SEO Best Practices To Help Non-Technical Customers Find Your Complex Products

Many of our clients need help marketing products with complex descriptions, or services that have a wide range of applications to appeal to numerous audiences. Because of the complexity of these products or services, creating an SEO strategy that includes easy-to-understand keywords and terms that connect non-technical buyers to conversion points on a website can be tricky. We’ve found these SEO best practices to be particularly helpful when we want to bring new customers to the complicated solutions our clients offer.

We've all been there—trying to understand a product that seems like it's described in another language. For many industries, like finance, healthcare, or manufacturing, this is a daily challenge. How do you explain a product with intricate technical specifications to someone without a technical background? It's like trying to explain the mechanics of a car to someone who just wants to know how to drive it.

At its core, SEO is about visibility. It's a strategy that helps your product or service appear prominently in search engine results. In order for that to happen, potential customers need to enter the right combination of search terms to generate results that include your business and products. If you’re using too much technical language on your website without translating for customers (and search engines) that are searching based on need, you are likely missing a large audience.

Why SEO is needed if your business operates in a technical industry

In complicated industries, products are often specialized. Your potential customer might not even know your product exists, let alone its benefits. SEO ensures that when they search for a solution, your product is what they find. It's the difference between waiting for customers and actively reaching out to them.

The impact of SEO on product descriptions and buyer understanding

A well-optimized product description does two things: it ranks well on search engines, and it speaks to the customer. It's a delicate balance between being technically accurate and easily understandable. When done right, it can turn a casual browser into a committed buyer.

Start with tools like Google's Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs. Look for keywords with high search volume but low competition. Remember, it's not just about quantity but quality. A hundred visitors who are genuinely interested in your product are better than a thousand who leave after a few seconds. Make sure you are starting with keywords that are most relevant to the benefits of the product or service, and that can easily fit into your overall brand story.

AI can connect the dots between shoppers’ needs and complicated products

Once you have a good understanding of your primary keywords and terms, or if you need some inspiration to expand beyond your existing strategy, you can use AI tools like ChatGPT to find other terms that can help you connect with audiences. Take the role of the shopper, and use AI to generate lists of events or moments that would prompt a need for your product or service. Explore keywords that highlight benefits and values at each stage of their purchase process to help them see all the ways your product can help them.

Your website’s content is what draws visitors in and keeps them engaged, with the ultimate goal to make those visitors customers, and then advocates of your brand. For that reason, you can’t focus your strategy on quantity—you need quality that can appeal to your audience through the entire purchase journey. Well-researched, well-written content establishes your brand as an authority in the field to ensure you show up early in the consideration process to establish deeper relationships and become a trusted resource.

How to write product descriptions that are both SEO-friendly and buyer-friendly

Start with the basics. Describe the product, its benefits, and its applications. Use bullet points for easy readability. And always, always prioritize the user. Ask yourself: if I were a customer, would this description answer all my questions?

Tips for making complex products understandable to non-technical buyers

• Use analogies and real-world examples. Instead of saying "This machine operates at 5000 RPM," say "This machine operates at the speed of a sports car."

• Visual aids, like infographics and diagrams, can also help break down complex concepts.

• Highlight the benefits of the products to show shoppers the value of using your products for their own businesses or personal use.

When a reputable site links to your product, it's like getting a vote of confidence. It boosts your site's authority and, by extension, its rank on search engines. Just like SEO, there are some ways to proactively find and establish sources for these links, and a few ways to create content that can passively build links through sharing.

Strategies for effective link building in complex industries

Collaborate with industry bloggers, offer guest posts, and create shareable content. Remember, it's about quality, not quantity. One link from a reputable industry site is worth more than ten links from obscure blogs. Work with industry partners that have services and products that complement yours to share content across marketing channels.

The best SEO strategies are about both ranking and providing clarity to searchers. By focusing on what users are searching for, you can tailor your descriptions to answer their questions succinctly and clearly. You want your listing to show up high in the results, but you also want to ensure the traffic coming to the website is the right traffic. If the people clicking over to your website aren’t finding the value they’re looking for, your rankings will suffer.

It's a dance between technical accuracy and user-friendliness. While it's essential to include technical specifications, they should be presented in a way that even someone unfamiliar with the industry can understand. Make sure you’re researching all variations of your keywords to find terms that you may not be using, but audiences are associating with your products or services. Use a combination of these terms and your branded keywords on the page, as well as a good mix of both accessible information and the technical terms you need to appeal to more experienced audiences.

We’ll use the manufacturing industry as an example. Take a product like a "submersible pump." Instead of just listing its specifications, an optimized description might read:

"Our submersible pump is perfect for heavy-duty tasks. Whether you're draining a pool or a flooded basement, its powerful motor gets the job done quickly and efficiently."

Putting the product into a real world scenario helps audiences visualize how it can be used, and better imagine how it may be the solution they’re searching for.

For businesses and industries selling complicated goods, SEO is a powerful tool to help new or non-technical shoppers find your product. It's about visibility, clarity, and connection, and ensuring that you are making that connection with the right audiences. Utilizing the latest in AI and machine learning technology can give your SEO strategy a boost, but its core principle—connecting users to relevant content—should be rooted in your .

With the right strategies, your product can stand out through clear, compelling SEO planning. Contact us today, and we’ll help your organization embrace data-driven SEO, better understand your audience, and grow your business.