Website Structure

SEO Blueprints: Build The
Right SEO Foundation Into
Your Magento Site
Michael Mothner
Founder & CEO, Wpromote
01
Website Structure
Website Structure
Flat vs. Hierarchical
FLAT
A flat structure is one where all URLs exist off of the
root of the domain.
HIERARCHICAL
A hierarchical structure exists where the URLs are
broken down by different sections of the site.
A flat structure can work when a site has very few pages and products; however, with larger sites it is always recommended to use a
hierarchical structure. The hierarchy should try to avoid going beyond 3 sub directory folders, or category/subcategory/product.
Website Structure
When building your website, the URL structure is one of
the most important elements to consider.
BAD
GOOD
URL Contains Random, Non-Descript Characters &
Doesn’t Follow Site Architecture
URL Follows Site Architecture, Includes Good
Keywords, & Uses Hyphens
Website Structure
Examples Of Structures
BAD STRUCTURE
volcom.com
volcom.com/mens
volcom.com/mens-clothing
volcom.com/mens-clothing-tees
volcom.com/mens-clothing-tees/
d7db826c9b224a7e2c04de56c1f6167a
IDEAL STRUCTURE
volcom.com
volcom.com/mens
volcom.com/mens/tees
volcom.com/mens/tees/worn-down-pocket-tee
Website Structure
Examples Of Structures
GOOD STRUCTURE
citychiconline.com
citychiconline.com/tops
citychiconline.com/tops/ruffle-keyhole-top
Website Structure
To Set Up An
SEO-Friendly URL
Structure, Go To:
1
System 2
Configura0on 3
Catalog 4
Search Engine Op0miza0on 1
4
3
2
Website Structure
DON’T
select “Use Categories
Path for Product
URLs” because it
includes both products
and categories in the
URL rewriting structure
and can cause
duplicated URLs.
Website Structure
When creating a
category, a search
engine friendly “URL
key” should be created
to make the URL for
that category more
targeted. A “URL key”
can also be created for
specific products.
Use the “Catalog” tab in the top navigation & choose
“Manage Products” and/or “Manage Categories”.
Website Structure
To Access The URL
Rewrite Management
Panel, Go To:
1
Catalog 2
1
URL Rewrite Management 3
1
2
Website Structure
“URL Rewrite Management” Panel
This panel can control specific rewrites for individual products or categories. 1
If you have separate stores under one Magento installa0on, you might want to use the “Add Store Code to URLs” to vary the URLs a bit. 2
1
“Use Web Server Rewrites” must be checked to allow Magento to control URL rewrites. 3
The “Request Path” is the sec0on where you’ll put the desired URL for that product or category. 3
i
Under General Configuration > Secure and
Unsecure, one can find the base URL for the
website. Here it should be determined if the
URL is a www URL or a non- www URL.
Website Structure
To Create A URL Rewrite, Go To:
1
“Manage URL Rewrites” page 2
Click “Add URL Rewrite” 3
Select type (i.e. category, product, custom) Selecting a product or category will make you choose the specific product of category to edit.
Change the “Request Path” as needed.
Selecting the “Custom” type allows you to edit a general information page, not products or categories.
Website Structure
Ensuring 301 Redirects For Old URLs
If a URL is changed in Magento but the page is
staying the same, it’s important to make sure a
301 redirect will always direct the old page to the
new page. To ensure this happens, go to:
1
System 2
1
Configura0on 3
Web 4
URL Op0ons For Auto-redirect to Base URL, select
“Yes (301 Moved Permanently)”.
Website Structure
Setting Up Breadcrumbs
Breadcrumbs are a great way to help users follow the path of where they came from to where they end up. Luckily, Magento
sets these up automatically. However, if you find that this is not enabled, go to:
1
System 2
1
Configura0on 3
General 4
Web 5
Default Pages Show Breadcrumbs for CMS Pages,
select “Yes”.
