The Impression of Eradicating search engine optimisation Copy on Ecommerce Class Pages

 Earlier than you begin: when you’re unfamiliar with the rules of statistical search engine optimisation split-testing and the way SplitSignal works, we’re suggesting you begin here or request a demo of SplitSignal. 

First, we asked our Twitter followers to vote:

This time nearly all of our followers have been WRONG! Learn additional to seek out out why.

The Case Examine

The worth of search engine optimisation content material on ecommerce class pages, whether or not on the prime or backside, has been the topic of a lot debate. These items of content material are sometimes created primarily for search engine optimisation functions, to extend visibility for related key phrases, quite than to reinforce the consumer expertise. Google’s personal John Mueller has commented that these texts are typically seen as makes an attempt at key phrase stuffing, which might negatively affect the web page’s general view. Whereas some content material will be useful, he warned towards overdoing it with massive article-style content material under product listings, as it may possibly make it tougher for Google to know the web page’s intent. Google additionally acknowledged that there will not be a major distinction when it comes to search engine optimisation between putting the content material on the prime or backside of the web page however {that a} well-crafted piece of content material can assist customers higher perceive the class and its choices.

Naturally, these discussions and remarks from Google have piqued our curiosity. Creating search engine optimisation content material for lots of of 1000’s of class pages could be a important funding when it comes to time and assets. Due to this fact, it’s essential to know the true worth of any such content material. These insights have prompted us to conduct a collection of break up assessments to look at the affect of various approaches to search engine optimisation content material on ecommerce class pages. 

We lately carried out a break up take a look at for certainly one of our main ecommerce purchasers, the place we eliminated the search engine optimisation content material from the highest of their class pages to guage its affect on natural efficiency and search engine visibility.

The Speculation

The web site in query needed to check if eradicating their search engine optimisation textual content, about 100 to 200 phrases on the prime of their class itemizing pages, would have a major affect on natural visitors. 

Internally, our shopper had in depth discussions concerning the worth of the search engine optimisation content material and hypothesized that eradicating it will enhance their search engine optimisation efficiency. They believed that this modification would enable their class pages to higher give attention to offering customers with the product listings they got here to the web page for, placing extra emphasis on search intent. Moreover, they anticipated that Google’s algorithms could be higher in a position to perceive the intent of the web page and, in return, may probably enhance its visibility in search outcomes.

The Take a look at

Our shopper sought to evaluate the affect of eradicating search engine optimisation content material from the highest of their class pages, and so they used the SplitSignal device to conduct the take a look at. They chose a pattern of class itemizing pages as both management or variant.

The break up take a look at ran for 30 days, throughout which Googlebot crawled and listed round 97% of the pages. 

The Outcomes

After 30 days of testing, we discovered that eradicating search engine optimisation content material from the highest of class pages didn’t have a major impact on natural visitors on the 95% confidence interval. The cumulative view of the take a look at confirmed that the blue shaded space didn’t carry out under or above the x=0 axis, indicating that the take a look at was not statistically important on the 95% degree. Because of this, we can not confidently attribute any enhance or lower in visitors solely to the change in search engine optimisation content material.

Based mostly on these findings, we conclude that eradicating search engine optimisation content material from the highest of class itemizing pages doesn’t have a major affect on search engine optimisation efficiency.

Notice that we aren’t evaluating the precise management group pages to our examined pages. However quite a forecast primarily based on historic information. The mannequin predicts the counterfactual response that will have occurred had no intervention taken place. We examine this with the precise information. We use management pages to offer the mannequin context for developments and exterior influences. If one thing else modifications throughout our take a look at (e.g., seasonality), the mannequin will detect and contemplate it. By filtering these exterior components, we acquire perception into the true affect of an search engine optimisation change.

Why

Based mostly on the outcomes of the break up take a look at, we will conclude that the small piece of search engine optimisation textual content faraway from the highest of the ecommerce class pages didn’t have a major affect on natural visitors for our shopper. The speculation that eradicating the search engine optimisation content material may enhance search engine optimisation efficiency and assist Google higher perceive the intent of the web page didn’t maintain up beneath testing.

Moreover, the textual content itself appeared to don’t have any search engine optimisation worth, as its removing had no discernible impact on search engine optimisation. This means that the content material was not contributing meaningfully to the web page’s general search engine optimisation efficiency.

Moreover, we carried out an evaluation on natural impressions utilizing the SEO A/B test analyzer to guage if there was any affect on visibility in Google search outcomes. The outcomes of this evaluation confirmed that the removing of the search engine optimisation content material didn’t considerably affect natural impressions in comparison with our modeled management group.

By analyzing each natural clicks and impressions, we will confidently conclude that eradicating the search engine optimisation content material from the highest of ecommerce class pages didn’t have a major affect on search engine optimisation efficiency or visibility in Google search outcomes.

In abstract, our findings recommend that this explicit ecommerce enterprise might not want to speculate important assets in creating and optimizing search engine optimisation content material for his or her class pages, particularly if the content material offers restricted worth to customers. As a substitute, the enterprise can give attention to creating high-quality product listings and making certain that their class pages are well-organized and straightforward to navigate.

We’re excited to proceed difficult Google’s statements concerning the worth of search engine optimisation content material on ecommerce class pages via our ongoing break up testing efforts. We’ve got been conducting assessments on eradicating bigger items of content material positioned under the product listings. These outcomes shall be shared in future case research, offering additional perception into the true affect of search engine optimisation content material on ecommerce class pages.

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer in search engine optimisation. What works for one web site might not work for one more. So, if you wish to succeed, take a look at what works for you!