Ecommerce Category Page SEO: A Guide to Higher Rankings and Conversions

Your ecommerce category pages are some of the most important pages on your website. Not only do they bring in top of the funnel traffic, but they also bring in visitors who are ready to buy.

This is why creating well-optimized ecommerce category pages is crucial.

In this article, we’ll guide you through creating category pages that will perform well from an ecommerce perspective. So you can convert more of your existing visitors and bring in new purchase-ready visitors.

Table of Contents

• Traits of High-Converting Category Pages
• SEO Best Practices for Ecommerce Category Pages
• Creating High-Converting Ecommerce Category Pages
• Common Mistakes to Avoid with Ecommerce Category Pages
• Measuring Category Page SEO Success
• Case Studies: Optimized Ecommerce Category Pages

Traits of High-Converting Category Pages

High-converting category pages have some traits in common. In this section, we will talk you through those traits so you know exactly what to include on your ecommerce category pages, whether you are optimizing existing ones or creating new ones.

Horizontal & Vertical Category Menu

Ecommerce sites that have high-converting category pages almost always include both a horizontal and vertical category menu. Let’s use JD Sports’ site as an example:

You can see the main navigation menu that lets you choose between the brand of trainers, and the faceted navigation bar on the left-hand side lets you choose from more advanced filters, including:

• Size
• Brand
• Color
• Price
• Sale Items Toggle

It’s functionality like this that keeps users on site longer (as they can browse easier) and potentially influences them into purchase decisions more.

Useful Resources Included

When looking at your ecommerce categories from an SEO perspective, it’s important not to look at them as pages that will influence the bottom of the funnel visitors more than anyone else.

Many of your category page visitors will be at the start of their buying journey. For that reason, including useful guides is crucial.

Take a look at how B&Q manages this on their website:

As you can see, an entire section of their vertical product filter is dedicated to ideas and advice. It links to buying guides and general advice/inspiration that are useful to someone just starting their buying journey.

Well-Built Filters

Including a well-built filter on your ecommerce category pages is also crucial. It’s this type of functionality that allows users to easily find what they are looking for.

The chances are if someone has landed on your main category page, they don’t know exactly what they are looking for.

Let’s use Mizzen+Main’s site as an example:

As you can see above, I am on their “Polos” category page. If I land on this page as a user, there is a good chance I am open to different options on how the polo shirt fits and the color it can be. This is built-in to their filter. Using the faceted navigation on the left-hand side of the category page, I can select different options like:

• What size I want the polo shirts to be available in.
• What type of fit I am looking for.
• The length of polo I want.
• The type of fabric I want the polo to be made from.
• The colours I like.

This makes finding the exact product or selection of products much easier than scrolling through the entire category page.

Different Sorting Options

Not all of your website visitors have the exact same intention when visiting your ecommerce site:

• Some visitors will be looking for the cheapest products available.
• Some visitors will be looking for new releases.
• Some visitors will be looking for what you recommend.

This is why having a “sort” filter is crucial to all ecommerce sites. This is a quick and easy way of ensuring visitors can find the products they want/need while also finding the right fit for them.

This is exactly what Nike does well:

Nike’s ecommerce site has four sorting options:

• Featured
• Newest
• Price: High to Low
• Price: Low to High

Using this, website visitors will be able to have the products appear in the order most relevant to them. Perhaps keeping them on your site instead of bouncing, and clicking through into one of your product pages.

Product Comparisons

Given that ecommerce category pages often display very similar products, it makes sense to include the option for your users to compare different products directly on the page itself.

This is something Currys does incredibly well. On their category pages, you have the option to click a “Compare” toggle on each product:

Once you have selected the products you want to compare (up to a maximum of four), you can click the “Compare” button, and a popup will highlight all the differences for you:

This makes it incredibly easy for users to choose between different options that they might be deciding between. Not only this, but it also increases the chances of a conversion.

