How To Write E-commerce Ad Copy That Sells
So what is e-commerce ad copy anyway? Simply put, it's the text your customers see when browsing online. Say you're searching for a new pair of shoes. You'll see a listing on an e-commerce site that includes a headline, subheadline, body copy, and more.
Now that you know what it is and why it matters—because people are looking at it before deciding whether to buy your stuff or not—let's look at some best practices for writing excellent e-commerce ad copy.
What's e-commerce ad copy?
If you're reading this, there's a good chance you know what e-commerce ad copy is: It's the text that appears on your site to promote your product, whether it be an ebook or a set of headphones. You may also know it as product copy—the name was given to the text found in each of the "add to cart" buttons on an e-commerce site.
Ad copy is necessary because its job is to convince potential buyers that they should buy from you instead of your competitors. The best way for this task is through effective writing and design (you can read more about how we do that here). In fact, research shows that even when people visit multiple pages within your website, they will make their purchasing decision based solely on ad copy! This means that not only do you need excellent ad copy but also back it up with high-quality images as well.
How to write e-commerce ad copy
The first thing you need to do is write for your ideal customer. If you don't know who that is, start by taking an inventory of the people buying from you. Do they have common characteristics? Are there certain things that attract them to your brand over other brands?
Then, break the rules of traditional copywriting: Don't start with a headline and then lead into the body copy; instead, write with a header first so that people know what they're getting into before they read more than a few sentences. In addition, write in short sections and paragraphs rather than long blocks of text (because we all know no one has time for that).
Copywriting can be challenging. You have to be persuasive and persuasive without being pushy, you have to be informative without being boring, and you have to make people feel like they're getting something out of what they read—even if that's just a chuckle.
But one thing that e-commerce copywriters often overlook is how many sentences per paragraph they should use. It's an important question! Too few sentences per paragraph could mean your copy doesn't flow well enough for the reader to understand what you're trying to say. Too many could mean your copy is disjointed or confusing.
So how many sentences should you write per paragraph? As a general rule of thumb, it's recommended between three and five sentences per paragraph. But ultimately, it depends on your audience, so think about who your target customer is when deciding how many sentences per paragraph is best for them.
Put buttons at the end of each section or paragraph—make them clear calls to action! Lastly, research what language your customers use when searching online and ensure it's reflected in their ad copy experience on your website.
1. Understand what types of products make your customers happy.
The first step in writing ad copy is determining what your customers want. This means you need to do some research:
Look at what your customers search for on Google and other search engines (Google Analytics will help you with this).
Look at the articles that get the most clicks on your site and any blog posts or articles you've written. If people are clicking on it, they want more!
Check out what your competitors are doing in terms of content marketing, especially if you're trying to get into a new market or service area. Notice how they use keywords in their titles, subtitles, and images!
2. Write for your ideal customer.
Because you're an intelligent person, you already know that the ad copy on your e-commerce site needs to be written for your target audience. But what does that mean? Well, it means:
Use language that your ideal customer uses. If you don't know what words and phrases they commonly use, ask around (or check their social media feeds).
Make sure the product description is relevant to them. For example, if they're looking for shoes, ensure the page isn't filled with clothes or jewelry instead!
Keep it short and sweet—the average reader only has about 20 seconds before they get bored or distracted by something else going on in their life (like making lunch).
3. Break the rules of traditional copy writing.
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