How To Write The Best Description for 3D Model? #1

Good description is one of the most important things in selling 3D models. It is also one of the most underestimated things by many artists. The reason is clear - we have dedicated most of our time to perfecting our skills of pushing vertices, rigging, animating or making tiny adjustments to shaders. Whatever we do that makes us pride in visual arts, doesn’t help at all when it comes to copywriting (i.e. writing some simple text). At that point we painfully remind ourselves that we should have been more mindful to our English lessons at school.

This tutorial is about what we should and what we shouldn’t do when describing the 3D product.

Basically we need product description for two reasons:

1. helping search engines like Google to drive more traffic to your product page (SEO);
2. revealing valuable information to the customer about your product.

This post covers how to help Google find your 3D model (SEO). Next time we will talk on how to attract humans.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for 3D models

The first thing in attracting visitors to your product is to write keywords and all possible synonyms that best describes your model. Make sure the description text contains words relevant to your product.

1. How to find the most relevant words for my product? The best way to do this is to describe the object itself. Try to describe the key characteristics of your product in the real world. Describe as much as possible your object’s features and synonyms. If your product is the particular object, which has a name or history, write about that. In fact, because this information is not topical for customer from technical side, the best way is to put this text to the end of description.
2. Well-known names of similar objects are useful in cases when the product is not a particular object, or it has no prominent brand or is just fictitious (for example robot). Customers sometimes don’t know how exactly to describe what they are looking for. Especially when the product is not particular and they are looking according to well know analogues. Think about how does your object look like. Maybe it is similar to something well known. What are object’s features and characteristics? For example if it is a robot it can be futuristic and similar to 'Transformers' also it could be more sleek forms like in a movie ‘I robot’, or maybe it’s old and rusty 'Wall-e'.
3. Because your product is 3D model in the first place, describing it in 3D terms automatically makes the description more relevant. Don’t bother about it too much, just write all the 3D related information that might be useful to the customer.
4. Although SEO is important, be careful not to overdo it. Don’t try to bloat your description with all the possible keywords or by duplicating information like tags or 3D attributes that already exist in the product page. Search engine can easily discern artificially created or duplicated content. Not it only reduces search engine rankings, but will also annoy your customers.
5. Original text is a key for your product SEO. Google search values very much if the text is original, so try to create original text for all of your products. Search systems can easily recognize if your text is not original so don’t copy text from competitors or wikipedia because it will just reduce ranking of your product's page.
6. Also I'd like to pay your attention to product name writing. The authors often give too short or fictitious names for 3D models. Product name should be created to inform not to name. All search systems pay more attention to product located in the heading. So if you name animated boy’s character with created unknown name like ‘Boy Daniel’ you strongly reduce visitors traffic to your product from both Google and CGTrader inside search because Daniel name by itself means not too much when somebody is looking for little animated boy. It is more useful to name it ‘Little boy – animated cartoon character’.
7. Another great product’s naming example is robot model. If you name your 3D robot ‘Robot ZX98000’ most clients won’t find it in search system. But if you name it ‘Futuristic metalic robot rigged’ it is obvious for all people what they can expect from it. Also better give a name of 'Antique gun flintlock pistol handgun’ instead of just 'Gun'. There're many guns in the stock, but you want visitors to find your particular one, don't you?

Read more about how to write good description part II