What is a product description? A product description is a piece of writing that conveys the features and benefits of a product, ranging from basic facts to stories that make a product compelling to an ideal buyer.

When you’re considering buying something online, what’s one of the first things you do? Scroll to the product description to find out more details, right?

That’s why this intro to your product or service is such a crucial component of marketing — it’s a chance to solidify the sale, increase customer confidence in your business, and reduce customer service emails by providing the answers to common questions upfront.

What is a product description?

A product description is a piece of writing that conveys the features and benefits of a product, ranging from basic facts to stories that make a product compelling to an ideal buyer.

Product descriptions commonly include…

  • Physical product details and features
  • Styles
  • Colors
  • Weights
  • Dimensions
  • Images
  • Technical specifications
  • Product uses and benefits
  • Types of materials used in construction
  • Stories relating the product to the ideal buyer
  • How something’s produced (i.e., manufactured or handmade)
  • Where something’s made (or the sourcing in the production chain)
  • Sustainability details
  • Pricing details
  • Delivery details

How long should a product description be?

Depending on the cost, complexity, or purchase frequency of a product, the length can vary. For example, purchasing a car requires far more information than buying a pair of jeans.

  • Short form (50 words or less)
  • Standard (100  words)
  • Long form (250+ words)

What can product descriptions do for a business?

Aside from educating and enticing potential customers, the best descriptions can help you differentiate your product and brand from your competitors by putting forward your most salient features and benefits.

As mentioned many times: ads only get you so far. If you want to ultimately convert customers with content, you have to give them the information they need to make a decision.

Benefits of product descriptions

Any business, regardless of industry, can use descriptions to sell their goods, whether they are intended for B2B, B2C, or D2C (direct to consumer) markets. 

Here’s a look at the benefits:

  • Increases SEO for your product pages
  • Helps consumers compare features and benefits
  • Builds trust in your products and brand
  • Improves conversion by moving customers further down the purchase funnel

Product description examples – short form

Product description examples – standard form

Product description examples – long form

Our team rated the examples above according to three degrees of quality (Good, Better, Best) to help you understand what makes a great product description and to better gauge the resources needed for your content plan.

In general, the degrees of content quality correspond to our three content levels (General, Qualified, Expert) based on the criteria below so you understand how much time it’ll take to create similar content and/or who you’d need to hire.

Please consider there are multiple variables that could determine the cost, completion time, or content level for any content piece with a perceived degree of quality. 

Want some help creating persuasive product descriptions? Talk to a content specialist at ClearVoice and find out how we can craft expert product descriptions that boost your SEO, increase trust, and get sales.