Category Page Optimization
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CATEGORY PAGE OPTIMIZATION TECHNIQUES FOR SUCCESS
Transcript of Category Page Optimization
CATEGORY PAGE OPTIMIZATION
TECHNIQUES FOR SUCCESS
TARYN GAMBOASearch Marketing
Specialist
MIKE WELFORDSearch Marketing
Specialist
MEET OUR TEAM
What are SEO & PPC?
AGENDA
Category Page Basics
Category Page Do’s & Don’ts
Optimizing SEO on Category Pages
Tips for PPC
Recap
Q&A
WHAT ARE SEO & PPC?
WHAT IS SEO?
• Search engine optimization
• Earn the traffic over time
• Can take time to build up, but results are long-lasting
• Involves on-page text, monitoring user experience, and link building
• Analyze data through Google Analytics and Google Search Console
WHAT IS PPC?• Pay-per-click advertising
• Pay for the traffic you get
• Pay when someone clicks on one of your ads
• Can drive immediate traffic
• Usually run through Google AdWords or Bing
• Allows you to customize ad text and control messaging
WHAT IS A CATEGORY PAGE?
A landing page for a group of similar products on your website
Could be divided into types of products, brands, model, color etc.
WHY ARE CATEGORY PAGES IMPORTANT?• Helps visitors further back in the purchasing funnel
• They place visitors in an area of the website where they can navigate several paths that lead to different products
• Category pages direct traffic in the direction you need
• Category pages allow shoppers to compare (Can sort by prices, popularity, etc.)
HOW DO YOU CHOOSE HOW TO CATEGORIZE YOUR PRODUCTS?
BY PRODUCT CATEGORY
BY BRAND
BY MATERIAL
BY USE
HOW MANY CATEGORIES SHOULD YOU HAVE ON YOUR SITE?
It depends…
1. How many products do you have?
2. What types of products do you sell?
3. How are people searching for your products?
4. Do you have accessories?
5. Are you also having subcategories?
CATEGORIZATION EXAMPLESBased on traffic behavior you can create other categories that are relevant to what users are most interested in
Has categories by brand, type of ski and by age group & gender, based on how people are searching on their website
LIST VIEW vs. GRID VIEWLIST VIEW
• Works when your products need additional information to determine differences
• Works for very technical products
• Tools, machinery, etc.
GRID VIEW
• Works when your products are very image-focused
• Fashion, food, sporting goods, etc.
LIST VIEW
GRID VIEW
PROJECT TITLE
CATEGORY PAGE DO’S & DON’TS
H1 TAGS
Do have an optimized H1 tag
• What should be included in the H1 tag? H1 tags should get straight to the point. Leave out the puffery
• How do you change it in Volusion? Example: <h1>Category Text Here</h1>
• Where do I put H1 Tags? Where it looks best!
• How long should my H1 tags be? It depends...
• Don’t over-use H1 tags. One per web page. Include H2/H3 tags in the same way without clogging up the page
COPY ON THE CATEGORY PAGE• Don’t ignore the importance of copy - Good copy is imperative to engaging visitors
• Great for SEO - Category pages provide great opportunities for ranking in the SERPs
• Perfect for describing the content in the category - Copy placed at the category level should inform the visitor about your brand and the types of paths that lie ahead
• Where should you place this copy? Category-level copy should be placed in the same place as with product pages - where it looks best!
CUSTOM URL TEXT• Do customize your URL text - The URL text allows you to provide keyword-rich text
for all category pages
• Why should we customize URL text? URL customization provides the search engines and visitors with additional context
• How do you customize in Volusion? - In the ‘Advanced Info’ section, in the Product URL field, type in a few highly-relevant keywords (separated by spaces) to describe that particular category page
• Great for PPC? URL text can help your ad rank and engage in a dynamic search campaign
PROMOTIONS
• Do mention promotions on your category page
• Helps with conversion from advertising (PPC & Display) and email
• How do you mention promotions?• In the copy• As an image
IMAGES - DO’S
• Do have images that relate to the products in the category
• Make sure your images are clear and sharp
• Make sure the images also fit the branding of your website
• Use alt text on your images
• Show products in use
IMAGES - DON’TS
• Don’t have images that don’t relate to the products in the category
• Don’t have images that are too big and push the products down too far on the page
• Don’t have blurry images
• Don’t have images that have a different color scheme and use different fonts than the rest of your site
• Don’t forget to include alt text
IMAGES - RELATED TO PRODUCTS
IMAGES - CLEAR & SHARP
IMAGES - TOO BIG
IMAGES - CONSISTENT WITH BRANDING
USING ALT TEXT ON IMAGES• What is alt text?
• Why is it so important?
• How do you put it on your images?
CLICKABLE IMAGES
• Images are essential for users to make purchasing decisions
• When adding images to your category & product pages make sure users are able to click on them
• Not only are users accustomed to having clickable images, but are interested in engaging with your products and wanting to know more before making a purchase
• Ease in navigation, images can click to other relevant pages• Click on logo to go back to homepage • Click on sale image and land on category page with products on sale
NAVIGATING THROUGH THE SITE TO PURCHASE
• Want to make the path to purchasing as clear as possible
• Eliminate any irrelevant steps, pages or clicks that keep your customer from making a purchase
• Category pages help guide customers into making purchasing decisions
• Informative, organized and well-designed category pages lead customers to quickly find the product they want
IMAGES FOR SUBCATEGORIES
CATEGORY PAGES FOR
SEO
TIPS FOR SEO
• Fill out all important data fields
• Monitor Google Analytics & Search Console
• Develop a site structure that clearly outlines categories
• Write unique, compelling on-page copy
• Use clear, consistent images that express your brand personality
CATEGORY PAGES FOR
PPC
TIPS FOR PPC
• Category pages often serve as the landing pages for PPC ads
• Landing page experience is big factor in determining your Quality Score
• Customize URLs to increase ad rank
• Advertise sales and incentives
RECAP
RECAP• What are PPC and SEO?
• Category page basics
• Category page do’s and don’ts
• Optimizing SEO on category pages
• Tips for PPC
ADDITIONAL
RESOURCES
SEO OFFICE HOURS
LANDING PAGE OPTIMIZATION INFOGRAPHIC
