Creating an online store structure: category diagram
The structure of the online store consists of two parts:
My name is Alexander Antipov and this article is for those who are going to create an online store from scratch or redo their current site . We will analyze these 2 components in detail as the basis for creating a convenient, SEO friendly and selling online store.
The development of any IT project begins with a technical task (TZ). But in the case of an online store,to set the correct task for the developer, you need to know what the structure of the SEO pages of the online store will be, based on what the site’s functionality will be thought out.
Usually there are 5 main types of SEO pages in the store:
Why is there no main store page in this list? I will write in a separate article.
These are sections of the site where the buyer can quickly go to the type of goods of interest.
In the form of CNC references, it will be like this: vash-domen.ru/glavnaya-categotiya-1/podcategoriya-1
How to create a category structure and CNC user-friendly and for successful SEO promotion on Google, Yandex, we will discuss in the next article.
A page with a description of the goods or how else they say - product card . The SEO structure of this type of pages does not require preliminary study, as was the case with the categories above, but it is important to indicate in the technical task that there should not be duplicate links in the online store (usually this applies only to products).
This happens because the product can be simultaneously belong to different categories, respectively, will be available through several links.
In order to avoid duplicate links, the product technically needs to assign one main category, and all other links on which you can enter the product - additional. Thus, all links will be working , but only one main link in sitemap.xml will be issued for search engines.
Text pages of a site with static content are called informational. For online stores, this is usually the page: About the store, Payment, Shipping, Warranty, Return, Privacy Policy .
Links of such pages consist of the domain name and the link of the page itself.
This is a page with a list and description of manufacturers of goods. Used if the store has more than one manufacturer.
Articles are the blog pages of the site (now increasingly used in online stores) where you can write informative articles about your products . This type of pages allows you to get more traffic from search engines to your store through SEO promotion.
Additionally, on these pages, you can immediately show customers a list of products related to the subject of the article - as a result, increase sales .
- you need to think over what types of SEO pages you need in an online store;
- chart the structure of these pages: categories, products, manufacturers, articles, information pages, etc. (it is convenient and very clear to do this in a special program, but you can draw on a piece of paper, the main thing is clear)
The more different types of pages, the higher the cost of the store. Therefore, you must be clear about what pages you should have and group them into types in a scheme in order to assign the correct task to the contractor.
In addition to those 5 types of pages that I described in the first part, there are additional functional pages of the online store, which are related to the functionality and will be additional types of pages.
Main pages (14):
Personal Area (8):
Text pages (1):
We have got 23 different types of online store pages . You may have less or more, but understanding the structure of the store and the type of pages you need will save you time and money when developing an online store .
Using this information you can proceed to the drafting of technical specifications.
Gradually, in a series of articles, we will analyze in detail each page, each function of an online store, what and what to do, as well as all the related information regarding sites of this type.
- SEO structure: categories, products, information pages, manufacturers, articles;
- Technical (functional) site structure.
My name is Alexander Antipov and this article is for those who are going to create an online store from scratch or redo their current site . We will analyze these 2 components in detail as the basis for creating a convenient, SEO friendly and selling online store.
1. SEO structure of the store site. Scheme of categories and products
The development of any IT project begins with a technical task (TZ). But in the case of an online store,to set the correct task for the developer, you need to know what the structure of the SEO pages of the online store will be, based on what the site’s functionality will be thought out.
Usually there are 5 main types of SEO pages in the store:
- Product Categories
- Products
- Information pages
- Manufacturers (brands)
- Articles
Why is there no main store page in this list? I will write in a separate article.
1. Categories of goods
These are sections of the site where the buyer can quickly go to the type of goods of interest.
Example: Online clothing storeThe scheme of online store categories usually looks like this.
The site has men's, women's and children's clothing. It is logical to make 3 main categories of the store: For men, For women, For children. Thus, the buyer will determine which section he belongs to and quickly find the right product.