Dynamic Country Recognitions

Dynamic country recognition is a useful feature that ecommerce websites operating in different nations must have. It automatically detects the country the user is coming from and changes:

• Delivery times
• Product availability
• Product pricing
• Shipping costs
• Taxes that need to be applied

All to ensure the user has a great experience, no matter where they come from.

Amazon is the biggest example of a site having this feature:

As you can see from the image above, I am shopping on the US version of Amazon’s website, but it has detected that I am in the UK, so it has displayed a message telling me that they are showing items that will ship to the UK.

Live Chat Functionality

Adding live chat to your ecommerce category pages can dramatically improve conversion rates. When users are looking at category pages, it’s natural for some of them to have questions about:

• Product details
• Availability
• Compatibility

That isn’t immediately clear from the page.

Land of Rugs does this well:

As you can see, they have a live chat pop-up directly accessible through their category pages, and I can use that to ask all of the questions that I need to before I decide to look into purchasing anything.

Category Descriptions

Well-written category descriptions serve multiple purposes on your ecommerce site. Not only do they give users context and value, but they also create significant SEO advantages.

Here’s how Chewy uses their category descriptions effectively:

At the top of the category page, there is a small piece of information about the different types of dog food they supply. All of these small bits of information are linked through to that relevant subcategory. Making it incredibly easy for customers to find exactly what they need.

SEO Best Practices for Ecommerce Category Pages

Optimizing your ecommerce category pages for search engines is incredibly important for driving traffic to your website. Following these best practices outlined below will help you rank your pages higher and, more importantly, attract more qualified visitors.

Keyword Research

Keyword research is the first step toward any successful ecommerce category page optimization. Start by finding the primary keywords used by your target audience when searching for your category.

Tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, and Google’s Keyword Planner can help you find:

• High-volume top of the funnel searches.
• Long-tail variations.
• Related questions.
• Competitor rankings.

After you’ve created your keyword list, you can prioritize them based on:

• Search volume
• Competition level
• Commercial intent
• Relevance to your products

Remember to look at the search intent behind each keyword and show this in your category pages. For example, somebody searching for “best running shoes for marathons” is likely in the research stage. While someone searching for “buy Nike running shoes” is closer to making a purchase.

Meta Titles and Descriptions

Meta titles and descriptions crafted well are crucial for improving click-through rates from search results. Your meta title should be inviting, include your primary keyword, and try to stay under 60 characters to avoid the risk of Google truncating them.

Here’s a formula we like to use for ecommerce category meta titles:

Primary Keyword | Secondary Keyword – Brand Name

For example:

Men’s Running Shoes | Road Runners – Athletic Outlet

For meta descriptions, aim to:

• Keep it between 120 and 155 characters.
• Include your primary and secondary keywords naturally.
• Highlight unique selling points, such as:
  • Free shipping
  • Wide selection
  • Best price guarantee
• Include a clear call to action.

Here’s an example you could use:

Shop men’s running shoes from top brands like Nike and Asics. Find the perfect fit with our 60-day return policy and free shipping on orders over $50.

Keep an eye on your click-through rates and test different meta descriptions to find what your audience resonates with the most.

URL Structure

Clean and descriptive URLs contribute to both user experience and SEO. For ecommerce category pages, follow these best practices:

• Keep URLs short and focused on the category name
• Use hyphens to separate words
• Include your primary keyword
• Avoid parameters and numbers that aren’t needed
• Maintain a logical hierarchy that reflects your site structure

Here are a couple of examples of URLs that might work well for ecommerce category pages:

Here are a couple of examples that might not work so well:

If you need to change your URL structure, ensure you implement proper 301 redirects from old URLs to new URLs.

Content Optimization

Content optimization doesn’t just mean where you decide to put your keywords. Comprehensive content optimization involves strategically enhancing all text elements across your category pages:

• H1 Heading: Use one clear H1 tag that includes your primary keyword.
• Subheadings: Utilize H2 and H3 tags to organize content sections and incorporate secondary keywords.
• Category Description: Write unique, valuable content that addresses common questions, highlights key features, includes relevant keywords, and links to related subcategories.
• Product Titles: Create descriptive, keyword-rich product titles that follow a consistent format across your site.
• Alt Text: Add descriptive alt text to all images, and try to include keywords where possible. Image search is bigger than you might think!
• Internal Links: Include contextual links to related categories, subcategories, and top products.

