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Learn why product detail pages are essential and explore product detail page optimizations for an unmatched Shopify shopping experience.
In the early days of ecommerce, a basic product detail page (PDP) with correct product info might’ve been enough to make a sale. But today’s consumers aren’t so easily swayed. If they’re spending their money (and trust us, they will: ecommerce sales topped $648 billion for the top U.S. retailers in 2021) on an ecommerce website, they want to be 100% certain they’ve found the right solution.
In this article, we review exactly why product detail pages (PDPs) are important for both ecommerce sales and the success of an online store, and the must-have aspects a good one features. Plus, we cover some of the best PDP optimizations you can make to really crush the on-page experience. Optimizing PDPs is crucial for streamlining the buying process, making it intuitive and straightforward for customers, which in turn drives sales and improves search engine rankings.
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Understanding the Product Detail Page (PDP)
The PDP is where people learn about a product and decide if they’re going to buy it, making it a critical touchpoint for guiding potential customers through their purchasing decisions. This immediately leads us to why getting this page right is so important: it’s where conversions happen.
However! The mere existence of a PDP doesn’t guarantee sales. That’s why it’s essential to understand the important purposes a well-structured PDP serves, including its impact on search engine rankings, which is crucial for improving a site's visibility and attracting organic traffic.
One PDP Will Serve As a Template For The Majority of Your Site
Depending on your business, your online shop could offer just a few stock-keeping units (SKUs) or literally thousands of products. Each PDP must offer the same experience not only for visual consistency but for customer-experience consistency as well.
The PDP Sets The Tone For Your Brand
Your entire online shop — from the homepage to the “about us” page to the contact form — is a showcase for your brand. No doubt you've spent many hours ensuring that each page is undeniably on-point.
But with over $565 billion projected in digital ad spend and 3-4 billion people on social media, it's entirely possible that new customers will land directly on a product page and bypass the rest of your carefully curated site. The PDP needs to convey everything about your brand in a small yet highly effective space.
Great PDP Design Can Boost SERP Ranking
We all want that highly coveted first page of Google. The right combination of keywords, media, metadata, and social proof can go a long way in boosting your shop’s SERP ranking. Optimizing your product detail pages (PDPs) with these elements is crucial for enhancing visibility and ranking on search engines, ensuring your products are easily discoverable by potential customers.
Wait! It’s not ALL about the PDP
While PDP optimization is important, every site page contributes to the success of your store. For one, each page is an opportunity to improve your SEO strategy. Plus, the overall site experience can give new customers confidence in your business.
Some people need to be sold on the company before they can be sold on a product. People need to trust your store as a reliable resource before committing to a purchase, especially if the products are expensive or require long-term commitments.
PDP Essentials
Whether we realize it or not, we’re looking for a lot more than just the right price when shopping online. Digital shoppers want to know the product they’re purchasing isn’t just a good enough option. They want to know it’s the right choice. Clear, detailed product descriptions and high-quality product images are essential in providing this assurance and enhancing the Product Detail Page (PDP) experience.
Reassure customers with a focus on the following:
Attention-grabbing Imagery
Your PDP must showcase high quality images and high quality product images to immediately capture the customer's attention. These images should be well-lit, clear, and detailed, presenting the product from various angles and perspectives to enhance the customer experience. Users should have the ability to zoom in as needed for an even better look at the product's size, fit, and usage.
Here’s a solid PDP by Liquid Death. Despite selling a basic commodity (water), they leverage high-quality, attention-grabbing product images (along with exciting marketing and branding) to drive conversions and increase sales. (They also produced a humorously on-brand Super Bowl ad.)
A Focused Product Description
You only have two to three lines in your product descriptions to show customers that you can expertly anticipate their wants and needs, so make those words count. Incorporate clear, detailed, and keyword-rich product descriptions to effectively communicate the value of the product, persuade buyers, and gain an SEO advantage. Build your brand voice into PDP copy and address why this product is a must-have for your ideal customer, integrating product-related keywords, catalog numbers, SKU numbers, and specific product data to minimize the risk of customer complaints and returns.
Essential Product Information
The PDP is a treasure trove of information for the user. Feature the price front-and-center above the fold while including additional product info (think specs, materials, uses, etc.) further down the page.
For example, Kion lays bare the ingredients of their Aminos Powder because they know having essential product information on the PDP helps customers understand what they’re buying. (Which helps increase conversions.)
Including shipping information and shipping costs on the product detail page is crucial for providing a complete overview of the product to potential buyers, emphasizing the importance of transparency in building customer trust and loyalty.
Clearly Defined CTA
Make the CTA button quickly identifiable and easy to access above the fold. This is not the time for subtle language. “Buy now,” “Add to cart,” “Make it yours” — leave no trace of doubt as to what the buyer needs to do.
Cross-sell and Upsell Options
Increase average order value (AOV) by including logical cross-sell and upsell options. Licorice.com included a carousel packed with personalized product recommendations on every PDP, helping them to achieve a 17% higher AOV. This type of offer is valuable to both loyal customers and to people who are on their way to becoming one.
Ratings and Reviews
Product reviews and ratings play a huge role in ecommerce. Almost 55% of consumers read at least four reviews before buying a product online and 27% view products as more trustworthy when they have 12-50 reviews. Include star ratings above the fold and more detailed reviews further down the page.
Gamer Supps does a great job featuring ratings and reviews on every PDP. They even summarize the ratings by stars, á la Amazon. (See how Gamer Supps used Rebuy to launch a new product.)
Kick It Up a Notch with PDP Optimization
Step it up a notch. With the increasing use of mobile devices for online shopping, it's crucial to optimize your PDPs for a seamless mobile user experience. Step up your PDP game with these optimizations, tailored to meet the specific needs and preferences of your target audience.
Feature Original Product Photography
Lots of it. One awesome product image is good, but we know you can do better than that. The more people can picture themselves using your product, the better. Provide images of the product from multiple angles, close-up shots to show texture and finer details, and a lifestyle shot or two (snapshots of how the product appears in the content of everyday life).
Take It a Step Further With Video
Research from Wyzowl shows 88% of people were convinced to buy a product or service by watching a brand's video, and 73% preferred video for learning about a product. Plus, click-through rates and engagement with videos can boost search engine results page (SERP) ranking. Win-win.
Keep in mind that adding images and videos will affect page load speed, which can also affect your site's reliability. (Don't worry, Rebuy is lightweight solution helps your site maintain a quick load speed so shoppers benefit from more media.)
Add Even More Social Proof
SproutSocial reports, “Consumers are six times more likely to make a purchase from a product page that includes pictures from social media.” So make sure all those tagged photos from satisfied customers make their way to your PDP.
Create a Cohesive Space
Good PDP design is crucial to keeping your customer's attention. Any plug-ins must seamlessly integrate with the PDP. Rebuy is designed to fit any Shopify theme, so let your brand shine and keep the customer's focus squarely on your killer product.
Optimize Your PDP to Convert More Customers
While a well-designed product detail page (PDP) is a critical web page component of the overall web presence of an ecommerce store, playing a major role in creating intelligent shopping experiences, advanced optimization can result in record-breaking performance for your store. Optimizing product pages goes beyond the PDP, encompassing all product-related content on the site to enhance the customer experience and drive sales. An optimized PDP used throughout your shop can help you convert more customers, increase AOV, and accelerate your sales. By employing the optimizations above, you’re setting up your store, and your brand, to dazzle your customers and achieve results you never thought possible.
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