SEO
Search engines, such as Google, are one of the most important channels for customers to
reach your store. Using search engine optimization (SEO) to improve page ranking can result in
increased traffic and revenue. The SEO functionality improves online search page ranking
for your store. The search page ranking is improved by allowing users to create shorter SEO-friendly
URLs with meaningful keywords. This version includes enhanced Management Center tools that business
users can use to influence page ranking. Users can influence page ranking by changing the URL and
metadata information, using an improved Sitemap generator that indexes all the SEO-friendly URLs,
and 301 URL redirect rules.
- Creating simple, static URLs for store pages that shoppers and search robots can easily understand
- Optimizing page metadata to improve search engine page rank
- Creating 301 URL redirection when a web page is moved
- Generating site maps to submit to search engine providers
Simplifying URLs
Use the following methods to simplify store URLs.- The standard context root of the store URL is long and contains identifiers that are irrelevant
to shoppers. Shortening the length of the context root to a single word such as store or shop
shortens the URL:For more information, see Shortening the context root of a migrated local store URL.
Shortening the context root Context root URL Full http://hostname/wcs/shop/Product2_10001_10001_10029_-1_10007_10001_10001_ProductDisplayErrorView Short http://hostname/shop/Product2_10001_10001_10029_-1_10007_10001_10001_ProductDisplayErrorView - Use keywords for categories and products to create a URL that is easy for shoppers and search
robots to read and understand:
Use keywords for categories and products Original URL: URL with full context root and old query string http://hostname/shop/Product2_10001_10001_10029_-1_10007_10001_10001_ProductDisplayErrorView Rewritten URL: Final SEO-friendly URL with shortened context root and shorter, easier to understand keyword-based ending http://hostname/shop/side-tables/two-drawer-side-table
Optimizing page metadata to improve search engine indexing
Search engines use the page title and meta description of a page to influence search results. Indexing allows a shopper to use a search engine to search for a red leather couch, and view search results with links to red leather couches for sale. The SEO feature creates unique information for title and meta description tags for each web page to describe the product or page contents. Every product in a store is assigned unique metadata to ensure that the product is found by a search engine. The title tag indicates to users and search engines the topic of a particular page, which displays in the first line of a search result. The meta description tag of a page provides search engines with a summary of the page contents, which appear on search engine results pages.For more information, see Search engine optimization (SEO) title and meta description (TMD) data for store web pages.
Creating 301 URL redirects for moved store pages
If a URL is changed by either HCL Commerce or a business user, a 301 redirect is automatically generated between the old URL and the new URL.For more information about URL redirects, see URL redirects for SEO Overview.
Generating site maps to submit to search engine providers
A site map is a full list of all the pages in your store. This site map is submitted to search engines so that they know what to crawl and index. The Sitemap Generator is enhanced to index the new friendly website addresses and search landing pages.For more information about site maps, see HCL Commerce integration with sitemaps.
Limitations of Search Engine Optimization
- Search engine optimization is not supported for use with content versioning.