Is it better to optimise for several keywords/keyword variations on one page, or create sub categories for those specific terms?

[Adam_SEO_Learning]

I've done a fair of research to try to find the answer to this, but different people seem to give very different opinions, and none of the info I could find is recent!

I'm working with a company that produces a range of industrial products that fit into 6 main categories, within this categories, there are types of products and the products themselves.

Prior to my involvement most of the content was added to the product pages and very little was added to the overall category page. The structure works like this:

Electronic devices > type of device > products

The 'type of device' category could be something like a switch, but within that category are 3/4 different switch types...leaving me with 11 or 12 primary keyword/phrases to aim for as each switch is searched for in more than one way. Should I try to rank for all of those terms using that one category page? Or should I change the structure to something like:

Electronic devices > type of device > sub-category/specific variation of device > product

This would mean creating a page for each variation to have a more accute focus for a small number of phrases..but it also means I've added another step between the home page and the products.

Any advice is welcome! I'm worried I'm overthinking it!

[Adam_SEO_Learning]

Thanks for the response.

I was hoping that there might be a commonly used strategy for tackling this kind of problem but I think deep down I knew I'd end up just having to try it and see what happens.

I'll just have to give it a go and see if I get the response I'm looking for and go from there.

Thanks again!

[Smileworks_Liverpool]

Hey Adam,

It can be difficult to determine what google considers to be the same 'topic' and you want everything contained in a topic to be on the page to make it stronger and comprehensive.

The only way that I have had success solving your problem is to test.  So many SEO's are terrified of breaking things, losing rankings and getting asked the terrible question, 'what did you do?!'

I'm lucky that I'm the CEO and can break whatever I want.  I've tested splitting out products from a 'topic' to see how they rank.  Sometimes they will just not get enough traffic and I think Google doesn't get enough feedback to rank them with any stability.

I've also tested combining pages and sometimes it works very well and other times it confuses visitors.  So talk to your customers and do some googling yourself and competitor research to try to find the delimitations of the 'topic' so that each page can have the maximum information on it.  Also write comprehensively.  Usually if you have split out a topic and it's cannibalising or competing with another one you will see this pretty quickly and you just revert to how it was.

Test, test and then test again.  That's the only way to solve this one I'm afraid.  You're not going to get a definite answer because there isn't one unfortunately.  It's what Rankbrain learns from customers and searches and you can't control that. But you can start to get a feel for it by researching.

[martinxm]

Hi Adam. The practical tips that I propose below will allow you to adjust the structure of your blog.

First, good practices for the use of the categories:

1. The categories must be able to classify the main topics that are covered in the blog.
2. Create between 5-7 categories.
3. Define the categories at the beginning of the creation of the blog.
4. Index categories.
5. Do not use uncategorized: it is better to create a category of "others".
6. The categories must appear in the main menu or in the sidebar.
7. On the main page of the category includes an explanatory text.
8. The number of posts by categories must be balanced. If you identify that a category contains most of the posts, you may need to divide that category into two (or more).
9. A post can be included in more than one category, but it is not necessary. If we think it can help the user, there is no problem, although you always have to think if it is really necessary and if it will add value. In some cases it will not be necessary, in others, we may discover the need to create another category that better encompasses a main theme.

Then, good practices for the use of tags:

1. It is advisable not to index the tags.
2. It is not necessary to include them in the main menu.
3. Tags should never have the same name as a category.
4. The tags are not meta keywords.
5. Do not create infinite tags. Each tag must have a meaning and be able to encompass several posts. A practical exercise is to think: will I use this tag for more than one post? If the answer is no, it is advisable not to create it.
6. Less is more. Do not include more tags than necessary by post. There is no limit number, but remember that they have to add value.
7. Choose if we work the words in plural or singular.
8. It is also ideal to define the tags when starting the blog. To do it in an orderly way we can define the tags according to the category. But never use the same tags in a category.

And don't forget the URL structure. Its very important too. If a blog is SEO friendly, it is also seen in the structure of its URLs. When you define them, remember to include /category/ or /tag/ in front of the category or tag as in this example:

• http://webname.com/category/food/
• http://webname.com/tag/burguer/

In this way, you will create a healthy structure and avoid possible 404 errors and duplicate content. I hope I've helped.