SEO product descriptions: no copying and no AI spam
SEO product descriptions for an online store: why not to copy from the manufacturer, how to use AI without spam, a description template, GPSR data and a checklist before publication.
A store adds 500 products from a wholesaler, pastes in the manufacturer’s descriptions and waits for traffic from Google. The traffic doesn’t come, because the same description appears in hundreds of other stores. The second trap is the reverse: telling AI to write everything at once, without checking.
In this guide I show how to write SEO product descriptions that help the customer and don’t look like a copy. You get a description template, rules for working with AI and a checklist. The text describes the situation as of 30 October 2026. The part on the GPSR (the EU General Product Safety Regulation) is general information, not legal advice.
Why the manufacturer’s description won’t help you
The manufacturer’s description goes to all sellers of a given product. When there are several hundred pages in Google with the same text, the search engine usually shows one version and hides the rest. Your store gives Google no reason to pick it in particular.
There is also another side: the customer reads the same text in three stores and picks the cheaper one. A unique description is not only about rankings, but also a way to stand out without lowering the price.
Remember the law, too. The manufacturer’s description, photos and tables may be protected by copyright. Before using them in your store, check whether you have permission or a license from the manufacturer or wholesaler. This is a general remark, not legal advice.
AI spam: what Google doesn’t like
In its documentation on content created with the help of AI, Google writes that generative AI can be useful and that using it is not in itself a problem. The problem is pages created en masse mainly to manipulate rankings rather than to help users. In its spam policies, Google calls this “scaled content abuse” and gives as an example generating many pages with AI tools without value for users. It also recommends manually reviewing AI content before publication, including titles, descriptions and alt texts. Check the exact wording of the policies in the documentation, because Google updates them.
For a store this means a concrete risk. Thousands of descriptions generated with one prompt, without checking and without any data about the product, have a similar structure and similar sentences. Such pages are weak even if nobody penalizes them.
Warning signs:
- descriptions start the same way (“Discover our exceptional…”),
- the same adjectives in every category,
- parameters invented by AI that are not in the product card,
- missing information that the customer really looks for (dimensions, compatibility, delivery).
A product description template: 5 elements
A good description doesn’t have to be long. It has to be specific. A skeleton like this, adapted to the product, is enough.
- Who it is for and what for. One or two sentences: who will buy this product and in what situation. Example: “A faucet for a bathroom with a small sink, where spout height matters”.
- Parameters in a list or table. Dimensions, material, color, power, capacity, compatibility. Take the data from the manufacturer’s card and check it manually.
- What sets the product apart. How it differs from similar ones in your offer, for example its finish, its series or an included set.
- Answers to customers’ questions. The ones that actually come up in emails, in chat and by phone: does it fit…, do I need to buy extra…, what does installation involve.
- Mandatory information. The manufacturer’s details, product identification information and the warnings and safety information required in an online offer by the GPSR (Regulation (EU) 2023/988, applicable since 13 December 2024), as well as delivery and return terms.
You can repeat the same skeleton across the whole store. The content in each point must differ, though, because every product has a different use.
An example of a short description
Below is a template to copy. Replace the names and data with your own.
Who it is for: small bathrooms where the sink stands close to the wall. Parameters: height 22 cm, spout 12 cm, material: brass, finish: matte black. Good to know: connection hoses are included. You buy the pop-up drain stopper separately. Most common question: does it fit a sink with a tap hole? Yes, as long as the hole has a standard diameter.
This is only an example of a layout, not a description of a specific product.
How to work with AI so it doesn’t turn into spam
AI is a good tool for writing drafts, but not for writing from a blank page. Give it data, and check every text.
The process I recommend:
- Prepare a table of data: name, parameters, use, 2–3 customer questions, distinguishing features.
- Give the AI only this data and an instruction: “Use only the information provided. If something is missing, write: no data”.
- Generate a description, but change its beginning so that not all of them start the same way.
- Compare the parameters with the manufacturer’s card. A common AI error is an added feature the product doesn’t have.
