Common Product Description Mistakes and How to Fix Them
Product descriptions are deceptively simple. They seem straightforward: describe the product, list the features, add a price. Yet most e-commerce stores make the same critical mistakes repeatedly, and each mistake silently drains traffic, conversions, and revenue. The good news is that these mistakes are identifiable and fixable, and correcting them often produces immediate, measurable improvements.
Below are the most common product description mistakes we see across thousands of e-commerce stores, along with specific guidance on how to fix each one.
Mistake 1: Writing for Yourself Instead of Your Customer
The most pervasive mistake in product descriptions is writing from the seller's perspective rather than the buyer's. Descriptions that focus on what the company is proud of, the patented technology, the innovative manufacturing process, the award-winning design, miss the fundamental question every customer asks: 'What does this do for me?'
The fix is to reframe every feature as a benefit. 'Patented QuickDry technology' becomes 'Dries in under an hour so you can pack light and wash on the go.' 'Award-winning ergonomic design' becomes 'Cradles your hand naturally, eliminating wrist strain during long work sessions.' The feature is still there, but it is wrapped in a benefit the customer can immediately understand and value.
Read each sentence of your description and ask: would the customer care about this? If the answer is no, either rewrite it to connect to a customer benefit or remove it. Descriptions become dramatically more compelling when every sentence earns its place by addressing something the buyer cares about.
Mistake 2: Using Duplicate or Manufacturer Descriptions
We have covered this extensively in other articles, but it bears repeating because the problem is so widespread. When multiple stores use the same description for the same product, search engines have to choose which store to rank. They will almost never choose yours if you copied the content from the manufacturer or from a competitor.
Beyond SEO, duplicate descriptions make your store indistinguishable from every other retailer carrying the same products. If the description on your site is identical to the one on Amazon, the customer has no reason to buy from you instead. Unique descriptions are an opportunity to differentiate, to show your expertise, to address your specific audience's needs.
The fix at scale is to use AI-powered content generation that produces unique descriptions from real marketplace data. TextBrew, for example, gathers product information from multiple sources and generates original descriptions that are never duplicates. This approach maintains uniqueness even across catalogs of thousands of products.
Mistake 3: Ignoring Mobile Readability
Over 60% of e-commerce traffic comes from mobile devices, yet most product descriptions are written and formatted for desktop reading. Long, unbroken paragraphs that look fine on a 27-inch monitor become impenetrable walls of text on a phone screen. If a mobile visitor cannot quickly scan your description to find the information they need, they leave.
The fix involves restructuring your descriptions for scannability. Use short paragraphs of two to three sentences maximum. Lead with bullet points that highlight the top benefits. Break the description into clearly labeled sections so mobile users can jump to the information most relevant to them. Bold key phrases so that a fast scanner can extract the main points in seconds.
Test your product pages on actual mobile devices, not just responsive design previews. Load times, font sizes, button tap targets, and scroll behavior all affect the mobile experience. A description that is technically visible but practically unreadable on mobile is failing more than half your potential customers.
Mistake 4: Missing or Incomplete Product Attributes
Attributes like dimensions, weight, materials, compatibility, and color options are not glamorous, but they are essential for conversion. Missing attributes create uncertainty, and uncertainty kills conversions. A customer who cannot find the exact dimensions of a bookshelf will not buy it, no matter how beautifully the description is written. They will go to a competitor who provides that information.
Missing attributes also hurt your performance on marketplaces and in Google Shopping, where attribute completeness directly influences product visibility and ranking. Platforms use attributes for filtering and matching, so incomplete data means your products appear in fewer searches and categories.
Audit your catalog for attribute completeness. Export your product data and identify which attributes are empty for each product. Prioritize filling in the attributes that most commonly influence purchase decisions in your category: size and fit for apparel, compatibility for electronics, ingredients for beauty products. Tools like TextBrew can automatically extract and fill attribute data from marketplace sources, dramatically accelerating this process.
Mistake 5: No Social Proof or Trust Signals
A product description that exists in isolation, without reviews, ratings, or any form of social validation, asks the customer to take a leap of faith. In a market where competitors prominently display five-star ratings and hundreds of reviews, a page with zero social proof feels risky. Customers default to the safer choice, which is the store that has visible validation from other buyers.
The fix goes beyond simply enabling reviews. Integrate social proof directly into the description. Mention how many units have been sold, reference common themes from positive reviews, or include short testimonial snippets. 'Rated 4.8 out of 5 by over 2,000 customers' is a powerful trust signal that belongs near the top of the product page, not buried at the bottom.
If your products are new and lack reviews, leverage other forms of trust: industry certifications, expert endorsements, 'as seen in' media mentions, or warranty and return guarantees. The goal is to give the customer at least one external validation point that reduces perceived risk.
Mistake 6: Failing to Address Objections
Every product has potential objections: too expensive, too complicated, not compatible, might not fit. Descriptions that ignore these objections leave the customer alone with their doubts. Experienced salespeople address objections proactively, and your product descriptions should do the same.
Identify the top three objections for each product category by reviewing customer questions, return reasons, and negative reviews. Then address each objection directly in the description. If price is a concern, frame the value proposition clearly. If compatibility is an issue, list compatible models explicitly. If fit is uncertain, provide detailed sizing guidance and mention your return policy.
Proactive objection handling does not just improve conversion rates. It reduces return rates because customers make more informed purchase decisions. When a description honestly addresses potential concerns and helps the customer determine if the product is right for them, the result is fewer disappointing purchases and fewer costly returns.