Remember that content should always prioritize value to the user over any density of keywords. Modern search engines reward content written naturally for the user to be helpful.

Internal Linking

Internal linking helps search engines understand your site structure and helps to distribute page authority throughout your ecommerce website. For category pages, you can use these best practices for your internal linking:

• Navigation Menus: Make sure your most important categories are accessible from your main navigation.
• Breadcrumb Navigation: Implement breadcrumbs to show the path to the current category.
• Related Categories: Link to complementary categories where appropriate.
• Featured Products: Link to high-margin or popular products directly from category descriptions.
• Cross-Selling Sections: Add “Customers Also Viewed” or “Complete the Look” sections with links to products from relevant categories.

When creating internal links, use descriptive anchor text that includes relevant keywords. Do this over using generic phrases like “click here” or “learn more.”

You can analyze your internal linking structure with a crawling tool like Screaming Frog’s SEO Spider to find opportunities to improve the flow of link equity on important category pages.

Structured Data

Ensuring your ecommerce site has structured data properly implemented is a great way to help search engines better understand your category pages. This can give you a better chance of accessing rich snippets and SERP features.

For your category pages, consider using different types of structured data markup, such as:

• BreadcrumbList: Shows the navigation path within SERPs.
• ItemList: Indicates that the page contains a collection of items.
• Offer: For pricing and availability information.

Here’s an example of BreadcrumbList structured data for a running shoes category page:

You can use Google’s Rich Results Test tool to check whether your structured data is valid before adding it to your ecommerce site.

Pagination

Proper pagination implementation is crucial for ecommerce category pages with large product collections.

Here are the best practices we like to suggest for handling pagination:

• Canonical URL: Ensure the canonical URL is set back to the page itself.
• REL Next/Prev Tags: Implement rel=”next” and rel=”prev” tags in the <head> section of your HTML to indicate the relationship between paginated pages.
• Consistent URL Structure: Use a clean, consistent format for paginated URLs.
• Avoid Noindexing: Allow search engines to index paginated pages so they can crawl all of your product pages.
• Load More vs. Pagination: Consider the user experience when choosing between traditional pagination and “Load More” buttons. Traditional pagination can often work better for SEO.
• Consider Infinite Scroll with a Pagination Fallback: If your website is using infinite scroll for user experience, always ensure there is a paginated version that’s accessible to search engines.

It’s important to monitor your crawl stats to ensure search engines are effectively crawling your paginated pages.

Creating High-Converting Ecommerce Category Pages

SEO brings users to your ecommerce site, but conversion optimization ensures they do the things you want them to do. Let’s look at how to create ecommerce category pages that rank well and do a good job of turning visitors into customers.

User Experience Improvements

The experience users have while on your website directly impacts conversion rates. The easier it is for visitors to find and decide on products, the more likely they are to purchase something.

Navigation Menus

Your navigation menu is your site’s backbone. Your category navigation should use clear, descriptive labels that match common sense terms. It should also organize categories logically based on how customers shop.

Most successful sites limit their top-level categories to 7-9 options to prevent ‘analysis paralysis.’ Dropdown menus that reveal subcategories without needing additional clicks can also enhance the navigation efficiency of your ecommerce site.

JD Sports’ website excels at this:

As you can see, the very top of their navigation is limited to the following options:

• Men
• Women
• Kids
• Collections
• Football
• Brands
• Sports
• Offers

From there, users can hover over the main category and then dive deeper into what they are looking for. Making it easy for them to find. For example, if I was looking for men’s gym shoes, all I needed to do was hover over the “Men” link on their top navigation, and I could see the option for me under ‘Footwear.’

