Your product page is your hardest-working page

If you're deciding where to spend your time on your website, start with the product page. It's your hardest-working page by a long way.

Many people never see your homepage

Honestly, a lot of shoppers won't see your homepage at all. They search, and they land straight on a product page. That's only going to become more common. When AI assistants recommend something, they usually send people to the product page, not the homepage: in Shopify's data, half of AI-referred visits land directly on one.

So if your product detail pages (PDPs) aren't great, the rest of the site barely matters.

Put the answers at the top

People do scroll. But you shouldn't make them work for the basics. The top of the page should give clear, concise information that matters to the shopper, so it answers their question right away.

Answer the question before they ask it

This goes back to how people shop with AI. A great product page answers questions before people realize they have them.

Start by writing down the things your customers typically ask. Then dial those answers in on the page, as quickly and concisely as you can. An average page describes the product. A great page removes every reason to hesitate.

Photos and video: accuracy beats everything

It doesn't really matter whether you use photos or video. What matters is that they accurately represent the product.

A photo on white shows the product clearly, and that's useful. But people often want to see it in context, too: in use, at real size, in a real setting. Have both. The worst outcome is a customer opening the box and thinking it looks nothing like the pictures.

Reviews help, but honesty helps more

Real reviews from real people, talking about how they use the product and what it does for them, are really important.

But be realistic. Shoppers know you can pick which reviews to show. Many will assume you've curated the best ones. So the goal isn't to look perfect. It's to present everything as honestly as you can, so people can make the decision for themselves.

The most common mistake: forgetting what the page is for

A product page needs to focus on the product. You can have some light tiebacks to the brand, but the product is the main event.

That doesn't mean the brand doesn't matter. It matters a lot. It just lives on the rest of your site. If someone wants to learn more about your company, why you exist and what you stand for, they can explore. The product page's job is to help them buy.