Product pages with the description in tabs or accordions
| Group | Pages | Description in tabs |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify | 169 | 43.8% |
| Other platforms | 122 | 27.0% |
| Ranked #1 to #3 | 55 | 40.0% |
| Ranked #4 to #10 | 105 | 34.3% |
| Ranked #11 to #20 | 142 | 39.4% |
| Apparel & jewelry | 41 | 46.3% |
| Beauty & health | 85 | 29.4% |
| Electronics, gaming & auto | 31 | 22.6% |
| Home, kitchen & garden | 81 | 40.7% |
| Outdoor & fitness | 36 | 50.0% |
Source: PageSpeed Matters, Oct 2026. Groups of 31 to 55 pages are directional.
Summary
On a phone, product pages run out of room fast, and many stores fold the description and product details into tabs or accordions to keep the page short. We wanted to know how common that is among product pages that rank in Google.
In a phone-size render of 302 ranking product pages, 37.7% put the description or product details inside tabs or accordions. Tabs and accordions are even more common in general: 64.2% of these pages use them somewhere in the page body.
What we measured
We took product pages ranking in Google results in commercial verticals and loaded them at phone size in October 2026. The 302 product pages that rendered usable content form the sample.
A page counts when its description or product details sit inside a tab, an accordion or a details element. We matched containers outside the header and footer whose label mentions things like description, details, specifications, features, ingredients or materials.
This is a short study with a modest sample. Some of the rank and vertical groups have only 31 to 55 pages, so treat those splits as directional. The data describes how ranking pages are built, and does not show that tabs help or hurt rankings.
More than a third hide the description in tabs
37.7% of the 302 product pages put the description or details inside tabs or accordions, and 64.2% use tabs or accordions somewhere in the page body.
Shopify product pages do it most often: 43.8% of 169 Shopify pages hide the description in tabs, against 27.0% of 122 pages on other platforms. That likely reflects the product page layouts that are common on the platform.
The rank split is small and directional. Pages ranking #1 to #3 put the description in tabs on 40.0% of 55 pages, against 34.3% of 105 pages ranking #4 to #10 and 39.4% of 142 ranking #11 to #20, so there is no clear trend by position. By vertical, the share ranges from 22.6% of 31 electronics, gaming and auto product pages to 50.0% of 36 outdoor and fitness product pages.
37.7%
Share of 302 ranking product pages, rendered at phone size, that put the description or details inside tabs or accordions.
What this means for your store
Tabs and accordions are a normal way to fit product details onto a phone screen, and plenty of ranking product pages use them. What matters is that the content is really there.
- Make sure the description text is in the rendered HTML when the page loads, not fetched only when a shopper opens the tab.
- Keep a short summary of the product visible above the tabs, so shoppers and crawlers see what it is without a tap.
- Label tabs clearly, such as Description, Specifications and Materials.
- Check the page on a real phone: the most important details should not hide behind several taps.
Sources
- PageSpeed Matters phone-size render of ranking product pages, October 2026
- MDN Web Docs, the details element: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/details
Embed this research
Paste this on your site to embed the chart. It links back to the source automatically.
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<script>window.addEventListener("message",function(e){if(e&&e.data&&e.data.psmEmbed==="product-descriptions-in-tabs"&&e.data.height){var f=document.getElementById("psm-product-descriptions-in-tabs");if(f){f.style.height=e.data.height+"px";}}});</script>
<p style="font:14px/1.5 system-ui,sans-serif">Source: <a href="https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/resources/data-studies/product-descriptions-in-tabs">Product Descriptions in Tabs: 37.7% of Product Pages - PageSpeed Matters</a></p>
Frequently asked questions
How many product pages put the description in tabs?
In a phone-size render of 302 ranking product pages, 37.7% put the description or product details inside tabs or accordions, and 64.2% use tabs or accordions somewhere in the page body.
Do Shopify stores use tabs for product descriptions?
More often than other platforms in our sample. 43.8% of 169 Shopify product pages put the description in tabs or accordions, against 27.0% of 122 pages on other platforms.
Do product description tabs hurt SEO?
Our data does not show that. It only describes how ranking product pages are built: 37.7% of the 302 we rendered put the description in tabs or accordions and still rank.
Making sure tabbed product details load with the page is a quick template check that protects both shoppers and crawlers. Need help with this? See our on-page SEO services.