Filtering Options

Advanced filtering options transform typically overwhelming product collections into a more personalized selection tailored to each visitor’s needs. An effective filter system includes the most important attributes for your specific category page, such as:

• Size
• Color
• Price
• Brand

Allowing users to select multiple options during the filtering process will allow them to find what they need more easily.

DFS does this extremely well. Let’s look at the category page for their recliner sofas:

As you can see, their faceted navigation gives me a lot of good filtering options:

• Color
• Size
• Brand
• Cover material
• Recliner type
• Style group
• Delivery time

So, if I was looking for a black recliner sofa that could be delivered in less than 12 weeks, I could find it using this filter system.

Responsive Design

People switching from desktop shopping to mobile shopping is continuing at an incredible pace. Because of this, your ecommerce category pages must provide a great experience across all devices.

This means adapting grid layouts to screen size, maintaining readable text without zoom, and ensuring touch elements are large enough for comfortable interaction.

Goldsmiths does this well:

As you can see, even though the screen size has been reduced due to using the website on a mobile, you can still clearly see all the information you need to see.

As more users ditch shopping on desktop devices and switch to mobile, this will continue to increase in importance.

Page Loading Speed

Page speed will impact both conversion rates and your SEO metrics. Studies show that slow-loading pages lead to high bounce rates and abandoned shopping sessions. According to Google research, the probability of bounce increases 32% as page load time goes from one to three seconds.

Improving your category page loading speeds requires:

• Optimizing and lazy loading product images.
• Minimizing HTTP requests.
• Implementing browser caching.
• Using a content delivery network.

You could also consider implementing AJAX loading for filters and pagination to avoid full-page reloads when users select. But this will be something that your UX team and your SEO team will need to test together to see its impact.

When testing your category page loading speed using tools like Google Lighthouse or GTmetrix, aim for a load time of under two seconds. Critical content should be visible even sooner through progressive loading techniques prioritizing above-the-fold content.

Mobile performance deserves special attention as connection speeds vary across devices and locations.

Visual and Content Elements

The visual elements and content on your category pages significantly impact how customers see your products and whether they continue their shopping journey.

High-Quality Imagery

Product images often provide the first impression that captures shopper attention on category pages. High-quality, consistent imagery creates a professional impression and provides crucial information at a glance.

The most effective ecommerce sites use consistent dimensions, backgrounds, and angles across all product images, showing products from the most informative perspective in thumbnail view.

We are big fans of how Mizzen+Main handles the product images on their category pages:

Notice how every product listed is a folded polo. But if we hover over any of the products, the image is changed to a lifestyle image. This works well from both a conversion standpoint and an SEO perspective.

Product Information

While detailed information belongs on product pages, category listings should provide enough information for shoppers to decide to click through. This typically includes clear, descriptive product names, key specifications relevant to the category, price, availability status, and average customer ratings.

Wayfair does this extremely well:

Each product includes:

• Name
• Price
• Average Rating
• Delivery Estimate

This provides enough information for comparison without overwhelming the shopper. Consistent information across products makes it easy for customers to compare options without cognitive overload.

Showing available color or style options directly on the category page can increase engagement by helping shoppers identify products that meet their preferences without requiring additional page loads. Just be careful not to crowd the design with too much information that could distract from primary decision factors.

Multimedia

Multimedia elements can enhance engagement and convey product information more effectively than text alone.

Short category overview videos that show off different collections or give how-to demonstrations can hugely increase time on the page and your site’s conversion rates.

For technical products, comparison charts or interactive 360-degree product previews may help communicate complex features more effectively than static text.

American Eagle is an example of a site that does this well. While their category pages may look like the traditional blend of text and images, you will also notice videos that show different images while you are browsing. This is used to attract attention to the “Now Trending” products section they have on their site:

When implementing multimedia elements, ensure they don’t slow page loading or create accessibility barriers. Videos should be optional rather than auto-playing, and text alternatives should be provided for screen reader users.

Conversion Rate Optimization Strategies

Beyond basic design and content improvements, some specific conversion tactics can dramatically increase the effectiveness of your category pages.