In the form of CNC references, it will be like this: vash-domen.ru/glavnaya-categotiya-1/podcategoriya-1
- glavnaya-categotiya-1 is the main category CNC
- podcategoriya-1 - CNC subcategories
How to create a category structure and CNC user-friendly and for successful SEO promotion on Google, Yandex, we will discuss in the next article.
2. Goods
A page with a description of the goods or how else they say - product card . The SEO structure of this type of pages does not require preliminary study, as was the case with the categories above, but it is important to indicate in the technical task that there should not be duplicate links in the online store (usually this applies only to products).
This happens because the product can be simultaneously belong to different categories, respectively, will be available through several links.
Example: A product may belong to main category 1, main category 2, subcategory 1 (main category 1) and subcategory 3 (main category 2), based on which there will be 4 links to the same product:Schematically it will look like this.
vash-domen.ru/glavnaya -categotiya-1 / tovar-1
vash-domen.ru/glavnaya-categotiya-2/tovar-1
vash-domen.ru/glavnaya-categotiya-1/podcategoriya-1/tovar-1
vash-domen.ru/glavnaya- categotiya-2 / podcategoriya-3 / tovar-1
In order to avoid duplicate links, the product technically needs to assign one main category, and all other links on which you can enter the product - additional. Thus, all links will be working , but only one main link in sitemap.xml will be issued for search engines.
3. Information pages
Text pages of a site with static content are called informational. For online stores, this is usually the page: About the store, Payment, Shipping, Warranty, Return, Privacy Policy .
Links of such pages consist of the domain name and the link of the page itself.
Example: your-domain.com/oplata
4. Manufacturers (brands)
This is a page with a list and description of manufacturers of goods. Used if the store has more than one manufacturer.
Example:
your-domain.com/manufacturer - a page with a list of brands (manufacturers)
your-domain.com/manufacturer/apple - a page with a description of a specific brand (manufacturer). In this case, Apple
5. Articles
Articles are the blog pages of the site (now increasingly used in online stores) where you can write informative articles about your products . This type of pages allows you to get more traffic from search engines to your store through SEO promotion.
Additionally, on these pages, you can immediately show customers a list of products related to the subject of the article - as a result, increase sales .
Example:Based on this, before writing a developer “ make me a good store ”:
vash-domen.ru/blog - page with a list of articles
vash-domen.ru/blog/statia-1 - page of the article itself
- you need to think over what types of SEO pages you need in an online store;
- chart the structure of these pages: categories, products, manufacturers, articles, information pages, etc. (it is convenient and very clear to do this in a special program, but you can draw on a piece of paper, the main thing is clear)
The more different types of pages, the higher the cost of the store. Therefore, you must be clear about what pages you should have and group them into types in a scheme in order to assign the correct task to the contractor.
2. Technical structure of the online store website
In addition to those 5 types of pages that I described in the first part, there are additional functional pages of the online store, which are related to the functionality and will be additional types of pages.
Here is a list of functional pages of the online store structure:
Main pages (14):
- Home page
- Product catalog (product categories)
- Product card (product page)
- Manufacturers (list)
- Manufacturer's page
- Promotions (list of promotional items)
- Site search
- Compare Products
- Basket
- Checkout
- Store Reviews
- Contacts
- Blog (list of articles)
- Blog (separate article)
Personal Area (8):
- entrance
- check in
- Credentials (First Name, Last Name, Email, Customer Phone)
- Shipping Addresses
- Wish lists (bookmarks, favorites)
- purchase history
- Purchase returns
Text pages (1):
- About Us
- Shipping and payment
- Warranty
- Questions and answers
- Purchase returns
- privacy policy
We have got 23 different types of online store pages . You may have less or more, but understanding the structure of the store and the type of pages you need will save you time and money when developing an online store .
Using this information you can proceed to the drafting of technical specifications.
This is my first article on Habr, I will be grateful for the criticism and feedback.The creation of online stores is quite a voluminous topic and you cannot write everything in one article.
Gradually, in a series of articles, we will analyze in detail each page, each function of an online store, what and what to do, as well as all the related information regarding sites of this type.