Search Engine Optimisation and Categorisation of Contents

Just like any business structure that needs to be setup, categorising products plays a major role on how users and search engines will be able to access a company’s products.  There are two things to remember before actually placing a category on a product: first, think of the most appropriate category that would suit it.  Second, determine whether multiple categories might create duplicate online contents. 

Search engine optimisation or SEO could be compromised once the wrong categories are assigned.  Also, not giving the appropriate category to a product would confuse potential buyers.  For instance, merely placing a label of electronic product to DVDs might give potential customers the idea that the products that are being sold are DVD players instead.  What could be probable income would go down the drain just because of this simple categorization issue.  Multiple categories on a single product, on the other hand, might confuse the search engines and thus put all online marketing schemes to waste.   

What Product Categorisation is all About

The main objective in giving the best category to a single product is to ensure that the merchandise will be found when it is needed by any customer.  Search engine optimisation and online marketing would be futile if this is overlooked.  The Internet, fortunately, is not designed like grocery stores where products are lined up on shelves according to their specific categories.  Online, shoppers can just type a keyword and the web sites that are offering the product that he is specifically looking for will immediately show up on the results page.

 Product categorisation also requires business owners to never assume that all their customers know the difference to even the most basic product features.  Sure, majority of the civilized world might already know the difference between a VCD and a DVD but there are still a handful of people out there who might not know the dissimilarity between the two. 

Common Concerns on Product Categorisation

The menus on a web site are supposed to point out to the customers what they need and where they could find it.  Unfortunately, not all web sites are user-friendly or the products are just given the wrong categories.  Placing the wrong category is a result of limited research or knowledge of SEO.  Sometimes, there are inconsistencies on the names of the products and how they are organised on the web pages.  The most prevalent issue is the diversity and cross-cultural differences.  What could be a saleable and popular product in the U.S. might not be as popular in Europe. 

Another issue is the general profile of the web site.  Even if effective search engine marketing can place a certain web site to the top spot, this would still be insufficient if the customers find out that the navigation of the web site is unappealing or too cumbersome as they look for what they really need.  

A meaningful framework can exist once the proper web layout is carried out.  There are two erroneous characteristics of ineffective web sites: over emphasis on the content of the site while downplaying motivation or there is too much focus on motivation that the quality of the content is compromised. 

Shneiderman has developed a great method of categorizing web sites.  This method is based on literary categories such as:

• Entertainment
• Marketing
• Technology
• Sales
• Education
• Publishing

These can also be modified to categories like learning sites; Entertainment sites; Information sites; Community sites; or Shopping sites. 

Online marketing and search engine marketing are not enough.  Many online businesses have already lost revenues all because they overlooked product categorisation. Do not allow your business to fall into the same trap again.  

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