Beat the Panda

How to create original Google-friendly copy for product pages

It’s been a few weeks now since Google shook the SEO world with what has come to be known as the ‘Panda/Farmer’ update .

This massive change to the algorithms saw some websites plummeting in their natural search rankings overnight.

Although most of the commentary was about how it affected content sites, retailers also lost out. Why? Because they were using manufacturer’s copy rather than writing large amounts from scratch. In Google’s eyes it makes for a better visitor experience if all the copy is original, unique and well-written.

Most retail sites that have been hit prefer to keep quiet about it, for obvious reasons. One leading SEO expert said, “I can tell you there were some retail sites that lost out but I can’t quote any as I have signed Non-Disclosure Agreements.”

The most well-publicised retail site to suffer was Play.com. Another retailer prepared to go on record is Greg Percifield, owner Of MusicForte.com a sheet music store selling 200,000 unique products. The site has a vast amount of non-original content because the publishing company insists that vendors must use the descriptions provided.

Has Panda/Farmer changed web content?

The Panda/Farmer update is unlikely to be the last major algorithm change Google will ever make. Like Vince and Caffeine before, the clear message from Panda is that the best way to future-proof retail sites is to focus on high quality, unique content and a non-robot facing approach.

Given the massive publicity around the world that Panda has received, I was interested to see whether it had encouraged web owners to alter their retail sites significantly. I decided to google a few products at random. The first one was ‘torch’ and then I picked the LED Lenser P7 torch. Judging by the speed at which I found numerous examples of ‘farmed’ manufacturer’s copy it would seem that there’s still a lot of unoriginal content out there. Let's take a look at this example in-depth:

A random but everyday example

This is the copy that the official LED Lenser UK distributor has on their own website for that product:
The P7 Tactical should be standard equipment on every duty belt. With 200 lumens of focusable light and 64 hours of battery life from standard AAA batteries, it will far outshine any other light of its size.

• Advanced Focus System - Spot to Flood Beam
• Lightweight Aircraft Aluminium Casing
• One Handed Speed Focus
• Quick - Cycle Switch System - Touch for Maximum Light, Click for High Light, Click again for Low
• Rear Tail Cap Switch

Farmed copy is alive and well

This copy was repeated, word for word, on several other sites, including Tooledup.com, Halfords.co.uk and mptools.co.uk, the sitebox.com and 7 dayshop.com. Another, Cellpacksolutions.com, used much of the same text, but added in a few flourishes shown in blue below.

The P7 Tactical should be standard equipment on every duty belt. A favourite amongst the Police Force and Search & Rescue. With 200 lumens of focusable light and 130 hours of battery life from standard AAA batteries, it will far outshine any other light of its size. A fantastic looking torch, it comes in a gift box including wrist strap and holster. This makes it ideal as a present and highly collectable.

Would that be enough to make Google’s spiders want to come and slurp your content? I don’t know, because that kind of information is only known within the inner circle of the inner sanctum of Google’s algorithm makers. However, my guess is that it’s not enough, especially as the first line is identical.

A dead giveaway

Amazon.co.uk also kicked off with the standard manufacturer’s copy and then added in more guff taken from zweibreuder.com the parent company site. Unfortunate they left a dead giveaway in the last line that the copy has been scraped as they overlooked changing ‘our lights’ from the first person into the third person.

‘Led Lenser use only the highest wattage and the finest quality LEDs and laboratory test our lights to determine precise milliwatt output’. Someone should have noticed ‘our lights’ and changed it to ‘their lights’.

It also breaks copywriting taboos like directly knocking the competition, eg: ‘plus solid metal casings where most competitors would have plastic’ and using negative words like ‘problem’ and ‘lacking’.

But worse than that, the additional copy is dull and full of technical phrases like ‘superior electrical conductor’ and ‘beam depth and distance’. There’s no point in getting customers to your site if you lose their interest once you get there with boring copy.

[Dave's comments - but despite this it is #1 in the SERPs - thanks to the Amazon domain authority and unique content created through it's comments - another benefit of user-generated content - if you have sufficient]

How to convert base info into original copy

So if you have a site that’s full of manufacturer’s snippets, how do you go about replacing it with original, unique and compelling sales copy?

Planning is key. Start off by creating a specification for the copy. Typically this might be five bullet points followed by 2-3 paragraphs with sub-heads with an overall length of 150-250 words. Major keywords would be woven into the bullet points and sub-heads.

Tone of voice

A key part of the specification the tone of voice. This is the mood or attitude of the writing, which needs to be appropriate to your target audience and your own brand values. Define who you are writing for, so that you can think about what might make them interested in the product.

You can also specify reasons why the customer should buy from you rather than someone else, and use this as a call to action in the final bullet point.

Once the spec is agreed, then it’s easy to create original content by taking the bones of the manufacturer’s information and re-writing it in the new format and using vocabulary and phrasing to achieve a tone of voice that reflects your brand.

Use other sources of information

Another trick is to have a look at customer reviews. You often find nuggets of information that can really help bring the copy to life. Add on a little about why the reader should buy from you, and you’ve got brand new readable copy that keeps both humans and spiders happy. Chances are, it will be longer too, which also helps you get points with Google.

I leave you with this example – the same piece of copy, written to the new format. Remember, I picked this product completely at random – the principles can be applied to any type of products.

Example of original manufacturers copy

The P7 Tactical should be standard equipment on every duty belt. With 200 lumens of focusable light and 64 hours of battery life from standard AAA batteries, it will far outshine any other light of its size.

• Advanced Focus System - Spot to Flood Beam
• Lightweight Aircraft Aluminium Casing
• One Handed Speed Focus
• Quick - Cycle Switch System - Touch for Maximum Light, Click for High Light, Click again for Low
• Rear Tail Cap Switch • Extremely bright light
• 64 hours battery life torch
• Spot or flood beam focus
• Perfect for tool belts
• Quality German engineering from LED Lenser.

My recommendations on changing copy

When you need a hand-held torch that gives you brilliant light without too much weight, this is the leader in its class. In fact, with a massive 200 lumens of light output, the LED Lenser P7 gives you the sort of brightness that you normally only get from much larger and heavier torches.

Long lasting, reliable medium-weight torch

With 64 hours of battery life, this torch gives you days, or even weeks of regular use. The P7 also has a robust aircraft-quality aluminium so it really stands up to everyday wear and knocks.

Easy to use, super-bright lamp

The LED Lenser P7 is so easy to use. Simply touch to turn it on, then click to change the brightness. It also has a slick, superfast beam adjuster which is so easy to use, you can even do it one handed with gloves on.

Great bike light

This is one of our best-selling torches, and a great buy for mountain biking, dog walking, general use around the home. It’s also durable enough to use on-site. We always have the P7 in stock, and offer some of the best prices on the web. Buy it now and you’ll have it in your hands by tomorrow pm.

Finally, to show you the effort of hand-crafting copy for key products can be worthwhile - this is the #2 result for Google in the UK - goodish example of on-page SEO and compelling copy.

Mel Henson
20h June 2011