Most teams try to fix their product pages by jumping straight to descriptions or AI search tools. Which feels like progress but is usually why nothing improves.

In this episode, Clare walks through the five layers of product data optimisation and why doing them out of order is the reason so many product data projects stall. We cover what each layer does, what breaks when you skip ahead, and where the AI surfacing question actually fits in.

If your product pages aren't performing and you can't quite say why, start here.

Episode Breakdown

00:00 – Why this is a layered approach, not a checklist

02:04 – Layer 1: basic data and mandatory attributes

03:20 – Layer 2: readability and why descriptions need foundations first

05:30 – Layer 3: product relations, variants and substitutes 06:45 – Layer 4: structured data and why AI needs it

09:30 – Layer 5: product expertise as competitive advantage

12:30 – Where to find product expertise inside your business

13:08 – How to audit your catalogue against the five layers

14:30 – Common mistakes teams make with the five layers

Keywords: product data, e-commerce, product data optimisation, product attributes, structured data, product descriptions, AI search, agentic AI, product relations, PIM, conversion rate, digital transformation

Resources Product Data Weekly Newsletter – https://productdataweekly.com