Connect with us

MARKETING

Ecommerce SEO: Optimizing and Ranking Category Pages

Published

on

ecommerce seo optimizing and ranking category pages

As is the case with most eCommerce companies, category pages are among their most important destinations. Given their prominent status in the eCommerce website hierarchy, these high-priority pages often pull in searches for short-head, high-volume keywords.

However, this does not mean that they are automatically optimized for SERP rankings. In fact, the situation is quite the contrary.

In the world of eCommerce, search engine optimization is a preeminent strategy for scaling a business. This fact becomes evident when one realizes that 39 percent of all global traffic comes from search.

Right.

Given this information, it is critical to optimize category pages as these destinations naturally target many keywords that consumers search. That said, these pages tend to contain the least content, thereby making them difficult to optimize for some.

While optimizing product pages for SEO performance is also a critical task, it often overshadows category-level content, leaving a gaping hole in a brand’s search strategy.

Advertisement

Yet, by utilizing specific tactics, retailers can help to elevate these pages in the SERPs, thereby increasing their traffic and potentially earning more conversions overall.

Take a look at Southern Tide’s category pages for their jackets and vests:

QDwDJuMYcsCQgUifKjGJMYfSQc r6N8LwwhthCR GOTuNcHh04swQ7q6tM7AtfLt7rnENDftYOwxgbCy9ylbPPp11W98Mj3OiN07UfP6W8szLufGN0lcJMBOrrA9k3 htetzCoIi

Ready to get your content pages to top Google? Read on.

When establishing optimization strategies for category pages, it is essential to understand that consumers are far more likely to search category-like keywords rather than precise product names.

For instance, if shoppers are in the market for a new pair of headphones, they are likely to search terms like “wireless headphones” with the potential inclusion of a specific brand or retailer. This scenario is far more likely than consumers searching “Bose SoundSport Wireless In-Ear Headphones.”

Besides, more specific searches (such as the example mentioned above) are the job of product pages, not category pages.

Therefore, retailers should conduct keyword research that aligns with the products sold within a category or collection to understand the terms that buyers are searching and apply to the page in later steps. Moreover, when using the words on said pages, it is vital to only direct those keywords to the page that it relates to in order to avoid keyword cannibalization issues.

Advertisement

Look how many possible keywords are used in one of Refrigiwear’s category pages:

5 pAPKoZnwIeqdMdF3NWs9XqDgpCZdWkG5qXzt5ogtwgYU1aBex3E73qPEEI06KHJ9uUxFRnclkQ97CtsuJJxpjaL7x3GHf0wq o NApFXUTXkPm9Gz7Tos2IKaOsMUmVXbDVm1m

That said, when handling the research, sellers will have to go beyond short-head terms. While such keywords are undeniably crucial, the fact is that long-tail keywords still drive the majority of purchases as these phrases tend to show strong user intent and usually reside lower in the sales funnel.

When optimizing category pages, the natural starting point is its header tags. In the page’s H1, utilize the primary keyword that is likely to draw in customers. This is vital real estate as a page’s header helps search engines and users to understand what a destination is all about.

Unfortunately, this is where category search engine optimization effort usually ends for most merchants. One of the biggest problems that retailers face regarding their category pages is that they only show products.

While products are certainly the star of the show on such pages, category pages that are not designed to house content severely limit optimization opportunities.

Therefore, one of the easiest ways to help elevate a category page’s optimization potential is to build these destinations in a way that allows for content to be added. This content will usually take the form of a small block of introductory text.

With an introductory section, retailers can utilize various short-head and long-tail keywords that were determined to be valuable during the keyword research process. However, be sure that the copy flows smoothly, naturally and avoids any keyword stuffing. Failure to heed this warning could result in lower rankings within Google and other search engines.

Advertisement

For merchants who aren’t copywriting experts, it may be wise to partner with an eCommerce SEO company that can make the most out of this real estate.

Finally, within the text, merchants can include internal links to related subcategories, as well.

However, it should be noted that this space is not solely reserved for SEO purposes. Introductory text on category pages gives sellers an opportunity to show off their brand’s personality. After all, a distinct persona can help retailers move merchandise and cultivate customer loyalty.

For instance, shoe retailer Famous Footwear boasts on their men’s shoes category page:

“We’re the work boots you pull on every morning and the slippers you can’t wait to slide into at night. We’re the oxfords you wore on your second interview and the chukka boots you wore on your first date. We’re the men’s running shoes that helped push you to the finish line (all the training paid off!). We’re the basketball shoes you lace up when you shoot hoops with the guys and the sports shoes that help you chase your kids around the park.”

