Ranking High-Volume Keywords: A Category Content Optimization Strategy
Client: A mid-sized Shopify store in the competitive “fashion & apparel” niche.
Challenges We Faced
The client’s store had beautiful products but was “stuck” on page 2, facing critical ecommerce category page seo issues:
Stuck on Page 2
Their main “head-term” category pages (e.g., “women’s dresses,” “men’s sneakers”) were stuck at positions 11-15, getting almost no clicks.
Thin Content
A Comprehensive Category Page Audit found that their category pages were just a grid of products with no unique, descriptive content, giving Google no reason to rank them.
Weak Title & H1 Optimization
Titles were generic (e.g., “Dresses”), lacking keywords or a compelling reason to click.
Losing Traffic to Blogs
Major fashion blogs and publisher sites were outranking them for “best dresses” keywords.
Poor Internal Linking
Category and product pages were not linked well, making it harder for Google to understand page importance.
Rank Your Category Pages
“Want your category pages to rank for high-volume keywords? Our e commerce category optimization services will build the content and authority you need.”
Our Approach – How We Solved These Challenges
Category-Level” Keyword Research
We identified the highest-volume, highest-intent “head-term” keywords (e.g., “women’s dresses,” “summer tops”) for their top 20 categories.
Category Content & Copywriting
This was the core of our e commerce category optimization services. We wrote 300-500 words of unique, helpful “shopping guide” content and placed it at the top of each category page.
Title & H1 Optimization
We rewrote all category titles and H1s to be keyword-rich and compelling (e.t., “Shop the Best Women’s Dresses Online | [Brand Name]”).
Internal Linking & Silo Structure
We used their blog to build authority, adding 2-3 new, contextual internal links from relevant blog posts to the newly optimized category pages.
Results
| Metric | Before | After | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. Ranking for “Head-Term” Keywords | Position #14 (Page 2) | Position #4 (Page 1) | Position #4 (Page 1) +10 spots |
| Organic Traffic (to Category Pages) | 10,000/mo | 45,000/mo | +350% |
| Organic Revenue (from Category Pages) | $20,000/mo | $85,000/mo | +325% |
Free Category Page Audit
“Not sure why your categories aren’t ranking? Claim a Free Category SEO Audit and let our e commerce category optimization company find your thin content!”
Advice for Marketers & Brand Owners
- Your category pages are your real money pages. They are your best tool for ranking for high-volume “head-term” keywords.
- Category Content & Copywriting is non-negotiable. You must add unique, helpful content to your category pages. A simple grid of products is “thin content” and will not rank.
- Use your blog to support your categories. An Internal Linking & Silo Structure passes authority from your informational posts to your “money” pages.
Extra Factors That Made It Work
- The new 300-word content blocks on each category page not only helped with SEO but also educated users, which improved conversion rates.
- Using Content Optimization Tools (like SurferSEO) ensured our new category content was semantically rich and comprehensive.
