An SEO professional asked John about showcasing products on their website.
So a manufacturer was publishing one particular product to 10 or 20 different sites. The overall product description, or the product guidelines, or the product value became the same–the images could be the same, product information could be the same on multiple pages, or with multiple vendors it will all be the same.
They were wondering if it was still okay to write something extra, or something more unique on their own website with these products, just to make sure they have something extra about that particular product.
They want to make sure that they have some additional content of value about that product that other people don’t have. Others are just copying and pasting the overall description from the manufacturer.
John explained that if you can add more value on top of the generic manufacturer information, that’s always a good thing.
He cautioned against using fluff and copying Wikipedia articles about the product category and putting it on every page – just don’t do it.
The content that you write and add should be something that is of very high quality and adds significant value to the user.
If the user goes to a page, and they see all the same duplicate information that’s on lots of different sites, but they go to your page, and find some unique information that helps them with the product, this could help entice the sale from that consumer.
He reiterated that adding unique and valuable information instead of using the manufacturer’s generic product description is always a great idea.
This happens at approximately the 56:32 mark in the video.
John Mueller Hangout Transcript
SEO Professional 9 56:32
Okay, one last question. Let’s say if for a particular product, the manufacturer has been publishing that particular product to 10 to 20 different sites.
So the overall product description or the product guidelines, or the product value became the same, the images could be the same, the product information could be the same on multiple pages or with multiple vendors to which they are selling.
Is it still okay to write something extra, or kind of, you know, something more unique on my website, just to make sure that I have something extra about that particular product, which rest other people does have, but they are just copy pasting the overall description from the manufacturer, whereas the products are like just like shoes or tea.
It’s not something that medical products, which you know, I’m just bluffing the content, but of making sure that writing more, more unique or more addition to these so might be helpful to the users as well. So would that, you know, help me to rank better, just to add more value, in the SERPs?
John 57:46
I think if you can add more value on top of kind of ge–generic manufacturer information, that’s always a good thing.
What I would not do is just add kind of like fluff to these pages. And just like, I don’t know, copy a Wikipedia article about the product category and put that on every page.
It should really be something that adds value to the user. So if they go there, they see well, the generic information is on lots of different sites.
But this website here has some additional information, which helps me as someone who might be interested in this product. So really kind of unique and valuable information, adding that is a great idea. Just filling extra text on a page. I would not do that.
SEO Professional 9 58:34
Thank you so much. Thank you.