Website Structure
Always…
BAD
GOOD
Create a concise descrip0on for every image. Use simple descriptors rather than characters lacking purpose. product12355.jpg
vintage-cuffed-denim-short.jpg
Website Structure
Create a descriptive ALT attribute for every important
image. We suggest:
Short – few words Describe Picture – give search engine idea of context • In Magento, ALT attributes is the label, by default.
• Can edit in Images section of the product admin.
• Plugins also available.
BAD
alt= “large image
may 2014”
GOOD
alt= “Blue Crew
Neck”
Website Structure
Optimized Image Examples:
<img
src=“http://www.harveynichols.com/catalog/product/cache/1/gallery/
423x592/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/4/8/486658_blue-cotton-twill-shorts.png” alt=
“Blue Cotton Twill Shorts” />
<img
src=“http://http://www.cowshed.com/media/catalog/product/cache/3/image/687x/
17f82f742ffe127f42dca9de82fb58b1/1/0/muscle-rub-massage-oil.png” alt= “Muscle Rub
Massage Oil” title= “Muscle Rub Massage Oil”/>
In the two images above, the URLs have clear names and they also have simple, concise ALT attributes. The second
image has a title tag as well, but this is optional and, if used, should mimic the ALT attribute, as in the case above.
02
Duplicate Content
Duplicate Content
Having duplicate content on a website; for example, multiple product pages with the same
copy, can be problematic and hurt rankings in the search engines. If one product is in
multiple categories, make sure content isn’t duplicated.
1
1
Best Seller 2
Backpacks 3
Travel Alpha Bravo Backpack Product
Description Should Be Unique
On Each Category Page.
Duplicate Content
Ideally, each page would have unique content written to add value to a user.
You should not use the official product description (when selling other brand’s products).
Content On StellaDot.com
Identical To JewelsAndGift.com
And Smore.com
1
If you use the “official” product description, it will look like duplicate
content to Google.
Duplicate Content
Duplicate content tends to be exacerbated on eCommerce sites due to the sheer number of
pages and products.
For SEO, this extends beyond just content, as duplicate title tags and meta descriptions, can
cause issues as well.
Montblanc.com
Montblanc.com/watches
1
Page Titles & Meta Descriptions Should Also Be Unique.
Duplicate Content
Utilizing Magento’s built-in canonical tag support can solve duplicate content problems
across a single site, especially when products exist across multiple categories which
then creates multiple URLs for the same product page.
To Avoid This, Go To:
1
1
System 2
Configura0on 3 Catalog 4
Search Engine Op0miza0on Set “Yes” to Use Canonical Link
Meta Tag for Categories and for
Products.
03
Inventory Management
Inventory Management
The two most common problems when dealing with inventory management are what to
do when an item is out of stock and what to do with items that are removed from
circulation entirely.
Items That Are Out Of Stock:
It is most recommended to let users
know that the item is not available;
however, you could also:
•  Provide a date of when that item
will return.
•  Offer to email the user when it is
back in stock.
Inventory Management
Some eCommerce sites are a little sneakier…
Subtle Warning – Prior To Ordering Post-­‐Purchase – Break The News Inventory Management
Since Magento automatically stops showing products that are out of stock, we recommend
taking the following steps to still display them:
1
System 2
1
Configura0on 3
Inventory 4
Stock Op0ons Set Display Out of Stock Products to “Yes”
& Click “Save Config”.
Inventory Management
To Allow Alerts To Users, Go To:
1
System 2
1
Configura0on 3
Catalog 4
Product Alerts After Product Alerts Expands, Set Allow
Alert When Product Comes Back In Stock To
“Yes” & Click “Save Config”.
Inventory Management
404 Error Page:
Used when you have a page that no longer exists and there’s no redirect in place.
