How to write a product description for your website
A step by step method for writing product descriptions on your own online store, with a worked example, plus the Shopify and WooCommerce fields that affect how the page is found.
Ashish · 7 min read
On a marketplace, a buyer is comparing your listing with ten others on the same page. On your own website, they've already found you. The product description has a different job there: answer their questions well enough that they don't leave to look somewhere else.
This guide gives a simple method that works for any store, a worked example, and the fields that matter on Shopify and WooCommerce.
Step 1: List the questions a buyer would ask
Before writing, note what someone would want to know before paying. For most products it's some version of:
- What exactly is it?
- What is it made of, and how big is it?
- Will it work for me? (size, fit, compatibility)
- How do I look after it?
- What comes in the box?
- When will it arrive, and can I send it back?
Your customer emails and reviews are the best source. If three people asked whether a bag fits a laptop, the answer belongs in the description.
Step 2: Lead with what it is
The first sentence should say what the product is and who it's for, in plain words. WooCommerce's own advice on product descriptions is to start with what the product is (WooCommerce: SEO product descriptions).
"Take your adventures further with our premium travel solution" says nothing. "A 40 litre weekender bag in waxed canvas, made for two or three nights away" tells the shopper in one line whether to keep reading.
Step 3: Turn features into reasons
A feature is a fact. A reason is why that fact matters to the buyer. Put them together:
| Feature | With the reason |
|---|---|
| Waxed cotton canvas | Waxed cotton canvas that shrugs off light rain |
| Separate shoe pocket | A separate shoe pocket, so muddy shoes stay away from clothes |
| Leather handles | Leather handles that soften with use |
Don't add a reason that isn't true. If you're not sure the canvas handles rain, say what it's made of and stop there.
Step 4: Use numbers instead of adjectives
"Spacious" means different things to different people. "40 litres, 55 x 30 x 25 cm" means the same thing to everyone. Give measurements, weights, capacities and materials wherever you can. They answer questions before they're asked, and they're harder to argue with than "high quality".
Step 5: Make it easy to scan
Most shoppers scan before they read. Keep the opening to two or three sentences, then use bullets for the facts, one idea per bullet. Use a table for size charts or anything with more than a few measurements.
Step 6: Be honest about limits
Say who it isn't for. "Not waterproof in heavy rain" or "runs small, size up if you're between sizes" costs you very little and saves returns. It also makes the rest of the description easier to believe.
Step 7: Write it yourself
Shopify recommends that resellers don't use the manufacturer's exact description (Shopify Help: adding keywords). The supplier's text is on every other store selling the item, so it gives a shopper no reason to buy from you. YelloShelf drafts from your own product photo, which gives you something to edit rather than something to copy.
A good product description answers the buyer's next question before they ask it.
A worked example
A made-up product and brand to show the method.
Before:
"Premium quality weekender bag. Perfect for any trip. Stylish and durable. Order now."
After:
A 40 litre weekender bag in waxed cotton canvas, made for two or three nights away.
- Waxed cotton canvas that handles light rain
- Leather handles and a padded shoulder strap
- Separate shoe pocket at one end
- Inside pocket for keys and a phone
- 55 x 30 x 25 cm, 1.4 kg empty
- Wipe clean with a damp cloth. Not machine washable.
Free UK delivery, and returns within 30 days if it's unused.
The before version has four claims and no facts. The after version answers size, material, care, delivery and returns, so there's very little left to email about. YelloShelf drafts in the same shape: a clear opening line, then bullets with the facts.
Your website's search title and description
On your own site, there's one more piece: the page title and meta description that Google can show in search results. These are separate from the description on the page.
- Page title: what the product is, with the main words near the start, and your store name if it fits. Shopify recommends 60 characters or fewer.
- Meta description: a short summary with a reason to click. Shopify recommends about 160 characters, in natural phrases rather than a list of keywords.
