Moz Q&A is closed.
After more than 13 years, and tens of thousands of questions, Moz Q&A closed on 12th December 2024. Whilst we’re not completely removing the content - many posts will still be possible to view - we have locked both new posts and new replies. More details here.
Keyword appearing on almost every slug of product pages = over-optimizatio
-
Hello all,
I have an online store, let's say for example I sell forks of all kinds and colors. So naturally, I have 'product category' pages with titles and slugs like:
Big forks
Small forks
Plastic forks
Red fork
etc..And plenty of product pages with slugs and H1 like:
Small red fork
Large plastic fork
18th-century fork
etc...Some category pages are well-ranked, others are not, the same goes for product pages. The problem is that for the main keyword, 'fork' (exact query in the search console), my site is completely absent. Google should logically have referenced my homepage (which has links to all categories) for this main keyword. I have also optimized the page for it, without overdoing it.
I wonder if it's not because I have a lot of pages with 'fork' in the slug, and perhaps Google thinks it's too much (even though it's logical for this word to be present in all product pages because it's an essential word to describe the product).
I wonder if I should not modify half of my product pages to remove the word 'fork' from the slug...(only from the slug, without touching the H1 because removing the word 'fork' would remove its meaning).
Do you have any experiences with this kind of issue? I wouldn't ask the question if my homepage was behind the competition, but it's completely absent.
Thanks
-
Looks like you might be facing over-optimization with the frequent appearance of keywords in your product page slugs. This could potentially affect your site's SEO negatively. Consider diversifying your slugs to maintain a natural balance and avoid penalization from search engines.
-
Using too many of the same keywords in slugs on multiple product pages can lead to over-optimization and negatively impact your site's search engine rankings
). Excessive use of keywords will look unnatural to search engines and can result in penalties for spamming. By diversifying your keywords and focusing on creating relevant and user-friendly slugs, you can improve your overall SEO performance. -
Thank you for your insight! It's important to strike a balance between optimization and user experience. I'll review the keyword distribution across our product pages to ensure we maintain a natural and user-friendly approach.
-
@Veptune
Hello,
Thank you for sharing your concern. It's not uncommon for websites to face challenges with keyword optimization and ranking, especially when dealing with product categories and pages.Regarding your situation, it's possible that the abundance of "fork" keywords in your slugs could be impacting your site's visibility for the main keyword "fork." While having descriptive slugs is important for users and search engines, it's also crucial to strike a balance.
Before making any changes to your product pages, I would recommend conducting further analysis to understand why your homepage isn't ranking for the main keyword. This could involve reviewing your site's overall SEO strategy, examining competitors' strategies, and assessing the quality and relevance of your homepage content and backlinks.
Additionally, consider exploring other optimization opportunities such as improving internal linking structure, enhancing meta tags, and creating high-quality content that targets relevant keywords.
Ultimately, it's essential to approach any modifications carefully and monitor the impact on your site's performance over time. Consulting with an experienced SEO professional could also provide valuable insights tailored to your specific situation.
Best of luck with your optimization efforts!
Warm regards, MrOSMANI
-
Hello,
The "fork" is a relevant keyword, but it's quite broad.
-
Users searching for "fork" could be looking for information (e.g., history of forks), buying a specific type of fork (e.g., disposable forks), or browsing a variety of forks.
-
Analyze your search console data to understand what specific terms users are searching for to find your products. Optimize your content and titles for these terms while still incorporating "fork" where relevant.
-
Having high-quality backlinks from relevant websites can significantly improve your ranking for competitive keywords like "fork."
Warm Regards
Rahul Gupta
Suvidit Academy
Digital Marketing Course, Mentorship & Training -
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
On-page SEO
This is a question for the organic SEO experts, once you added the main keyword that you want to rank for in the homepage title, meta title plus meta description, perhaps once or twice in the text on the homepage. How often do you then write it in the content marketing, say blog posts, we want to rank higher on Google for "SEO agencies Cardiff" however if you mention this in the blog posts too much say once a week, this could lead to over optimisation issues?
On-Page Optimization | | sarahwalsh1 -
Shifting target keyword to a new page, how do we rank the internal page?
I have been targeting one keyword for home page that was ranking between the postilion 6-7 but was never ranking on 1st as there were 2 highly competitive keywords targeted on the same page, I changed the keyword to an internal service page to rank it on 1st, I have optimized the content as well but the home page is still ranking on 11th, how do I get the internal page rank on that keyword
On-Page Optimization | | GOMO-Gabriel0 -
Do You Add City Name & Key Word For Every Page?
Hello, I'm new to SEO but feel I have a decent grasp on it. However, I had a question pertaining to key words and using my city name in it. For instance, if I am using the key word "herniated disc treatment" do I need to put in my city name behind it or does google recognize that I am already in my city area because of my geo tagging and having it listed on the footer of my site? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! -Scott
On-Page Optimization | | slgray0 -
Category pages, should I noindex them?
Hi there, I have a question about my blog that I hope you guys can answer. Should I no index the category and tag pages of my blog? I understand they are considered as duplicate content, but what if I try to work the keyword of that category? What would you do? I am looking forward to reading your answers 🙂
On-Page Optimization | | lucywrites0 -
Does anyone know of a tool where you can get all of the keyword that any given landing page is ranking for?
I'd like to find out what landing pages are ranking for which keywords, but I haven't been able to find a tool that does it. I was hoping there would be something where I could submit the url and get a list of every keyword it is ranking for. Any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks!
On-Page Optimization | | Powerblanket0 -
Why is my contact us page ranking higher than my home page?
Hello, It doesn't matter what keyword I put into Google (when I'm not signed in and have cleaned down my browsing history) the contact us page ranks higher than the home page. I'm not sure why this is, the home page has a higher page authority, more links and more social media shares, the website is an established one. When I have checked Google Analytics my home page gets more people landing on it than the contact us page. It looks like people are ignoring the contact us page and scrolling down until they find the home page. I'd appreciate any help or advice you might have. Thank you.
On-Page Optimization | | mblsolutions2 -
Can I use Same Keyword for Multi pages Title Tags?
Hello All, I am working on client website and currently they are targeting One Keywords for multi pages. As I have search with Allintitle: Search query and Google display around 37 pages of website which carry same keyword in "Title Tags". I have told to client to change the "Title Tags" but they want that keyword for all relevant pages. So I want to know is that harm in Search Engine Ranking? Note: They have not done the link building activities for multi pages with same Keyword, they are using only in "Title Tags" only
On-Page Optimization | | jemindesai0 -
ECommerce Product Meta Descriptions vs. Product Descriptions
Wondering if using on-page product descriptions as the individual product meta descriptions is a best practice for an eCommerce site? Instead of writing two product descriptions (one regular and one meta), I am thinking if the product copy is SEO rich, we'd be good to use just the one for both purposes. Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions? Seems that many companies follow this practice. Thanks!
On-Page Optimization | | kennyrowe1