Meta tag question
-
Through research our competitors have created independent product codes like FT-5750 and are using it as an independent SKU#, when I search this product code they are the only search result.
can we use their abbreviated SKU# in our meta tag or keywords to show up in the SERP?
Thanks,
Michelle & Blake
-
Michelle & Blake,
Tim raised some good points, so rather than address those I'll try to answer your question directly.
Yes, you could theoretically rank for these unique SKUs if you were to build some half-way decent content around them - especially if the competition is low as you say.
It's not likely as easy as putting the keywords in your Meta tags ( I assume you mean the meta description tag, or even the meta keywords tag which most folks don't use anymore)
If you really want to rank for these keywords, they should probably be a natural part of your content and body copy. To Tim's point, could you target these terms in a way that made sense to visitors? Perhaps yes. If your visitor was looking for a product similar too or a substitution for a particular SKU, this might make sense - but you actually have to create content around the terms, and not simply stick them on the page or hide them in the meta data - does this make sense?
You would want to target these keywords and ideas just like any other. Tools like the on-page grader might give you good idea where to start.
Hope this helps! Best of luck with your SEO!
-
Hey Michelle and Blake,
There's nothing inherently black hat about targeting the same keywords as your competitors. It's sort of an underhanded business tactic, but it's not something that will directly get you in trouble with Google.
I still think it might be harder to rank for those SKUs than you think it will be. If you competitor is the industry leader and these SKUs are closely associated with their brand just mentioning the SKUs in the content of a page might not be enough to rank for them. You might also need some link building to be on the same level as your competitor. If you're trying to build links around keywords that aren't naturally part of your brand, it could easy to slip into some shady tactics.
There might be other out there with more experience in building organic SEO campaigns that target a competitors keywords (and hopefully, they'll chime in here), but I still think AdWords is your best bet for getting started with this. It's instant and you're guaranteed to rank above your competitor. You'll also start getting data about whether it would be worth investing in a larger organic campaign to rank for these keywords.
Tim
-
Tim,
Thank you for the response, However, our competitor is the industry leader and that SKU is specific to that company. They have made these SKU's because they are solely searchable in SERP. Interestingly, the second and third industry sites have now made up their own SKU all using the same base number but different letter configurations. Ideally, our meta and keywords could include our competitors individual SKU's so theoretically we would rank along with their site search. It would be worth our time and effort if including this information in our meta and keyword if this tactic worked.
We are trying to distinguish if this would be a black hat practice or a competitive white hat tactic? Thoughts?
Thanks,
M & B
-
Hi Michelle and Blake,
I think the first thing you need to ask yourselves is if people are actually searching for your competitor's SKUs. Is it really worth your time to try to optimize for these when you could instead spend time and money optimizing for keywords that might drive more traffic?
Also, since these are SKUs that only your competitor uses, it almost functions in the same way that a branded search for their company name would. Even if you created a page that focused on FT-5750, would it really deserve to rank above a page on your competitor's site? Probably not since they actually use that SKU as part of their business.
Optimizing for these SKUs might be more difficult than you think depending on how closely associated the SKUs are with you competitors brand.
Targeting your competitors keywords is a tactic that some companies use, but I've seen it done more often through AdWords than through organic SEO. If you search for Eloqua (a marketing automation tool), you'll see an ad for Marketo (one of their competitors). https://www.google.com/search?pws=0&q=eloqua
But again, you need to figure out if it's worth it to go after these SKUs. A small AdWords campaign could help you figure out if it's worth your time and money. Otherwise might just end up wasting a lot of resources on something that doesn't drive much traffic.
Hope this help.s
Tim
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
-
Title Tags
Hi, Say I am going after the keyword "example location". Is it better to have the Title say "Example Location" or can I say, "Example is the best in location" and still get the same keyword results? What about "Example location, location, location", would each "location" carry with it the "example". Hopefully that was not too confusing. Thanks,
Keyword Research | | Mike.NW0 -
E-Commerce keyword question
We sell ItemA. One of the phrases that brings people to our site is "ItemA for sale". Should I just try to target "ItemA" or should I try to get "for sale" in there? I have seen a few other variations such as "on clearance" or "to purchase" as well. Can I just focus on "ItemA" or do I need all of those variants as well?
Keyword Research | | EcommerceSite0 -
Can I get your input on keyword usage in the title tag
Hello fellow mozzers! I've been struggling with my title tag and would like to get your opinion. We provide IT services in the Los Angeles area. I've been doing keyword research for the past week and found about 400 keywords from various sources. I then looked at my top 5 competitors on Google and analyzed their homepage title tags, the most common keywords that they use in their title tags are: IT Support Los Angeles
Keyword Research | | igor.pinchevskiy
Computer Support Los Angeles
Network Consulting Los Angeles
Network Support Los Angeles
IT Services Los Angeles Since it is recommended to have your title tag under 70 characters I've compiled the following title tag for my home page: IT Services, Network Consulting, IT and Network Support in Los Angeles which is exactly 70 characters, however my company name is an additional 9 characters, I think it would be wise to include in the title tag of the home page however I can't decide if I should exceed the limit by including the company name to the title tag or should I remove something from the title tag and then add the company name? 1. What do you guys think, is that a good title tag to use as is? 2. Should I add the company name without removing any keywords or remove a keyword? 3. I'm trying to target local traffic since I can't compete with the big dogs yet, so I want to be in the SERPs when someone searches IT Services Los Angeles, IT Support Los Angeles, etc... Do I need to add Los Angeles after each keyword, or I can use a single instance of Los Angeles like in the example title tag that I have? 4. For the other remaining 400+/- keywords I want to use some of them to create static pages and some for blog posts, is that the way to go? Any help or advice is greatly appreciated!!! Thank you!!!0 -
Is there a Meta tag or Keyword Generator tool that I can use on SEMOZ ?
I need to identify a tool within SEMOZ that can automatically generate Keywords and Meta tags.
Keyword Research | | sherohass0 -
Question on keyword rankings
Hi everyone Within our campaign it says that we rank number 35 for a specific keyword in Google in the Unites States but when we google the specific keyword we come up as number two on the first page. Can you help me understand what the current rank is based on as well as how it's results can be different from our Google search? Thank you.
Keyword Research | | DRTBA0 -
Question about keyword
I had read a post in SEOmoz about keywords. According to it, The best keywords are 1. High Volume (many searches/month) 2. Low Competition 3. High Value (large % of visitors convert) My question is how can i find about 2nd and 3rd point. High search volume is shown in many Tools including Google adwords, but how can we be sure to find keywords that are low in competition and at the same time high value.
Keyword Research | | seoug_20050 -
Capitals in Title tags and meta descriptions and their effect on SEO
It often the case that a page of serps will show up very similar title tags eg Cheap Widgets | Widgetsrus.com format, written partly for humans and partly for SEO.. Although against Googles best practice and indeed a violation of their adwords policy would using in CAPS in title tags reduce ranking (whilst increasing visibility and CTR)?
Keyword Research | | seanmccauley0 -
Stupid question
I apologize for the dumb question, but in the SEOmoz toolbar, where is the page rank feature? I see page and root domain, but don't see the page rank. Sorry
Keyword Research | | azguy0