Duplicate Page Titles and Keywords

[Confections]

Still new to this SEO world, so please bear with me.  I have an eCommerce site so one of the issues is duplicate content and page titles.

So what I was thinking was this...for each product that I sell I have 4 or 5 keywords that I have targeted.  For example for personalized iPhone cases I have decided on:

iphone 4 case personalized, monogrammed iphone 4 case, personalized and monogrammed iphone case, preppy phone case, personalized iPhone case, monogrammed iPhone case

For each of my products I was going to a product description (ie: trendy color block diagonal stripes) and a targeted keyword.  But I was going to rotate the keywords through so as to try to avoid the duplicate page title issue.

Will that help?

Thanks much,

Shara

[RobertFisher]

Shara,

I would approach the changes like this: For your better selling products and products you want to sell better (think about that last one in terms of what makes you the most money, is easiest to fulfill, least headaches, etc.). Work on those first. If you have something that is really moving, be careful and slowly implement the changes.

As to what needs to change, I think you need to approach it from not changing each page as much as seeing what can be done to the site. It is a Drupal site as I recall and there are ways to work with it.

Best

[Confections]

Hi Robert,

Thanks so much for the thoughtful answer.  I can fix the problem with the title tags and the H1 tags.  Your insight into the meta description was helpful.  But how much variation does there need to be not to get dinged for duplicate content?

Unfortunately I cannot change the main structure of the site.  For better or worse I am stuck with it and will have to make it work as best as I can from the SEO standpoint.

Your help and insight is MUCH appreciated!

Shara

[RobertFisher]

Shara, 
I think I followed you, but you need to understand what you are doing here so I will be a bit more in depth:

For the above url : http://www.confectionsbysharaspaperie.com/products/personalized-gifts/orange-yellow-and-gray-funky-floral-personalized-phone-case-spcase59

You have a title tag that is 93 characters long, set up for a search on orange, yellow, and gray funky floral monogrammed I Phone Case. Now, the good news is you will rank first on this search. The bad news is no one searches for this. So, with every variation you have one more non searched title tag keyword phrase.

when you look at what people search on, you see that there are over a half million searches per month in US on I Phone Case, 12,000 on Custom I Phone Case, and 9000 on personalized I phone case. Zero on monogrammed and on all additional variants you are using like custom monogrammed, custom personalized, etc.

So, your title tags need to be around these searched keywords. Adding the blue red double striped, etc. does not assist you. Get them to the site first and then easily get them to the types. That said your meta descriptions should sell not describe. This is what makes a person click to go to your site: Custom I Phone cases in many styles never seen before. Personalized, inexpensive, overnight shipping 800-123-4567. (Find variations for every page).

Now back to duped content: Your duplicate content is caused by using a page for every design and color variant. You need to break them down into say Mod designs, contemp. designs, solid color, etc. Then, when someone goes to that page they see the pics that do not become new urls. I will have my Drupal dev look at it tomorrow, but I know there are some smarter eComm drupal devs than me on moz.

All of your content with the exception of the long design keyword phrase is EXACTLY the same:

This tone on tone red circular pattern on the personalized phone case offers tough protection while looking fabulous!  For your iPhone a silicone skin surrounds your phone completely, absorbing all impact and shock. Wrapped around the skin is a tough, ABS plastic shell, which completely secures your iPhone and adds another level of protection. For the Blackberry, Samsung Galaxy S phones and iTouches we offer the tough hard to break plastic. Each case is designed and heat printed so there is no fading or rubbing off.  Love things that are personalized and have an iPad?  Take a look at our personalized or monogrammed iPad folio cases.

You can replace tone on tone red circular pattern with any of these:

trendy, colorful swirl design or trendy color block diagonal stripes or etc.

lastly, your H1's are all starting off with Confections by Shara's Paperie and then the trendy, colorful,,,,,,, Sorry, you are just hurting yourself with all of this. The H1 has a role in the algorithm and unless people are searching on Shara's Paperie at a rate that I am just oblivious to, and we know they are not searching on trendy, striped, vertical, tango ....., then these are bad. Having them all be identical (essentially) is killing you.

So, you have your work cut out for you and you need to understand that there are NO Shortcuts. Whoever built the site put everything in for their ease as opposed to for SEO purposes. Now the work seems to be falling on you.

Lastly, I handle a printing client (very large format) and am aware you can put a picture onto vinyl, etc for putting on anything. I do not notice anything like that with your cases. Have you ever thought of that? I think it would be a seller if I could upload a photo to your site on a predetermined template (for accurate sizing and alignment to case) and have that as my case pic.

Best to you,

[RobertFisher]

Hey Shara

I think where you are headed is a good start. So, for main tab for IPhone cases (tab will be title tag) you would have IPhone Cases / Shop Confections (note there should be a pipe - straight line vertical - and not a slash betsween. I am on an interns keyboard and realized he needs new keyboard).

Under that you will have each of the titles you list above: iphone 4 case personalized, monogrammed iphone 4 case, personalized and monogrammed iphone case, preppy phone case, personalized iPhone case, monogrammed iPhone case****. I would set these up in the order of IP4 first (personalized, monogrammed, personalized and monogrammed) then general IPhone ( IPhone case preppy, IPhone case personalized , IPhone case monogrammed). So, no matter what additional description, you are always starting with IPhone case or IPhone 4 Case. For your different colors, designs, etc. to the extent your eCommerce platform will allow, you want to be able to select a color variation without changing the url. So if I am on IPhone 4 case monogrammed, and it comes in solid or striped with different variations of colors, I would have the color selector change the color for solid page, and for design page. This should prevent dupe content. If you do the title tags this way you won't have duplicate title tags.

Hope this helps,

Robert