Automotive part / OEM / Manufacturer numbers

[seowoody]

Hi All,

What's the best way to optimise pages for OE / Manufacturer Part numbers?

Disclaimer: All part numbers in this post are fictional. I dont want this post out ranking my client for real part numbers

Take this for Throttle Body for example:

WOODYS S-AB-Q.123.53G

This is the main part number from WOODYS (the manufacturer).

However, these are all variations of exactly the same product:

• Woodys 2.78972.11.0
• Woodys 2.78972.16.0
• Woodys 2.78972.20.0
• Woodys 2.78972.26.0

Oh, and car brands use OE numbers for these parts, such as:

• VWA 9808e40923G

• VWA 9808e40923L

• VWA 9808e40923M

• VWA 9808e40923P

• VWA 9808e40923Q

  These internal part numbers are vitally important as most of my clients customers are garages/mechanics so they're very likely to search on OE numbers.

So, would you suggest:

1. Optimising 10 different pages for the same product (using the part numbers in the URL, Title and H1). The problem is there's no unique content for these pages, only the part number varies, so this would likely get penalised for dupe content, or not enough unique content.

2. Optimising one page for all terms. If so, how do you suggest doing this to ensure all part/OE numbers rank well and part numbers are prominent in the SERPS?
   Could Schema.org help here by marking up these EO numbers with the isSimilarTo property of the Product type? I'm trying to ensure these part number get equal presence in the SERP snippet when searched for, even though I can't physically include all these numbers in the Title tag, URL and H1 of one page.

3. Something else?

Thanks,

Woody

[TomRayner]

This is a really, really tricky one. Here's how I see it:

I think you need to avoid running the risk of any duplicate content at all costs - this could certainly be an issue with option 1, as you have pointed out.  With that in mind, I feel we have to rule that one out completely.

That leaves with optimising multiple products on a single page.  How many products can be grouped together by manufacturer?  For instance, is this feasible?

Page Title: Audi Exhausts, URL domain.com/audi-exhausts/ H1: Audi Exhausts
10-15 exhausts on the page with brief description and history.

Page title: Mitsubishi Exhausts, URL domain.com/mistubishi-exhausts H1: Mitsubishi Exhausts
12 on the page with its own brief description and history

Page title: Audi Suspensions URL domain.com/audi-suspensions etc and so on.

That way, from a user perspective, at least they know that they've landed on a relevant page (or would click through to it via search).  Products are missing from H1, titles and URLs - but those factors aren't that significant any more anyway.  Provided that the products are on the page, I think you're fine.

If you can keep the page length to a reasonable size, you could have the parts listed next to each other high up the page with internal links.  For instance, if you click on one part, the page moves to that part's section.  You can achieve this by having something like a <a <="" span="">href="#PARTNUMBER"> href on the part number and/or image, that then links to </a>

<a <="" span=""></a><a <span="" class="webkit-html-attribute-name" data-mce-mark="1">name="PARTNUMBER"></a>Part Number

lower down the page.

With this way you're making a pretty rich content page, users are taken to a URL they will think is relevant and land on a relevant landing page, but then don't have to navigate off the page to find what they want.  Plus, with the part numbers present on the page, it gives you a chance to link-build specifically for that part number.  And because you might be trying to build links for a number of parts on one page, chances are that the page itself will become quite strong because of the links and social signals it will accrue over time.

That's one method, but would definitely consult others here and further afield.

[seowoody]

Thanks Tom,

I like the idea of anchoring links down to specific OE number sections using the H2 headings, my concern is what content would these sections contain?

You mention a brief description and history. The problem is there's nothing different about the product so the description/history would be exactly the same as the main product number. These number are literally alternative numbers for EXACTLY the same product.

Client did have option 1 set up and working when I came onboard and they did rank well for these OE numbers which brought in visitors/business. These pages had nothing more than a H1 Heading and one line of text on these pages containing OE number. I advised client to 301 these into main product page which also listed these OE number as alternate numbers.

In the short term I suspect this move will lose them visitors, until we build strength into main product page and in the long term protect their domain from a Panda penalty for thin content.

Would you agree?