Did you know the layout of your pages may have a bigger impact on the clicks your site gets?
SearchPilot posed the question: “Does Adding Product Descriptions above the fold Improve SEO?” and the results from their research seem to indicate yes.
SearchPilot Research
SearchPilot set out to see how the positioning of product descriptions on the page would impact rankings. To do this, they moved the product description content on an ecommerce website from below the fold to above the fold, where it would be seen on the first load of the page without needing to scroll.
The result of this change was a positive impact on the organic traffic, with an uplift of 14% on desktop.

Why Is It Better to Have Product Copy Higher on Your Page?
There are a few reasons why putting content above the fold can have a positive impact on clicks.
Firstly, having information above the fold on the first screen load is beneficial to users. It helps your customer see the details they need more quickly and with ease. Google’s prioritisation of user experience means that a page layout that favours the usability for customers will be seen more favourably, and Google may reward that by ranking the site higher. With Google launching the “Helpful Content Update” it is clear that they are focussing their algorithm further into making search results benefit users.
Likewise, by reading that information first on the page, Google may think that the content is more relevant and authoritative, which again has positive benefits on ranking.
How to Get The Best Results From Your Product Copy
It’s not just a case of putting any old text higher up the page – to get the best ranking for your site, the copy you use needs to be good quality, optimised, relevant and unique.
Using Long Tail Keywords in Product Copy
To optimise your product copy, make sure the page copy contains sufficient long tail keywords for the terms you are trying to target and rank for.
Good Quality and Unique Copy
The copy needs to be grammatically correct, with accurate spelling and consistent formatting, for the benefit of both usability and Google.
In addition, the copy should be unique, with no plagiarism from other sites or identical text from other pages on your own website. Avoid using template product descriptions, instead add value with unique copy to multiply the benefit you’ll see from your product SEO work.
Informative Content
The text you use for your product or page copy should provide the user with enough information to make a decision or encourage them to add to cart. It can be used to make yourself an authority in your field by offering expert information or advice about how to use your product or service.
Try to add value by answering questions, such as:
- How to use it?
- How long will it last?
- How to store?
- Maintenance advice (if necessary) etc.
Not sure how to create the best copy or where to position things on your page? That’s where we can help! Our conversion rate optimisation, UX and SEO services can help you to develop the perfect product pages.
Get in touch today to discover how we would adapt your site for success.