Watch out for duplicate content issues – e.g. is a search result page pointing to the same content as a static page.
Where there are blank pages turning up you can create a script to detect these and fire off an alert email to the relevant team telling them to create content for this page. I like this idea.
Use JS/CSS # solution for paginated pages – all pages are loaded as one page, avoids duplicate content cannibalisation for page 2,3,4 etc.
Use microformats on vacancy pages – make your listings stand out – the one specific to recruitment is called H-Resume microformat (in beta at the moment).
David Fairhurst from Intelligent Retail – Retail SEO
David starts with the importance of understanding your visitors when planning your ecommerce navigation structure – most of the time users don’t want to be funnelled, they want to get straight to the product they’re looking for.The more usual model of a complex tree structure with upto 4-5 branches/categories before you actually find the products are really not the best way forward. To SEO this kind of structure you need to spend a lot of time injecting unique content onto each of these pages – a big time drain. This also creates a “content vacuum” where you have pages that just have links to other pages. These are low value pages to search engines, especially because Google will track individual bounce rates (not sure if he via Google Analytics here).Also these funnelling pages really don’t allow much cross-selling with a high dropout rate of upto 90% and then worst case scenario people start using an internal search instead, which is only a step away from them looking elsewhere.
Instead – give visitors immediate access to exactly where they want to go – e.g. mega menus with loads of categories in the dropdown – sites like diy.com (B&Q) have switched to this. This gives you content heavy categories as standard and better opportunities for cross selling, but still options for refinements.The bottom line therefore equates to less clicks = less abandoment.
Of course if you choose the right company for your web design, they will always advise you on the best methods for your particular website
Tags: seo, web design