Don’t – redirect all 404 errors back to the homepage • It isn’t good for usability • Homepage isn’t where the user expects to arrive Do – create a custom page with relevant links • You can edit the 404 page by visiDng it under 1. CMS, 2. Pages, 3. 404 Not Found 1, 4.Content 2
3
4
1
Inventory Management
Removing Products
Whenever a product is being removed from the site entirely, it is of course important to
make it as apparent as possible to users. There are two schools of thought in relation to
1
removing
products…
301
vs.
404
Permanent Redirect – Error Page – Send to a similar product using a 301 redirect. It is important to redirect if a significant number of links were poin0ng to this page. Backup op0on if a 301 permanent redirect simply doesn’t make sense. Inventory Management
Ideal 404 Page
1
Include a nice block of copy. 2
Include a bulleted list of the top pages and categories on the site. 3
Help the user decide where they should go next. 1
2
3
Inventory Management
Putting the decision in the hands of the user is always best for
usability, conversion rates, and ultimately sales!
You can also have some fun with 404 error pages! Inventory Management
To Send To A 404 Error Page, Go To:
1
Catalog 2
1
Manage Products 3
Select Products 4
General Switch from “Enabled” to
“Disabled” in the dropdown.
04
Content
Content
Utilizing Content On Category Pages
While many category pages these days seem to have just
a listing of products and no content, it is very helpful to
have unique content on important, top level category
pages to assist with rankings.
BAD EXAMPLE
+ Clean and does a good job of displaying
products.
- No content to tell the search engines
what this page is showing value for other
than through its meta data and
backlinks.
Content
A great way to add content to a page would be to add an accordion script. Accordion
scripts make it possible to add in content without disrupting the layout of a page.
GOOD EXAMPLE
Make sure that you
display at least some of
the content as completely
hiding it in an accordion
script will cause penalties
from Google.
Content
GOOD EXAMPLE
Guides Users To Purchase
While Also Having Relevant &
Interesting Content Below The Fold
Content
Utilizing Content On Product Pages
A number of eCommerce
websites have issues with
content, especially on
product pages. Many sites
include a picture, very little
copy, and in some cases
duplicated copy from
another source. We find
that the most successful
sites treat their product
pages as a resource.
Manuals
Related
Products
Reviews
Q&A’s
Videos
Content
Sell Your Brand’s Personality
Making your product pages engaging, high-converting, and informational creates the
best results.
Content
BAD EXAMPLE
In this example, there is very little
information or text about the
product, so search engines have
a difficult time figuring out why
they should rank this page.
Also, from a usability perspective,
the “Add to Compare” button does
not stand out from the
background and could probably
be a different color.
Content
GOOD EXAMPLE
This page is great because it has a lot of product information, reviews, and specs while still being optimized for conversions.
The page also includes related products
which can go a long way in upselling
clients already looking to purchase.
Content
Reviews
Reviews help you sell and add extremely valuable, user-generated content to your site. We recommend:
Removing If There
Aren’t Any Reviews
Highlighting Reviews
Throughout Site
Asking For Reviews
Post-Purchase
Content
Schema Markups & Micro Data
Reviews can also be used to display extra information in the search results. This can be
accomplished through Schema markups.
To implement Schema markups it is possible to just edit the code; however, Magento does provide a number of plugins that make implementation
much easier. We recommend this route: http://www.magentocommerce.com/magento-connect/catalogsearch/result/?q=rich+snippets&pl=0
Review Shown In An Organic Listing
After Implementation, Test
That They Are Working In
Google’s Webmaster Tools
05
Summary
Summary
Remember…
+ DO Create A Clear Hierarchical URL Structure
+ DO Have Descriptive URLs
- DON’T Duplicate Product Descriptions
+ DO Properly Manage Inventory In Magento
+ DO Implement A Good, Custom 404 Error Page
- DON’T Forget To Have Unique Content
Summary
Thank You…
Please direct questions to mike@wpromote.com
Visit our website at: www.wpromote.com
Chat with a rep at: 866.977.6668