Call to Action

Category pages should include clear and helpful calls to action. These guide visitors who are still exploring.

Use features like quick view buttons or “Add to Wishlist” options. This supports both ready-to-buy shoppers and those comparing products.

Smart filters and prompts like “Find Your Fit” can help users discover the right products faster.

Customer Reviews

Social proof matters. Show average star ratings and the number of reviews for each product.

Short review snippets can add helpful context. These elements build trust and help users spot popular or well-reviewed products without leaving the page.

CRO Testing

CRO Testing helps improve the conversion rate and effectiveness of category pages.

Test one element at a time, such as layout, product info, or filter placement. You can do this with your data or specialist A/B testing tools like VWO.

You can also use SEOTesting to help you understand how CRO changes affect organic traffic and how SEO updates affect conversion. The GA4 integration makes it easier to connect these dots.

Ongoing testing helps you make data-backed decisions that grow both traffic and sales.

Urgency and Scarcity

Urgency signals can encourage faster decisions. Use real-time stock levels or limited-time offers to show true scarcity.

Countdown timers and “Selling Fast” tags work well when honest. Avoid fake urgency. Shoppers can tell the difference and trust real signals more.

These elements can help move unsure buyers closer to a decision.

Advanced Features

To stay competitive, your ecommerce category pages will need a few advanced features.

Personalization

Personalized category pages adapt to individual user preferences, which can dramatically improve relevance, which then also has a knock-on effect on conversions. So it’s great all around!

Modern personalization goes beyond showing recently viewed products. It can also include:

• Recommended products based on browsing history.
• Personalized sorting defaults based on previous interactions.
• Tailored product highlights based on different user segments.

Amazon is, perhaps, the biggest example of an ecommerce website that uses personalization well. When you first visit their homepage, they will suggest products based on what you have looked at or purchased recently.

But they go deeper than that.

They also dynamically create your own individualized category page based on what you have previously searched for or purchased on Amazon. Take a look at mine, for example:

AI Integrations

AI continues to creep into our everyday lives, and ecommerce websites are not immune to this.

Visual search features now allow shoppers to find products like images they upload. This is particularly useful if you’re running an ecommerce site in a niche like fashion or home decor, for example.

Natural language processing also allows for some more intuitive filtering. Filtering that’s based on conversational queries rather than a set of strict parameter matches.

It is hard to find examples of brands that use AI on their ecommerce category pages, but the chances are that if you shop online regularly, some brands you buy from are using AI to order products on category pages in a way that is appealing to you based on how you have interacted with the website previously.

Accessibility

Making your category pages accessible to all users, including those with disabilities, combines an ethical responsibility with legal compliance and business benefits.

Proper implementation starts with an HTML structure that makes pages navigable by screen readers. You should also be adding alt text to all of your images so visually impaired shoppers can understand more about your product offering.

Common Mistakes to Avoid with Ecommerce Category Pages

In order to help you create the best category pages possible for your ecommerce site, we also want to give you some information about the common mistakes that are made when creating these page types.

Duplicate Content

Duplicate content on category pages weakens your SEO. It also confuses search engines and shoppers.

This often happens when the same products appear at multiple URLs. For example, /shoes/running/ and /running/shoes/ might show the same items. Filters and sort options can also create new URLs that compete with your main category page.

Another source of duplication is using manufacturer descriptions. If many stores use the same copy, it loses value. Auto-generated category text with only small differences causes the same issue.

Fix the URL issue by using canonical tags, which tell search engines which version of a page they want ranking. Block unhelpful filtered pages with robots.txt or meta robots.

With regards to manufacturer-provided descriptions, write unique category descriptions whenever you can. It takes effort but helps your pages stand out.

Set up pagination correctly, too. Use rel=”next” and rel=”prev” to link paginated pages. This avoids SEO issues and keeps your site crawl-friendly.

Use tools like Screaming Frog to run regular audits. Catching duplicate content early protects your rankings.

