We have the privilege of working with a few clients who enjoy success selling their products online.
One client, when he was still a prospect and wanted to convert his website to an e-commerce store, wanted to copy the way Amazon sellers create headings.
You know the type…
Dremel MM501 1/16-Inch Oscillating Multitool Blade for Grout Removal, Fast Cutting Carbide Accessory – Universal Quick- Fit Interface Fits Bosch, Makita, Milwaukee, and Rockwell
The heading contains every detail pertaining to the product.
While we understand his reasoning (it’s a great overview of the product’s main details), we advised against it, and recommended a different strategy.
More on the strategy later, but first, why we believe you shouldn’t do it.
The problem with this sort of heading is that it appears spammy. It’s keyword cramming at its best.
It reminds of the days when meta keywords were still in use, and website owners stuffed them to get their sites to rank better.
Google hates spam.
When their spam hounds get a sniff of it, they lock and load, and it’s only a matter of time before they find their prey and eliminate it.
The question is, is this spam?
Although not all Amazon sellers cram their headings with keywords, there appears to be enough of it going around to make you wonder how long it’ll be before Google pays attention and decides to clamp down.
That’s why we take a cautious approach when advising clients on SEO.
We don’t want our clients to draw tons of traffic in the short term, to make a quick buck, only to suffer harm later on.
A better way
First, our strategy, which we consider safe and future-proof.
There’s another benefit, though. Read on to find out what it is.
The strategy
(This supposes you work with WordPress, but any good CMS will work.)
Add the product page
Add a product to your e-commerce store, but make the heading succinct.
Just use the brand name and a brief description.
In the product’s text area, add as many details as you can.
Also add plenty of pictures of the product.
That’s your product page, sorted. No spammy heading jammed with keywords.
On to the next step…
Add a blog post
Add a blog post about the product you added.
Say for instance you added a surfboard leash to your e-commerce surf shop.
Now, create a blog post under your news section about that surfboard leash, extolling its virtues and why you should choose it over another leash.
That blog post heading can contain more details than the heading for the e-commerce product listing.
You can take it a step further.
You can add multiple blog posts about the same product, and tackle a different aspect of the product in each blog post.
Those blog headings can contain all the keywords your heart desires, and if they’re informative, they won’t be considered spam.
Link to your product
Inside your blog posts, add hyperlinks to the product you’ve added in the e-commerce section.
Categorize
Another handy tip…
Create a news tag (in WordPress) and call it Surfboard Leashes, or Leashes, then add that tag to all those blog posts you wrote about the astonishing leash.
Now you’ve got a tag archive page filled with blog posts about a leash.
Benefits
Imagine showing up in search engine results, more often, for that specific product.
That’s what this strategy can do for you, if you implement it correctly.
You’re giving your website more opportunities to feature in Google for that product’s keywords because you’ll not only have the product page indexed in Google, but also an article, or articles, about that product.
It’s more work, but if done correctly, it comes with serious rewards.
Because you’re linking to your e-commerce product from your blog post, you’re pointing Google to where you want it and website visitors to go.
You’re posting multiple signposts to the same destination.
Furthermore, each of those blog posts can be set up as a social media marketing campaign.
You can share each post to Facebook or LinkedIn.
In the end, you enjoy more exposure.
In conclusion
You might be tempted to stuff your product headings with keywords (like Amazon sellers do), but it’s a potential bomb waiting to explode.
There might come a day when Google views Amazon headings as spammy, and if you followed their lead, there’s no reason for Google to spare you, if they make a move on Amazon.
A better way is to create product pages with succinct product headings, then add blog posts that link to those products. The blog post headings you can add more keywords to.
