Imagine yourself searching for a product online.

It’s a rainy evening, and you’re comfortably seated on a sofa with a laptop. You’re scrolling through websites, hoping to find your dream lamp… bag… or coffeemaker, but the only thing that grabs your attention is the pop-up window that you-just-can’t-close! And then you see it. The Mr. Right of Lamps! A few clicks, and it will be yours in a few days.

Now, think about that first impulse – the product content that caused you to take action. What was it? A catchy headline? Beautiful product images? A video? Mind-blowing product reviews? I’d bet all of the above! Each of these informative product content pieces influences our choices. In fact, a whopping 87% of online consumers say product page content is crucial to their ultimate purchase decision.

If your product pages are accurate and optimized, odds are your brand’s product will be found first, leading to a higher likelihood of purchase. With the right headline, powerful visuals, clear product information, and compelling reviews, it’s only a matter of seconds before a consumer hits the “buy” button.

And if your product page is not optimized? Ugh… you don’t wanna know. 98% of consumers have been dissuaded from completing a purchase due to incomplete or incorrect product content. Product pages are not child’s play!

But what’s the first step of turning your product page into the rockstar of every marketplace? You need to know what you’re *actually* working with so you can identify and implement any improvements. So, without further adieu…

Welcome to Product Content Auditing 101!

What is product content auditing?

A product content audit is an expert analysis of everything on your product detail page (PDP) that explains and showcases your product. Plainly speaking, it is a thorough evaluation of your (digital) content and its performance – on a retail site, distribution site, or even your own website. Based on the results of an analysis and your content health scores, you can implement critical changes to increase both product visibility and sales.

A product content audit should answer:

• Are my pages live?
• Is my marketing copy up-to-date, error-free, and optimized for search?
• Do I have the right images and enough images?
• Am I leveraging enough enhanced or rich content?
• Does each page meet the basic quality standards for each retail or distribution site I’m using?

Knowledge is power, they say. And when it comes to building what we like to call, a Perfect SKU Experience™,  it couldn’t be more true.

Why is product content auditing important?

An in-depth understanding of the actual state of your product content – its strengths, weaknesses and any possible traps it may pose – is critical. A product content audit gives you an important point of reference. Think of it as a baseline, on which you can start building, improving and… growing! Without having a holistic overview of the state of your product content, it’s difficult to focus on the right improvements to increase sales. All your adjustments will remain in the dazzling realm of wishful thinking and fortune-telling, and that is not the best way to grow your business.

Regularly auditing your product content will let you track all the changes affecting your product visibility. A greater awareness of those changes, combined with a continuous improvement of the quality of your content, will translate to higher sales. You can take our word for that!

What are the threats of not auditing your content?

But what happens when you DON’T keep your finger on the pulse of your “digital shelf?” If you’re not auditing your content systematically, you run the risk of:

… lower sales results and higher product returns

… wasting time by not knowing where the problem is

… changing content elements that work perfectly fine

… doubting the value of your product (since the sales are so low!)

… damaging your brand and repeat purchases.

Online returns are no joke. In a recent study by Retail Dive, “online retailers face a return rate over 20%, compared to their ‘brick and mortar’ counterparts who have a 9% return rate.”

How do I start auditing my product content?

Okay, okay, I get it. Product content auditing is crucial – you may think.  But how do I go about it? Isn’t it time-consuming, resource-intensive, and above all… super expensive?

Good news – it doesn’t have to be! Content Status is designed to avoid the hassle. It’s an automated self-service tool that provides insights in minutes – there’s no programming or IT needed. In four simple steps, you get a full audit of all your product pages.

Step 1: Select a Retailer

Where do you sell your products? Amazon, Walmart, The Home Depot? Select from our list of 80 (and counting) options 😉

*Hint: don’t see a retailer or distributor you need? Let us know, and we’ll add them!*

Step #2: Upload Your SKUs

Load the SKU list. You can either paste individual product page URLs or use the ASINs for Amazon, and our tool automatically validates the list.

Step #3: Schedule Your Audit

Do you want the ability to audit daily, weekly or monthly? We recommend a weekly audit as your safest bet.

Step #4: Review

Approve your audit, hit ‘submit’ and voila! Your audit will start processing and be ready to view in your dashboard in just minutes.

It’s really that easy.

Want to know more? Make sure to book a demo. We will be happy to talk it all through with you.

Or, if you’re ready for a test drive, start a free trial now.