You have successfully driven traffic to your website. The user has navigated through your homepage, filtered by category, and clicked on a specific item. They are on the product page. This is the "moment of truth."
Sadly, this is where many e-commerce sites fail. They treat product pages like catalogue entries: a generic photo, a price, and a manufacturer’s description copy-pasted from a spreadsheet. In the competitive London market, that isn’t enough. To compete with giants like Amazon, your product pages need to do two things simultaneously: romance the customer (Sales) and speak clearly to Google (SEO).
At Custom Coded Websites, we build e-commerce platforms that balance technical precision with persuasive design. Here is our guide to optimising your product pages for maximum visibility and conversion.
1. Write Unique, Persuasive Descriptions
The SEO Mistake: Copying the description provided by the supplier. If 50 other shops sell the same item and use the same text, Google treats your page as "duplicate content" and hides it.
The Sales Mistake: Listing only features ("100% Cotton, Blue") without benefits.
The Fix: Write unique copy for every single product. Focus on the "benefits" first. Don't just say a coat is waterproof; say it "keeps you dry during those unpredictable London downpours." Use sensory words that help the customer imagine owning the product.
2. Optimise Page Titles and Meta Descriptions
The default setting on many platforms is to just use the product name. This is a wasted opportunity.
- Title Tag: Instead of just "Leather Bag," try "Handmade Leather Satchel | Men's Laptop Bag London | [Brand Name]." This targets multiple keywords (Handmade, Laptop Bag) and location.
- Meta Description: This is your ad copy in the search results. Include a unique selling point (USP) like "Free Next Day Delivery in the UK" to encourage clicks.
3. Use High-Quality, Fast-Loading Images
Humans are visual creatures. If your images are blurry or small, trust evaporates. However, high-res images can slow down your site, killing your SEO.
The Technical Balance: We use next-generation image formats (like WebP) and lazy-loading techniques. This ensures your customer sees crisp, zoomable images immediately, but the browser doesn't download the heavy data until it's needed. Don't forget to add descriptive Alt Text to every image (e.g., "Side view of black ceramic coffee mug") to help Google Images rank your products.
4. Implement Product Schema Markup
This is the secret weapon of technical SEO. Schema is code that helps Google understand your data.
By adding Product Schema (JSON-LD) to your custom code, we can tell Google exactly what the price is, whether it is in stock, and what the star rating is. This allows Google to display "Rich Snippets" in the search results—showing your price and stars right there on the search page. These visual cues significantly increase click-through rates.
5. Social Proof: Reviews and Ratings
A product with zero reviews feels risky. A product with 5 stars feels safe.
Strategy: Place reviews prominently near the "Add to Cart" button, not buried at the bottom of the page. Even a few honest reviews can boost conversions by up to 270%. For our custom builds, we can integrate automated follow-up emails that nudge customers to leave a review after their purchase arrives.
6. Clear and Urgent Calls to Action (CTAs)
Don't make the user hunt for the buy button. It should be the most visually distinct element on the page.
Conversion Tip: Use micro-copy to handle objections near the button. Small phrases like "Secure Checkout," "30-Day Returns," or "Ships Tomorrow" can tip a hesitant buyer over the edge.
7. Handle "Out of Stock" Gracefully
Nothing frustrates a user more than finding the perfect item, only to see "Out of Stock" with no other options. It’s a dead end.
The Smart Solution: Instead of a dead end, offer a "Notify Me When Available" email signup. This captures the lead and saves the sale for later. Alternatively, use a custom recommendation engine to suggest "Similar Items you might like," keeping the user on your site.
Conclusion
A high-performing product page is a blend of art and science. It requires the creative flair of a copywriter and the structural rigour of a developer. By optimising both the content and the code, you turn your product pages into 24/7 salespeople.
Is your e-commerce store underperforming? Let's fix the foundation.
Contact Custom Coded Websites for a conversion audit of your online store.