Category Pages with Sub-Categories

[drewschmaltz]

The image will explain it all...  Each category page starts on the subject of the first sub-category page.  This happens twice (well actually 3 times since this section of the site is called showroom and it starts on the tab mowers).

Is this a terrible approach?  If so, how could a site like this be better navigation-ally organized.

cat-subcat.png

[TaitLarson]

Could you be more specific?  I'd love to see the full URL path before of the categories and sub categories before I weigh in.

[drewschmaltz]

I haven't actually created anything yet - hence the research.

Right now, my mock-up is completely based on ease of use for the user, and I am now factoring in SEO concerns - and this is my first concern.

Basically you have a homepage that has 3 main links in the middle of the page as well as some information about us, map, phone, etc...  below.  These links are:

• Showroom
• Workbench
• Knowledge Base

The screenshot you see on my first post is the "home" of the showroom.

As you can see, when you click Showroom - the first page you are taken to is Homeowner Toro Mowers.

That means the anchor text for showroom actually links to "homeowner toro mowers" - which can't be good.

Take it one step down and you see the same issue.  Click the tab "gravely mowers" and you are taken to "homeowner gravely mowers" - with commercial being another tab.

In a perfect world I'm guessing I should have a page called "showroom" optimized for keywords.

Then, I should have a page called "mowers" with links to the different brands.

The company and I have no interest in creating all these "category home pages" because we don't have the content for them nor would they support the user in any sort of way.

This must be a common issue and there has to be a good answer to it - I just can't seem to come up with one.

I hope this helps...

[TaitLarson]

You don't have to create anything to start planning out your URL structure.  Lots of times when building something I think about the keywords and then just start laying out the URLs that I think will suport those keywords from a search and overall usability perspective.  I'll do this even before I start mocking things up.

From your design you could put all mowers by one company on the same page and then have tabs to separate the content.  Implement the tabs in javascript so that they just enhance some good solid HTML lists or divs.   That would create one page for each mower brand.  Are you hoping to SEO well for "mowers" or "toro mowers"?  Perhaps you are already planning on doing this?

In regards to the anchor text, can you just link to "Toro Mowers" and then have people click the tab they want.  Othewise perhaps you could do something link "Toro Mowers - Home",  "Toro Mowers - Commercial".  At least that gets the keywords at the front of the anchor text.

The structure of your site will be important for SEO but start by finding the list of keywords to target.  Consider keyword competition and search volume when making the list.  Come up with one page for each of those keywords. Then try to come up with an overall URL structure where you can SEO all those pages well.  Finally, don't worry about SEO on each and every page you create.  You are going to have some pages that add to the overall experience of your site that might not target keywords.

You are smart to think about creating only the pages that you have good content for.  I wouldn't force myself to create any other pages.

[drewschmaltz]

I think I have it.  Yes, tabs could be the answer...  unless this is getting too crazy.

So, on the front page I will use an image to say "showroom" and make the alt text = "zero turn mowers".

Then, beneath that main category I will also include: edgers, blowers, etc... as if they are sub categories (but in reality it will all be links to the 2nd layer if you know what I'm saying).

So, basically I will have a page that is optimized for zero turn mowers with this content:

/zero-turn-mowers

ZERO TURN MOWERS (h1)

TORO ZERO TURN MOWERS (1st tab & h2)

Description

Toro Zero Turn Homeowner (1st inner tab &h3)

Mower 1

Mower 2

etc...

Toro Zero Turn Commercial (2nd inner tab & h3)

Mower 1

Mower 2

etc...

GRAVELY ZERO TURN MOWERS (2nd tab and h2)

[same structure as Toro]

/edgers

[repeat structure for edgers 1 page]

Although, it is probably too ambitious to go after "zero turn mowers"...  I wonder if this double tab structure is bad on page optimization or excellent as this is going to cause me to have a ton of content on each page.