- Read the text aloud. If it sounds like a flyer, rewrite it.
Don’t publish a batch without spot checks. With larger catalogs, run a pilot on 20 products, check them manually and only then move on to the rest.
Title, URL and description in the feed
A product title should contain what the customer types into Google: the product type, brand, model and the most important feature. Avoid add-ons such as “CHEAPEST!!!”. Google Merchant Center has its own requirements for the feed: a title of up to 150 characters, a description of up to 5,000 characters, no promotional text and no capital letters for emphasis. Titles and descriptions written with the help of generative AI have to be submitted in separate attributes: structured title (structured_title) and structured description (structured_description), with the digital source type trained_algorithmic_media. Check the current rules in the product data specification (as of 30 October 2026).
Similar content can therefore work in two places: on the product page in the store and in the feed for Google Shopping. The description in the feed is a trimmed-down version, though: without the price, delivery, the store name, comparisons with other products and links. If you are planning a feed, Google Merchant and marketplaces can help. I wrote more about free product listings in the guide on Google Merchant Center before 11.11.
Category descriptions and in-store search
Product descriptions alone are half of the work. A category page often answers more general queries, for example “faucets for a small bathroom”. A short introduction at the top (2–3 sentences) and answers to questions below the product list help both the customer and Google.
Good descriptions also help the search inside the store. When a customer describes in their own words what they are looking for, a tool such as search and an AI assistant in the store relies precisely on descriptions and parameters. Empty or copied descriptions make it harder for the tool to answer.
Checklist before publication
Go through it for every batch of descriptions:
- the description is not copied or reworked “in a few places”,
- parameters are included and have been checked against the manufacturer’s card,
- there is information about who the product is for,
- it answers at least one real customer question,
- the product page has the manufacturer and safety data required by the GPSR,
- the beginning is not repeated in a dozen or so other descriptions,
- the title has no advertising slogans or words in capital letters for emphasis,
- photos have alternative descriptions (alt) that describe what can be seen.
Start with the products that sell and those that have impressions in Search Console but few clicks.
Summary
Good SEO product descriptions are unique text based on real data: who it is for, parameters, customer questions and mandatory information. AI can help with a draft, but it won’t replace checking. Start with a few dozen of your most important products, not with the whole catalog.
If you don’t have time, I can prepare the texts and product descriptions, and with a larger catalog I will help set up the store so that the content is organized (online store). If you want to check the state of your website first, use the free tool Check your website or write to me.
Frequently asked questions
A few swapped sentences usually won’t turn a description into content that exists nowhere else. It is better to keep only the technical data from the manufacturer’s description and write the rest from scratch: who the product is for and what your customers pay attention to. Copyright in the description may belong to the manufacturer, so it is worth having your permission to use it confirmed.
According to the Google Search documentation (as of 30 October 2026), the problem is not the use of AI itself but the mass creation of pages with no value for users, mainly to manipulate rankings. Google calls this “scaled content abuse” and describes it in its spam policies. The policies are updated, so check their current wording.
Start with the ones that sell best or get the most visits from Google. It is best to take 20–50 products and describe them thoroughly, rather than fix everything half-heartedly. Pages that have impressions in Search Console but few clicks are also good candidates.
There is no magic number of characters. A description should answer the customer’s questions: what the product is for, what its parameters are, how it differs from similar ones and what delivery or returns look like. A simple product can have a short description, while an expensive, technical one needs more content.
Since 13 December 2024, Article 19 of the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR), (EU) 2023/988, requires an online offer to show, among other things, the manufacturer’s details (name, postal and email address), and for a manufacturer from outside the EU also the details of the responsible person in the EU, information identifying the product (including a photo and type) and warnings or safety information. The data must be in the offer, not necessarily in the description itself. Some goods, e.g. food and medicines, are not subject to the GPSR and have their own rules. A store compliance audit will check the details. This is not legal advice, as of 30 October 2026.
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