Good copy above your product grids can reduce costs, increase conversions and add to the user experience. This is true even though that same copy sometimes pushes products below the fold.
So how do you have a conversation with branding, design, UX, paid search and operations to get them on board with adding copy above the product grid? Simple, speak to them in their terms, not in yours as an SEO or content creator.
Below you’ll find three ways that I use with my agency to approach the design, finance, branding and marketing teams. I use facts, data and examples that relate to their departments. By relating to them I am speaking their language vs. talking like I would to my team.
Please note I use “collection” instead of “category” when referencing pages because I got feedback many of my readers are on shopping cart platforms that call categories collections.
We Will Save Money From Live Chat, Customer Support & Returns, or Warehousing
In this approach you’ll want to pick a specific category or two and look through live chat records. You can also talk to the shipping and returns teams to verify the amount of specific products that get returned.
If live chat is regularly answering the same questions about a specific category of products and/or the warehouse is getting the same products back because the products in the category weren’t compatible or didn’t have a feature your customers need, you are in good shape to get copy added to the product grid.
The first thing to do is talk to finance and logistics about the costs associated with returns, warehouse logistics and shipping. Now create your pitch to the marketing and branding teams about reducing costs and make sure the Finance is included on the email so you have their support. Now create your pitch using the information you got from live chat and logistics and have some content examples in your presentation. I’ll use t-shirts for this example.
“If you’re looking for blue t-shirts that are stain and wrinkle resistant for more than 100 washes, and that are designed to hide problem areas like a beer belly, our shirts are a “fit” for you. Each of the blue t-shirts below is made form our patented fabric that is both machine washable and super comfortable. Best of all they are stain and wrinkle resistant with a 2 year money back guarantee.”
By having the example copy you can now make a case that by including these details above the product grid you can reduce the need for as much Live Chat support answering questions about wrinkles and being dry clean only. By adding copy above the product grid you are answering the questions you would normally pay live chat to handle which frees them up for more important tasks, answers questions customers that hate live chat have, and this can save you money.
Adding Copy Increases Your Conversion Rates
The most common feedback I get when I say I’d like to add copy above the products is “We don’t want to push products below the fold?” or “We don’t want our products going lower on the page”. Oddly enough this is normally said by companies that have large hero images on the tops of their collection pages which also makes no sense. But that is for a different post.
Having good copy above your product grids can and likely will increase your conversion rates. But only if you write it for the end user.
In this situation the concern from your company is losing money by pushing products down and potentially decreasing the chance of getting the person to a PDP (product display page). So instead of sharing non-tangible examples like above I use data to show that copy will increase the likelihood of reaching a PDP, not prevent it.
We’ll go with baby crib mattresses for this example.
Here are the estimated monthly search volumes for a few keywords.
- baby crib mattress – 8,100
- baby crib mattress size – 880
- baby crib mattress pad – 320
- baby cribs with mattress included – 260
You’ll see that in the phrases above roughly 1 in 10 people are looking for mattress sizes and 1 in 20 people are looking for pads. There are also questions about safety and cleaning. In total about 1 in 4 people have questions when shopping for baby crib mattresses and this is where you want to make your case.
Start by mapping out the keywords and their search volumes like I did above. Next try to get some of the live chat conversations with time stamps to show these questions are real and are not just a trend question because of a recent or social event (i.e. a baby getting hurt on a mattress or a news article about a material being potentially toxic). Now write sample copy for your pitch.
“Each baby crib mattress from XY brand is not only easy to clean, but is certified safe and non-toxic by AB organization. If you’re looking for a baby crib mattress with a pad, sort by “with pad” using the filters on the left or look for the purple circle on the product images. You’ll love the all-natural-odor resistant fabrics and stain-protecting materials. Not to mention the peace of mind you’ll enjoy when baby has an accident because with your new crib mattress, clean up is a breeze thanks to our patented XYZ.
And best of all each mattress below fits all standard baby and toddler crib sizes. If you already have your crib picked out, select the brand on the left to find each mattress that will fit perfectly with your style. If you don’t have a crib picked out, click here to see our selection of baby cribs and save when you bundle the crib and mattress together.”.
Copy Does Not Take Away From the User Experience, Copy Adds to It
In the two examples above I shared how copy above a product grid adds to the user experience. Good content on your collection pages not only reduces your companies expenses and increases sales, but it also adds to the user experience. And to prove this I run some tests.
The first is to get the ok to install the copy. The next is to find which product categories have the most questions or make your customers have to use the sorting and filtering features.
For this example lets use cargo shorts. Here is the estimated monthly search volume for the phrase.
- cargo shorts – 49,500
- mens cargo shorts – 49,500
- womens cargo shorts – 18,100
- camo cargo shorts – 3,600
- black cargo shorts – 2,900
- khaki cargo shorts – 1,900
- big and tall cargo shorts – 1,600
The first thing I do is look for which subcategories we will have for a long time (and also convert well). If we carry kahki but not camo, even though camo has the higher search volume it is irrelevant. Send camo to the product team for future consideration and focus on what we do have which is kahki.
Now I write the copy for the main collection page for “cargo shorts”. Because it could be men’s or women’s and we have a couple of colors and sizes, I’ll do my best to incorporate them in naturally. By doing this and adding internal links we provide a good user experience by helping our customers reach the most relevant page and without having to scroll through a menu or use a search box. We’re also building site structure so this is a win-win!
Now it is time to measure the positive impact on user experience and revenue.
To measure the impact I set up funnels in Google analytics, I use a tracking tool like this one (this is my affiliate link and I’ll hopefully get a commission if you click and shop without using a coupon code), and we look for increases in total sales and decreases in page views per checkout. The decrease in page views is because we made it easier to find the right product faster which reduces the time on the site and also reduces the strain on our servers.
“Let’s face it, we all need extra pockets and that is the beauty of cargo shorts! You always have an extra pocket. Whether it’s men’s or women’s styles, or if you want a classy kahki cargo short for everyday wear… And we carry all sizes from petite options to big and tall cargo shorts.”
In the example above I’d use internal links to direct visitors from the main collection page to the sub collections. It helps them find the products they are looking for faster and also helps search engines learn about the topic and products on each sub category.
Adding copy to your category pages isn’t just for SEO, it is a way to enhance the user experience and increase revenue. If you’re looking for ideas on how to get started writing your copy or setting up tests, click here to contact me today.