Overcomplicated Filters

Filters should help shoppers. But too many filters or poor setups create problems.

Many sites create a new URL for every filter combination. This can lead to thousands of pages that offer little value. Search engines struggle to know what to rank.

Too many filter choices confuse users. They may leave your site instead of exploring more.

Slow filters and zero-result pages also drive people away. So do filters that forget selections or hide what’s already applied.

Use AJAX to load filtered results. This keeps the URL clean and the experience fast. Start with the most useful filters and hide the rest behind a toggle.

Show how many items match each filter. This helps users avoid dead ends.

Always include a “clear all filters” option. Make sure filters work well on mobile, too.

Use noindex or robots.txt for filtered URLs you don’t want in search results. This keeps your site clean for both users and search engines.

Ignoring Analytics

One of the biggest mistakes is ignoring how people use your site.

Many teams track traffic but skip category-level insights. That means they miss clues about what users want or what’s not working.

High traffic does not mean high performance. If users bounce or don’t engage, it signals a problem.

Pay special attention to mobile behavior. Mobile shoppers often browse differently than desktop users.

Check on-site search terms. These show what users expect to find. Match your categories and filters to that language.

Review filter usage. It tells you what matters most to shoppers. Also, track where people leave or get stuck.

Set up ecommerce events like conversions in GA4. Track goals like category clicks or time on the page.

Use heatmaps and session recordings to see real user behavior. Tools like Hotjar or Crazy Egg make this easy.

Use what you learn to keep improving. Small changes can lead to big gains.

Measuring Category Page SEO Success

To optimize your ecommerce category pages, you need to measure the performance using relevant tools and metrics. This section explains what to track and how to interpret the results.

Key Metrics to Track

Focus on these key metrics to evaluate and improve your category page SEO performance:

Organic Traffic

Keep track of the number of people reaching your category pages through organic search. Look for trends over time and correlate changes with your optimization efforts.

Keyword Rankings

Track positions for your target keywords, focusing on movement after implementing different changes. Focus on commercial-intent keywords that drive qualified traffic through to your ecommerce site.

Click-Through Rate

Analyze the percentage of searchers who click on your category pages from the SERPs. Low CTR may indicate ineffective meta titles and descriptions.

Engagement Rate

This used to be known as bounce rate in Universal Analytics but has changed to Engagement Rate within GA4.

Keep an eye on this to give you the percentage of people actively engaging with your category pages once they have landed. People who don’t engage are either uninterested, or it signals a problem on your site that needs addressing.

Average Time on Page

This indicates how engaging your category page content is. The longer someone is on your page typically suggests that they are actively browsing and considering different products from your offering.

Conversion Rate

The percentage of category page visitors who make a purchase. This is the ultimate success metric that combines both SEO and user experience effectiveness.

Revenue Per Visit

Measures the average revenue generated per visitor to each category page, helping prioritize optimization efforts.

Index Coverage

Ensures search engines are properly crawling and indexing your category pages without encountering errors.

You can also set up custom analytics dashboards that monitor these metrics over time and across different device types.

Tools to Use

These tools will help you measure and improve your category page performance:

Google Analytics

This free piece of software from Google can form the foundation of your measurement. It will provide data on traffic, user behavior, and conversions.

Google Search Console

Another free tool from Google. GSC offers insights into your site’s search performance, including impressions, clicks, and keyword positions.

Testing Tools

Testing tools, whether specialist SEO testing tools like SEOTesting or A/B testing tools like VWO, will help you set up and run controlled experiments to improve your ecommerce site. You can run tests from either an SEO perspective or a CRO perspective.

SEO Tools

Tools like Semrush, Ahrefs, or Moz can help you track rankings in different locations, monitor competitors, and identify different opportunities for you to further optimize your ecommerce category pages.

Heatmap Tools

Tools like Hotjar or Crazy Egg can help you visualize user behavior on your category pages. This can reveal how visitors interact with your content and products while helping you find areas for improvement.

