Why is Google Ranking the Umbrella Category Page when Searching for Sub-Categories Within that Umbrella Category?

[FPD_NYC]

I have an e-commerce client who sells shoes. There is a main page for "Kids" shoes, and then right under it on the top-navigation bar there is a link to "Boys Shoes" and "Girls Shoes." All 3 of these links are on the same level - 1 click off the home page. (And linked to from every page on the website via the top nav bar). All 3 are perfectly optimized for their targeted term.

However, when you search for "boys shoes" or "girls shoes" + the brand, the "Kids" page is the one that shows up in the #1 position. There are sitelinks beneath the listing pointing to "Girls" and "Boys." All the other results in Google are resellers of the "brand + girls" or "brand + boys" shoes. So our listing is the only one that's "brand + kids shoes."

Our "boys" shoes page and "girls" shoes page don't even rank on the 1st page for "brand + boys shoes" or "brand + girls shoes."

The only real difference is that "kids shoes" contains both girls and boys shoes on the page, and then "boys" obviously contains boys' shoes only, "girls" contains girls' shoes only. So in that sense there is more content on the "kids" page.

So my question is - WHY is the kids page outranking the boys/girls page? How can we make the boys/girls pages be the ones that show up when people specifically search for boys/girls shoes?

[MattRoney]

I'm gonna have to second EGOL on this. Sounds like you've got a pretty sweet thing going.

[EGOL]

when you search for "boys shoes" or "girls shoes" + the brand, the "Kids" page is the one that shows up in the #1 position.  There are sitelinks beneath the listing pointing to "Girls" and "Boys."

Awesome.  Nice work!

Google considers lots of variables when ranking pages and selecting which pages to rank.  It could be title tags, content on the page, CTR in the SERPs, visitor behavior on site, many other things.  So, nobody is going to be able to answer your question.

If this was my site I would be OK that my "kids page" is in the #1 position.  That would allow visitors to see more of the website before clicking into the "boys" page.  If you get lots of people buying both a pair of boys shoes and a pair of girls shoes, it could be that seeing the Kids page first triggered the larger shopping cart.  If you have return visitors who bought boy's shoes in the past, returning to buy girls shoes it could be a result of seeing the kids page on their last visit.

So, if this was my site, I would be praisin' the Lord that I had a page in the #1 position.