Pavel Shulga
Content:
- The impact of filters on the life of your site
- Tasks for optimizing filters under SEO
- Organization of a resource filtering system
- Ways to create filtering on the site
- The principle of creating URLs for filter pages
- Features of indexing pages with filters
- Conclusions
The impact of filters on the life of your site
Filtration - this is the ability to select parameters products or information among the whole variety of offers posted on the site. This feature is often used by online stores to simplify the search for the right products. Using filters, the user limits the search area, noting only those characteristics that interest him.
Today it is difficult to imagine a larger or smaller online store without this option convenient for buyers. But filter pages can play a trick with you, bringing instead of the expected positive effect due to usability improvements and shopping amenities problems associated with slowing down the promotion process. When creating filtering conditions many unoptimized pages arise with duplicate title tags, description and headlines that "steal curling budget and do not allow to effectively promote the resource.
In order to avoid such a negative impact, you must be able to correctly configure SEO filter optimization on the site. Well, in case it’s impossible to do, it’s better close such index pages.
Tasks for optimizing filters under SEO
As a result proper work with setting up filtering pages can achieve:
- increase position in searchable output for low and medium frequency requests;
- loyalty of users grateful for the convenience of the site;
- decrease in failure rate;
- significant length of stay on the site;
- increase conversion due to the rapid location of products or information on requests with specified characteristics;
- sales growth.
Thus, the promotion of filter pages can significantly affect the ranking of the site by search engines and display it in the TOP without additional investments in advertising. Let's figure out how to achieve this.
Organization of a resource filtering system
Getting down to the development of the site, we recommend that all issues related to creating filter pages be resolved at the very beginning of the path, and not in the development process.
Whether you are going to independently complete this part of the work or plan to use the services of a third-party artist, approve in advance a list of tasks related to optimizing filter pages. At this stage, it is necessary to decide:
- what method of filtering will be used;
- by what pattern should form URL, if you are on a method involving the creation of additional filter pages;
- how and by what principle will be skipping done and generating meta tags of filter pages if available.
This is a necessary minimum. At your request, supplement this list with other conditions related to the features of filtering goods or information on the site.
Ways to create filtering on the site
AJAX Technology
The main distinguishing feature of this method is list formation filtered items without creating a new page. That is, the page and, accordingly, its address does not change. From sites on CMS to the main part of the URL, additional elements can be added to the address bar, before which the symbol "#" is affixed.
It is clear that in the case when the URL does not change and new pages are not created, there are no additional actions for indexing filters and cannot be. The main category with goods enters the index. How are hashtag pages indexed? No way - search engine robots simply don't see them.
The use of this filtering method does not contribute to the effective promotion of medium and low frequency requests, because the optimization of essentially non-existent filter pages is simply simply impossible. But AJAX technology allows protect the site from duplicate and “garbage” pages and maintain the curling budget of the resource.
GET parameter in URL
Formation of additional filter pages in this case is done using additions to the GET parameter starting with the "?". Next, pointers indicate specific URLs in accordance with user-selected characteristics follow.
This procedure for creating new URLs when filtering is convenient, but it adds to the site owner a number of problems related to education take. They appear due to the intersection of the parameters of products selected by the resource visitors. The main harm from such takes is the large number of “garbage” pages that can get into the index, making it difficult for search engine robots to review useful pages. As a result, the cranking budget of the site is wasted, indexing is carried out with large losses, and promotion efficiency is lost.
Another significant drawback is incomprehensible to users, “random” URL values. They do not meet direct user requests.. Among other things, a complex set of characters in URLs makes it difficult to build up the reference mass, complicating the copying process, worsening the appearance of the content and the attitude of users to the project as a whole.
It is for these reasons that such filter pages it is customary to close from indexing in the robots.txt file and using meta robots.
Static URLs
Accompanying filtering with creating pages with individual static addresses allows you to solve the problem of forming “garbage” pages at once and spending the crowding budget on “garbage” to the detriment of real landing pages. It is clear that if you want to promote your site on medium and low-frequency requests and “extract” all possible pros from filtering, you it is worth dwelling on this option.
Unlike dynamic, static URLs can be formed by a given pattern excluding string of incomprehensible characters in the address bar, which is difficult to use when increasing the reference mass. The coefficient of clickability in them is also higher. All this positively affects the assessment by search engines, which affects the results of search results.
The most profitable in terms of promotion and convenient on the part of users are human-female static URLs. Using such URLs, optimizing filters in an online store or any other site on which visitors are offered the opportunity to select parameters and sort it out can be as efficient and profitable as possible. We recommend that you use them if you want to create filter pages optimized for SEO and if it is technically possible: unfortunately, not all platforms support working with static CNC URLs in filters.
Human-reasonable static URLs are convenient for users, because with their help you can immediately understand what is discussed on this page. The click-bearing ratio of pages with such “talking” addresses is always higher. A very important advantage is the highest relevance to requests, including medium and low frequency due to the creation of unique meta tags Title and description, headings and textual content. As a result, an increase in the position in search engine output, high conversion and improved sales.
The principle of creating URLs for filter pages
Procedure for placing parameters
When creating an address for filter pages, adhere to a strict sequence of adding characteristics to the URL. He should not be formed spontaneously or in random order:
The domain should be followed by the path to the selected section, and the filter parameter is indicated at the very end.
A clear sequence will not only help not get confused by users, but also allow you to build a error-free structure of filter pages without takes.
The procedure for placing parameters when choosing two filters
By defining one sampling parameter, the user enters the page with the URL of the species described above. For example:
But it is likely that selection criteria may be more. In this case, another value is simply added to the URL.
For example:
Placing parameter values when forming URLs also must follow in a certain order. From our example, the zoog Shop website first indicates the taste parameter of dry feed, then the dog’s age. Even if the user first chooses the age of the pet, and then clarifies the taste of the feed, the filter page in the address will have the same look.
If necessary and for your own convenience in the URL you can use parameter value indicators:
Filter Bloc Formation Rules
The set of parameters in the filter block depends on the page level, when forming links, you need follow the hierarchy of the site structure.
Using the example of a pet store site, getting into the “Dogs” section, the user should see all available categories of goods: dry feed, canned food, hygiene, toys, etc. Having opened the “Little Feed” section, he gets the opportunity to choose the characteristics: brand, age, ingredients, breed, packaging, etc. Everything is logical and consistent.
Features of indexing pages with filters
No need to open for indexing all filter pages. Moreover, this can lead to very undesirable consequences.
Pages with “complex” filters - the mass of parameter intersections, the choice of several characteristics from one semantic block at once, etc. - must be closed from indexing. First, creating unique human-clear URLs of such pages will greatly complicate the life of the optimizer. Secondly, users do not often score very long chain of requests when searching, listing all possible parameters. Here you need push off collected semantic nucleus.
The exact benefits of indexing optimized filter landing pages will become noticeable soon enough.
Conclusions
We examined what filter optimization is and how to improve the performance of the site and increase the benefits of its functioning by correctly forming the URL and correctly setting indexation.
On the one hand, working with filters requires a lot of attention and may seem rather time-consuming. On the other hand, it brings significant benefits to the site owner and makes the resource more convenient for users. In addition, initially carefully setting up filter pages, you do not have to constantly touch on this topic, only occasionally creating new URLs using the template when adding new products to the site.
How is the formation of filter pages organized in your online store?
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