Page Speed Tools

Google’s PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix, and WebPageTest will all help you identify performance bottlenecks and site speed issues that can negatively impact your ecommerce site’s user experience.

Log File Analysis Tools

Tools like Screaming Frog Log Analyzer help understand how search engines crawl your category pages.

Case Studies: SEO-Optimized Ecommerce Category Pages

Looking at real-world examples of ecommerce category pages that work well can provide valuable insights and inspiration for your optimization efforts.

Let’s look at how some leading retailers have created category pages that work incredibly well.

ASOS

ASOS has built category pages that perform well in SEO performance and user experience. This makes them a great case study, especially for those of you who run ecommerce sites in the fashion niche.

So, why do ASOS’ category pages work so well?

• Filtering Excellence: ASOS’ filters allow users to narrow down thousands of products by multiple attributes. Attributes like size, style, color, and price. These are all things that come into play when shopping for fashion.
• Mobile Optimization: ASOS’s category pages adapt seamlessly to mobile devices, with thumb-friendly filters and a grid that reflows perfectly regardless of screen size.
• Content Strategy: Each category page includes informative content that naturally incorporates target keywords while providing value to shoppers.
• Clear Imagery: Consistent product photography against white backgrounds with models in similar poses creates a clean, professional shopping experience.
• Performance Focus: Despite robust functionality, ASOS maintains fast-loading category pages through image optimization and efficient code.

As a result, ASOS ranks over 3.8 million organic keywords, with category pages driving a significant portion of their estimated 13.1 million monthly visitors:

Wayfair

Wayfair is a great example of how organizing category pages effectively works wonders for SEO. Especially when dealing with a huge catalog of products.

Wayfair is one of the largest ecommerce sites in the world, so its category pages must work well for both users and search engines.

And what makes Wayfair’s category pages so successful?

• Rich Filtering Experience: Their filtering system includes visual options for patterns, materials, and styles, helping shoppers navigate an enormous selection.
• Strategic Content Placement: Category descriptions appear below the product grid, while additional buying guides and information are below, balancing SEO needs with user experience.
• Smart URL Structure: Clean, keyword-rich URLs reflect their logical category hierarchy.
• Related Category Navigation: Each category page includes links to related categories, enhancing internal linking and helping customers find complementary items.
• User-Generated Content: Integration of customer photos shows products in real homes, building confidence during the browsing stage.

The results? Wayfair’s approach has secured top rankings for highly competitive terms like:

• Patio Furniture
• Outdoor Furniture
• Bed Frame
• Bar Stools
• Coffee Table

And, literally, millions more:

Zappos

Zappos has built category pages that show off a customer-centric design, all the while maintaining an incredibly strong SEO performance.

Here’s what they do well:

• User-Focused Filters: Their filter system prioritizes attributes that shoppers care most about, like shoe width, material, and specific features such as waterproof shoes or trainers that are slip-resistant.
• Image Hover Effects: The product thumbnails change when you hover over the images to show different angles, all without requiring you to click on the product page. This streamlines the entire browsing experience!
• Consistent Schema Implementation: Zappos uses lots of structured data, which enhances its search presence with rich results and SERP features that can improve click-through rates.

And the results? Nearly 1,000,000 keyword rankings and an estimated monthly traffic volume of nearly 2.5 million!

Wrapping Things Up

Optimizing your ecommerce category pages is a vital investment that pays off in traffic and conversions. When you implement the best practices we’ve outlined, from proper keyword research to content optimization and user-friendly filters, you’ll create category pages that don’t just rank well but also convert visitors into customers!

Remember that successful category pages balance technical SEO requirements with an exceptional user experience.

Take inspiration from industry leaders like ASOS, Wayfair, and Zappos, but always test and measure your implementations. With consistent attention to analytics and ongoing optimization, your category pages can become powerful assets that drive qualified traffic and revenue for your ecommerce business.

If you are looking for an SEO testing tool to help you test the impact of any changes you make to your ecommerce category pages, give SEOTesting a try. We run a 14-day free trial you can use right now, so sign up today!