Collection Page SEO
In eCommerce, collection pages, alternatively known as category pages or product listing pages (PLPs), are simply pages with groups of related products.
When optimised effectively, these pages can have a great impact on your SEO as they often have high monthly search volumes in comparison to single product pages.
Here, we will share some best practices for optimising collection pages for eCommerce websites.
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The Significance of Collection Pages
From an SEO viewpoint, collection pages allow us to target broad keywords and phrases such as “black dresses”, “red shoes”, or “sheds”.
When a user types a search term with commercial intent into a search engine such as Google, they expect to see a list of products they can browse.
Sometimes, you may see a homepage ranking for one of these terms, but more often than not, you will see collection pages dominating the 1st page of the search results.
Let’s imagine your business sells sheds, you could have a very healthy 50 sheds in your collection and we look at the search volumes of each keyword.
Search Volume
“Shed A” = 10 Searches Per Month
“Shed B” = 5 Searches Per Month
“Sheds” = 49,500 Searches Per Month
So naturally, if your website ranks in a top position for a broad term like “sheds,” it could drive more traffic to your site than all the individual product pages in that collection combined.
Sheds Search Volume – Source: Semrush
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Best Practices for Collection Page SEO
Regardless of the platform your website is built on, you can positively impact your collection pages and optimise them from an SEO perspective.
1. Conduct Keyword Research
Acquiring a target keyword for your collection page is key. Use keyword research tools such as Semrush or Google Adwords to discover high-volume, relevant terms.
For example, targeting “affordable women’s handbags” might be more effective than the generic “handbags” due to specificity and intent.
Be realistic too; if you have a new site, targeting the keyword “sheds” if you only have 5 sheds might not be realistic. But maybe you could target “Oak sheds” or “wooden sheds”. As you move to longer tail keywords, the search volume decreases, but the chances of picking up a higher place in the search results can increase due to less competition.
2. Conduct Manual Research
This step cannot be understated.
Search the keyword you want to rank for on Google and take a close look at the top-ranking pages. What do they have in common? This gives you insight into what search engines value for that specific query.
If your page looks drastically different from what’s already ranking, you might be swimming against the tide rather than with it.For example, if all the top 10 results for “sheds” are product pages where users can buy directly, but your page is a B2B brochure or informational page, you’re likely trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.
In cases like this, consider either:
- Adjusting your page to better match user intent (e.g., making your products purchasable online), or
- Targeting a more appropriate keyword that aligns with the content you’re offering.
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3. Creating Meta Titles and Descriptions
Make sure every collection page has a unique meta title and description that naturally includes your primary keywords.
Search engines can help guide you. Take a look at the top-ranking pages for your target term and see how they structure their meta titles. This research gives you a solid foundation to work from rather than guessing.
Most importantly, your meta title should accurately reflect the content of the page. If your title is “Oak Sheds,” then the page should genuinely feature oak sheds, not plastic or metal ones. Misleading titles lead to a higher bounce rates, and search engines pick up on that.
Try out our meta visualiser below to see how your page would look in the search engines. Be aware it is recommended to keep page tiltles under 60 characters and meta descriptions under 160 characters.
4. Create Engaging Collection Descriptions
You should provide informative descriptions either at the top of the collection page, at the bottom, or even both. The placement can vary depending on your industry, so testing is essential. Monitor how your page positions change after adding or editing your descriptions to see what works best for your store.
And yes, you guessed it, look at the top-ranking pages. Are they using certain semantic keywords or long-tail phrases in their descriptions? Pay attention to the language they use.
Don’t just copy and paste something from your AI tool of choice. Instead, take time to analyse your competitors. Try to build a mental model of what kind of terms and phrasing the search engines seem to value for your specific collection topic.
5. Optimise URL Structures
Create clean, descriptive URLs that reflect the collection’s theme. For instance, www.yourstore.com/oak-sheds is preferable to www.yourstore.com/collection123. Consistent and readable URLs benefit both users and search engines.
If I see the 1st link here on another website, I could easily guess this would take me to oak sheds.
6. Implement Structured Data Markup
Use schema markup to provide search engines with detailed information about the collection page, such as product types, ratings, and prices. This can give you a boost in the search results with rich snippets, improving click-through rates.
6. Optimise Internal Linking
An internal link is, very simply, a link from one page of your website to another page on your website.
Incorporate links from collection pages to other pages that can add value to a user of the page. Internal linking distributes page authority (link juice) and assists search engines in understanding site hierarchy.
Don’t add links just for the sake of it. Ask yourself: Does the link genuinely help the user? If it adds value or improves the experience, then it’s worth including.
7. Prioritise Mobile Optimisation
With a significant portion of users shopping via mobile devices, ensure that collection pages are responsive, load quickly, and offer seamless navigation across all screen sizes.
Test your website on tools such as BrowserStack using different mobile phone types and browsers.
8. What’s in the Box
When we are teaching SEO to an apprentice, we always like to use this little explainer. Think of collection pages as a box when moving house. The box has a label on it called “black shoes”, When you open the box, what do you expect to see? You guessed it, black shoes.
If possible ensure the keyword variations are in the product title of some listings such as polished black shoes, hardwearing black shoes or slip-on black shoes to give the collection page a diverse range of natural keywords.