While this is only a snippet from the page’s much lengthier text, in this paragraph, the brand not only shows off its identity, but it also forms a connection with the customer with the continual usage of “we’re.” Moreover, the company also links to a variety of subcategories with anchor terms like “chukka boots,” “slippers,” “running shoes” and other relevant keywords.

Advertisement

That said, the links that merchants include on their category page need not be limited to those of other subcategories.

Content is the bedrock of all SEO efforts. With that in mind, it is possible to utilize such materials to elevate category pages in the SERPs.

Ames Walker does a fantastic job of putting content on their category pages:

5YsSP rTl2MIiJbTByEcMSB8Lc3gzCTmzc96GUx0BILkM4UGnvh3WuULp9fxlK6DX9XAHSgqf5lQaTOxejc3jyL8FmYDe kr4IWOiokB2nVVIc0qY2rZva PhPnK9LFl5lUkkT

While it is essential to devise an interlinking strategy as it relates to category, subcategory and product pages, employing content to achieve a deeper level of interlinking can be extremely valuable.

Given that category pages sit near the top of a site’s hierarchy, these destinations benefit more from internal linking than other, deeper pages. Therefore, retail sites can potentially earn greater visibility by using categories as pillars to create content around.

To achieve this, begin by asking what solutions are intrinsically tied to each category or collection. Moreover, establish what category-related information users would seek out during the awareness stage of the buyer’s journey. Brainstorm how to develop useful, valuable, educational or entertaining content related to each category.

Taking things to the next step, do the same for the consideration and decision phases as well. After uncovering some pain points and potential topics, it is wise to go back for another round of keyword research to build an effective eCommerce content marketing strategy.

Advertisement

The content itself should showcase the category of products and naturally weave category page links into the content as, from an SEO perspective, this is the core purpose of the materials. However, the links must be natural and actually useful in the context of the piece. Otherwise, these efforts will merely seem like product peddling.

When it comes to linking, it isn’t just internal links that are useful in enhancing a category page’s SERP performance.

As far as search engine ranking factors are concerned, backlinks are still one of the most heavily weighted components.

Therefore, eCommerce retailer’s content marketing efforts should not end with crafting on-site materials, but also extend to pitching articles and blogs that relate–and link to–category pages.

When a brand gets mentioned by other sites, those destinations tend to either link to the company’s homepage or a specific product page. This leaves a massive gap where category pages are concerned.

Take a look at this article about Tiege Hanley where they get linked to their site in the opening sentence:

Advertisement
FOgA6Gle 08sg v4df Ozi26gEEzh2thPWyBs6FD 9R6dh2PdTVi2sBlaalm4 DjQk5ovRluz5W8hBMoE7Z95JB08LUWUi1sMvNks2pIgmXUocbnp8N0JpdeU87E9h6TS Ma0Wq

Given this dynamic, merchants should work to make connections and pitch pieces that place category and subcategory pages at the center of the message while linking to the relevant destinations.

For instance, if sellers take the time to build truly memorable and unique category pages, they can pitch their creation story and lessons learned to a marketing company that is likely to publish a roundup post on great category pages. Moreover, merchants can even offer to pen the piece (so to speak), thereby giving themselves more creative control over the message and the included link(s) while also earning a byline.

In many ways, category pages are the heart of eCommerce websites. Therefore, retailers should pay considerable attention to how these destinations are structured and optimized for providing the best customer experience and SEO outcomes.

Given the amount of traffic that these pages can attract through the implementation of the tactics listed above, any seller who fails to utilize these pages to the fullest is doing their site a disservice.

Implement the strategies outlined here to help your site’s category pages climb the SERPs, generate more traffic and earn substantially more sales through their newfound visibility.

PPChero.com

Keep an eye on what we are doing
Be the first to get latest updates and exclusive content straight to your email inbox.
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Invalid email address

MARKETING

Trends in Content Localization – Moz

Published

on

Trends in Content Localization - Moz

Multinational fast food chains are one of the best-known examples of recognizing that product menus may sometimes have to change significantly to serve distinct audiences. The above video is just a short run-through of the same business selling smokehouse burgers, kofta, paneer, and rice bowls in an effort to appeal to people in a variety of places. I can’t personally judge the validity of these representations, but what I can see is that, in such cases, you don’t merely localize your content but the products on which your content is founded.

Sometimes, even the branding of businesses is different around the world; what we call Burger King in America is Hungry Jack’s in Australia, Lays potato chips here are Sabritas in Mexico, and DiGiorno frozen pizza is familiar in the US, but Canada knows it as Delissio.

Tales of product tailoring failures often become famous, likely because some of them may seem humorous from a distance, but cultural sensitivity should always be taken seriously. If a brand you are marketing is on its way to becoming a large global seller, the best insurance against reputation damage and revenue loss as a result of cultural insensitivity is to employ regional and cultural experts whose first-hand and lived experiences can steward the organization in acting with awareness and respect.

