Over-Categorization Issue

Hi,

I am new here, i really needed some help regarding an e-commerce website, i was making its structure. And i am facing two issues:
1) First is that when i am making multi category and sub categories pages like Slim Jeans, Skinny Jeans, Wide Jeans inside main Category Jeans which is inside Mens Clothing. So, I am facing an issue of Over-Categorization which will result in bad UX. What can be solution that can evade over-categorization and still i be able to make sub-category pages as it has high search volume.

2) For URL structure, i was confused as to how should i structure my URL, e.g. below is a random domain not a real one

a) https://www.domain.com/mens-clothing/jeans/skinny-jeans
b) https://www.domain.com/mens-clothing-skinny-jeans

Kindly help me out.
Regards,
David

 

Over-categorization can be a problem in e-commerce store design, as it can make it difficult for customers to find what they're looking for and increase the risk of customers leaving the site without making a purchase. Here are some steps you can take to avoid over-categorization in your e-commerce store:

1. Keep categories simple and straightforward: Use clear, concise language for your categories and limit the number of subcategories whenever possible.
2. Use tags and filters: In addition to categories, consider using tags and filters to help customers narrow down their search results. This can help customers find what they're looking for more quickly and easily.
3. Consider customer behavior: Consider how your customers typically search for and purchase products, and design your categories and subcategories accordingly. For example, if customers typically search for products based on their intended use, you might consider creating categories based on different types of activities (e.g. running, hiking, etc.).
4. Monitor and adjust categories as needed: Regularly review your categories and subcategories to see which ones are being used most frequently, and make changes as needed. This can help you ensure that your categories remain relevant and effective over time.
5. Test and refine: Finally, be sure to test your categories and subcategories with real customers, and make changes based on their feedback. This can help you identify any areas of confusion or frustration, and make adjustments to improve the customer experience.
   

You can go with the second option to avoid over-categorization.

 

It doesn't make that much of a difference in my opinion.

Why do you think it should make a difference and what do you mean by "over-categorization"?

 

I asked and showed a site structure to one of an SEO specialist, he said that you need to kill sub categories other wise customer will have bad user experience. But those sub categories have search volumes of 50K, 500K.

 

A who? A SEO specialist? What's that?

 

a person who works as an SEO at a senior level in some digital marketing company.

 

A shoemaker without shoes. Let's say someone said to me "I am a SEO specialist". I'd ask them, do you own a website that makes a ton of money for you? If the answer is no, they have no business of calling themselves "a SEO specialist". Their advice is invalid.

 

Thanks helping me out

 

Over-Categorization: To avoid over-categorization while still making sub-category pages, you can try the following:

- Use only a few high-level categories, and make sure each subcategory serves a specific purpose.

- Consider merging similar subcategories into one.

- Make sure the categories and subcategories are intuitive and make sense to the users.

- Use breadcrumb navigation to show the hierarchy of categories and subcategories, so users can easily go back to higher-level categories.

- URL Structure: For URL structure, it's recommended to use a clear and concise structure that accurately reflects the hierarchy of your categories and subcategories.

In your example, option a) is a better URL structure as it clearly shows the hierarchy of categories, i.e. "Mens Clothing" and "Jeans" and the subcategory "Skinny Jeans". This structure makes it easier for both users and search engines to understand the content of the page.

I hope this helps! Let me know if you need further clarification.

 

But if i follow b) and provide bread crumbs on each page to retrack the original higher pages, then wouldn't it be a better option as the crawl depth would be lesser ?

 

I would use this structure but remove the "jeans" after skinny as it's already under the "jeans" category before it in the url. No reason to repeat "jeans" everytime.

Like this:
a) https://www.domain.com/mens-clothing/jeans/skinny
a) https://www.domain.com/mens-clothing/jeans/wide

 

Thanks Sir, i have another question relating to SEO. Regarding how can we target multiple countries with single domain ?

https://www.domain.com/us/
https://www.domain.com/au/
https://www.domain.com/ca/

If we make these three pages for three countries, and have same content, then will we make (https://www.domain.com/us/) canonical for both au & ca ? and if we do then google will only index us one, and not au and ca. How can i target multiple countries ? Any help would be highly appreciated.

 

1. For a big site with 1000+ products, a 2 level category structure is perfectly fine on some categories and it's actually advisable if you have 10.000+ products.
You can use filters to keep the category while making navigation easy
2. b.) 100%