers, more coverage, higher customer satisfaction, differentiation from your rivals and better rankings are just a few of the perks.Blog posts should be high-quality and useful to the reader.Writing should be target-group-oriented and optimum content length.More Blogshttps://www.contentbroker.com/bloggingDont Miss:In the next part of our series, we address non-public content on your website. Youll find out what makes quality shop content in areas like registration, order confirmation as well as service and support emails.