For the bag above:
Page title (44 characters): Waxed Canvas Weekender Bag, Olive | Barrowby
Meta description (118 characters): A 40 litre weekender in waxed cotton canvas with leather handles and a shoe pocket. 55 x 30 x 25 cm. Free UK delivery.
Write a different one for every product. YelloShelf writes this search title and description for your product page along with the description, so the three match.
On Shopify
Shopify has the fields built in. Open the product, scroll to Search engine listing preview, and click Edit website SEO to set the page title, meta description and URL handle. Shopify uses the product Title as the main heading on the page, so keep it as the plain product name. For six worked examples with titles and meta descriptions, see our Shopify product description examples.
On WooCommerce
WooCommerce splits things a little differently (WooCommerce docs: product editor).
- Product name: the title at the top of the page. WooCommerce uses it to create the slug, the last part of the URL, when you first save the product. Changing the name later doesn't change the slug.
- Slug: edit it with the Edit button below the product name after the first save, or turn on the Slug panel in Screen Options.
- Product description: the long one, for the full detail.
- Product short description: in WooCommerce's words, "a succinct summary of the long description". It typically appears next to the product images, so put the three or four facts that decide the sale here.
WooCommerce and WordPress don't give you a separate page title and meta description field on their own. Most stores add them with an SEO plugin, which puts an SEO title and meta description box in the product editor. WooCommerce's guide suggests a unique meta description for every product, around or under 160 characters, built from what it is, its most important attribute and one trust or delivery detail.
One check before any of this: in WordPress, go to Settings, then Reading, and make sure "Discourage search engines from indexing this site" isn't ticked. It's sometimes left on from when the store was being built.
Image alt text
Alt text describes an image for shoppers using screen readers and for search engines. Describe what's actually in the photo in a few plain words, like "Olive waxed canvas weekender bag with leather handles". Use different alt text for each photo. YelloShelf's product images come with your draft, so you can write the alt text as you upload them.
Quick checklist
- The first sentence says what it is and who it's for.
- Bullets with the facts, one idea per bullet.
- Numbers instead of adjectives.
- Honest limits stated.
- Your own words, not the supplier's.
- A unique page title and meta description.
- Alt text on every image.
Write product pages with YelloShelf
YelloShelf turns one product photo into a first draft of the whole page: a title, a description and bullets, a suggested price based on what's already selling, and the Google search title and description for your own site's product page. It also makes product images and social posts with captions and hashtags for Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, Facebook and X.
It doesn't publish anything. You check the draft, add what only you know, and paste it into your store yourself.
No subscription or free trial. Pay as you go credit packs from $10, with a 7-day money-back guarantee on your first purchase.
Made by the team behind YelloShelf
Start your product page from a draft
Upload a product photo and get a title, a description, bullets and the search title and description for your product page. You check it and paste it in yourself.
- Pay as you go credit packs from $10
- No subscription
- 7-day money-back guarantee on your first purchase
FAQ
How do you write a product description for a website?
Start with one sentence that says what the product is and who it's for. Then list the facts a buyer checks, such as size, materials, care and what's included, one idea per bullet. Finish with delivery or returns if you have something useful to say, and write it in your own words rather than copying the supplier.
How long should a product description be?
Long enough to answer the questions a buyer would otherwise email you about. For most products that's a short opening paragraph and four to eight bullets. A simple product needs less, and a technical one may need a size chart or a table.
Should I use the manufacturer's product description?
It's better not to. Shopify recommends that resellers don't use the manufacturer's exact description, because the same text appears on many other sites and gives a shopper no reason to pick yours.
How do I write product descriptions for SEO?
Use the words a buyer would search, near the start, in natural sentences. Write a unique description for each product, and fill in the page title and meta description that search engines show. Shopify has fields for these built in. On WooCommerce you usually add them with an SEO plugin.
What's the difference between the short and long description in WooCommerce?
WooCommerce describes the short description as a succinct summary of the long description. It typically appears next to the product images. The long description holds the full detail, such as materials, sizing, care and what's in the box.