Source link

Advertisement
Keep an eye on what we are doing
Be the first to get latest updates and exclusive content straight to your email inbox.
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Invalid email address
Continue Reading

MARKETING

How AI Is Redefining Startup GTM Strategy

Published

on

How AI Is Redefining Startup GTM Strategy

AI and startups? It just makes sense.

(more…)

Keep an eye on what we are doing
Be the first to get latest updates and exclusive content straight to your email inbox.
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Invalid email address
Continue Reading

MARKETING

More promotions and more layoffs

Published

on

More promotions and more layoffs

For martech professionals salaries are good and promotions are coming faster, unfortunately, layoffs are coming faster, too. That’s according to the just-released 2024 Martech Salary and Career Survey. Another very unfortunate finding: The median salary of women below the C-suite level is 35% less than what men earn.

The last year saw many different economic trends, some at odds with each other. Although unemployment remained very low overall and the economy grew, some businesses — especially those in technology and media — cut both jobs and spending. Reasons cited for the cuts include during the early years of the pandemic, higher interest rates and corporate greed.

Dig deeper: How to overcome marketing budget cuts and hiring freezes

Be that as it may, for the employed it remains a good time to be a martech professional. Salaries remain lucrative compared to many other professions, with an overall median salary of $128,643. 

Advertisement

Here are the median salaries by role:

  • Senior management $199,653
  • Director $157,776
  • Manager $99,510
  • Staff $89,126

Senior managers make more than twice what staff make. Directors and up had a $163,395 median salary compared to manager/staff roles, where the median was $94,818.

One-third of those surveyed said they were promoted in the last 12 months, a finding that was nearly equal among director+ (32%) and managers and staff (30%). 

PX3zocqNZfzMbWNEZhW9dZnAgkdPrLW8fjkrbVrcEkrNJpJiXrVKkjlQ0Tzuj8YKh Ht9HTEvmxDDt0ZsntfYiZHS0NJ7zEZ 6yMT3OjZajbaXBFV1D2Pk5euJeHKdRuzOzM5ZUxwNtsVNaiIbNrd Q

Extend the time frame to two years, and nearly three-quarters of director+ respondents say they received a promotion, while the same can be said for two-thirds of manager and staff respondents.

Dig deeper: Skills-based hiring for modern marketing teams

Employee turnover 

In 2023, we asked survey respondents if they noticed an increase in employee churn and whether they would classify that churn as a “moderate” or “significant” increase. For 2024, given the attention on cost reductions and layoffs, we asked if the churn they witnessed was “voluntary” (e.g., people leaving for another role) or “involuntary” (e.g., a layoff or dismissal). More than half of the marketing technology professionals said churn increased in the last year. Nearly one-third classified most of the churn as “involuntary.”

FIHUBtZJfK3IzbyZl C6WXBPTE64Gzg1URDzQUXCrD8YkAPZS7mmjpmAAiuhhheJUE4dGVcn6e9XW87ogLVz0Ya4rqHwB8WfXTHS W0hRW7yEdr2bQNjlTwnXvNhMv9NZ092pq1ws7lu DYqLV8i6fcFIHUBtZJfK3IzbyZl C6WXBPTE64Gzg1URDzQUXCrD8YkAPZS7mmjpmAAiuhhheJUE4dGVcn6e9XW87ogLVz0Ya4rqHwB8WfXTHS W0hRW7yEdr2bQNjlTwnXvNhMv9NZ092pq1ws7lu DYqLV8i6fc

Men and Women

Screenshot 2024 03 21 124540Screenshot 2024 03 21 124540

This year, instead of using average salary figures, we used the median figures to lessen the impact of outliers in the salary data. As a result, the gap between salaries for men and women is even more glaring than it was previously.

In last year’s report, men earned an average of 24% more than women. This year the median salary of men is 35% more than the median salary of women. That is until you get to the upper echelons. Women at director and up earned 5% more than men.

Methodology

The 2024 MarTech Salary and Career Survey is a joint project of MarTech.org and chiefmartec.com. We surveyed 305 marketers between December 2023 and February 2024; 297 of those provided salary information. Nearly 63% (191) of respondents live in North America; 16% (50) live in Western Europe. The conclusions in this report are limited to responses from those individuals only. Other regions were excluded due to the limited number of respondents. 

Advertisement

Download your copy of the 2024 MarTech Salary and Career Survey here. No registration is required.

Get MarTech! Daily. Free. In your inbox.

Source link

Advertisement
Keep an eye on what we are doing
Be the first to get latest updates and exclusive content straight to your email inbox.
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Invalid email address
Continue Reading

Trending

Follow by Email
RSS