Hey, Rafiqul here. Welcome to the #107th episode of Content Marketing VIP, which delivers actionable insights, SEO case studies & free resources once a week. First time here? Read past episodes.
If you’re working on eCommerce SEO or want to learn how content plays a major role in an eCommerce brand, this newsletter is for you.
eCommerce content strategy lessons from REI.com
Many eCommerce brands create buying guides or educational content to support their category and product pages.
However, only a few sites organize their content inventory like REI.com.
What do they do:
“REI sells camping gear, hiking, climbing, cycling, water, running, fitness, snow, travel equipment, and men, women and kids clothing.” — Wikipedia.
SEO lessons from REI:
First, let’s take a look at the main header navigation of the site:
Now, if you visit a specific category page (say Run), the dropdown navigation will not only show you sub-category pages but also educational resources such as buying guides, tips, skills training, and more.
Why this is important:
Generally, eCommerce brands put all their content under one section called blog or guides— which makes it difficult for readers to find the buying guides or other BOFU articles.
Now, the best part about REI’s content organization is showcasing expert advice (skills, buying guides).
From a user point of view, expert advice on what products to buy resources or skills to learn is helpful and helps in the buying decision.
In fact, you will find buying guides for almost all category pages— this improves the topical coverage of your website and the internal linking structure.
Again, if you visit the learning hub section of the website. You will see the info guides and resources for each category under navigation.
Their info guides and resources are categorized by:
Type (articles, expert tips, skills, checklists)
Sub-category
This makes it super easy for users to find resources for a specific product type.
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Action items:
1. Info guides
Start creating buying guides and info articles around each category (if you haven’t done so yet)
Why this works:
You can improve the internal linking structure with contextual anchor text and from the main content
Here’s the link structure visualization of REI’s ‘expert advice’ resources well organized by product category:
Getting backlinks to educational content is easier than category or product pages. So, you can build links to your buying guides and then link them to your relevant category pages
Helps users make the buying decision.
2. Organize your content
Don’t just put all your articles and resources under one ‘blog’ section. Instead, think of organizing them by resource type.
Also, a simple approach will be to link to the buying guides from the category pages or header navigation.
3. Use articles to promote your products and categories
Your goal to publish articles is not just to provide information but also to align your business offerings (here, gear products).
Take an example from REI where they include in-line CTAs within the article to specific product or category pages:
Credit: Thanks to Vipul Mahrishi for introducing REI’s website structure to me.
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