SEO Marketing for a Bag and Accessory Store

Results after 1 year of systematic work:

  • Search traffic increased by 75%
  • Sales doubled

What happened at the beginning?

Work commenced in September 2018.

Client: An online store specializing in bags, wallets, and belts.

The website already had decent traffic, but the client decided to change contractors due to the lack of positive progress.

Project objective

The main goal was to boost the SEO traffic for the client’s website, focusing particularly on men’s and women’s wallets, men’s bags, and belts.

The work process

We always initiate a project with a preparatory stage. It is crucial for us to identify the main errors, weaknesses, and areas with potential for growth. This allows us to determine the necessary steps for initial promotion and choose the most effective strategy.

To achieve this, we analyzed the current results and assessed the main competitors in the priority areas. We observed that marketplaces and large websites dominated the top search results for high-frequency keywords, making it extremely difficult to compete directly.

Based on this observation, we decided to concentrate our efforts on promoting mid- and low-frequency keywords to reach Google’s top rankings, particularly within categories and filtering pages. The top search results for these keywords were more diverse, and the competition was less intense. This generated more traffic, higher conversion rates, and improved chances of reaching the top three positions. Additionally, we identified growth opportunities by noticing that our competitors neglected to optimize their page headings for filtering by templates. Their pages lacked precise content containing the main cluster keywords, had insufficient key entries, and their texts were not comprehensive throughout.

Keyword research and content optimization

We thoroughly focused on various categories each month, implementing the following strategies:

  • Extensive Semantic Core Collection: We diligently gathered a wide-ranging semantic core, ensuring comprehensive coverage of relevant keywords.

  • Optimal Structure for New Filter Landing Pages and Intersections: We devised an optimal structure for creating new filter landing pages and effectively connecting different filters.

  • Manual H1 Headings for Old and New Pages: To enhance optimization and improve user experience, we manually crafted unique H1 headings for both existing and new pages. This approach allowed us to optimize each page for the most frequently used keyword in the cluster while ensuring readability for users.

  • Manual Meta Tags and Engaging Snippets: We created manual meta tags for filter pages, striving to include as many relevant keywords as possible. Additionally, we crafted attractive snippets to entice users and increase click-through rates.

  • Detailed Technical Specifications for Page Texts: We prepared comprehensive technical specifications for the text content on each page, providing clear guidelines for our copywriters to create engaging and relevant texts.

  • Analysis and Rewriting of Existing Texts: We conducted thorough analyses of existing texts and identified those with low uniqueness or excessive spam. These texts were subsequently rewritten to enhance quality and optimize effectiveness.

  • Semantic Preparation for Blog Articles: We developed a semantic plan to guide the writing of blog articles, ensuring their alignment with the overall SEO strategy.

Throughout the project, our dedicated copywriters consistently generated unique texts for product pages, providing an additional advantage.

Technical SEO Optimization

Following a thorough technical audit, we identified and resolved a range of issues:

  • Elimination of Duplicate Meta Tags: We removed duplicate meta tags, ensuring each page had unique and relevant meta information.

  • Closure of Sitewide and External Links: We used the “nofollow” attribute to close sitewide links to service pages such as favorites, compare, login, registration, etc. External links were also closed using the same attribute.

  • Blocking Duplicate and Unnecessary Pages: We prevented indexing of duplicate pages, such as sort pages and search pages, by using the robots meta tag. Additionally, we removed products, categories, and brands that returned a 404 server response from the sitemap.

  • Robots.txt File Correction: We made necessary corrections to the robots.txt file, ensuring proper instructions for search engine crawlers.

  • Improved Site Loading Speed: We implemented measures to enhance the site’s loading speed, optimizing its performance for improved user experience.

  • Full Text Display and Removal of Partial Texts: We eliminated the use of partial texts with “Read more” buttons, opting for complete text display on pages. Additionally, we removed texts displayed on sorting and pagination pages to streamline content presentation.

  • Lowercase URLs and 301 Redirects: We converted URLs to lowercase format, ensuring consistency and standardization. We also set up 301 redirects to redirect any outdated URLs to their corresponding new URLs.

Unfortunately, due to technical limitations of the CMS, the client was unable to implement a Ukrainian version of the site.

Pre-SEO Project Accomplishments

Prior to commencing the SEO work, several important tasks were completed on the project:

  1. Implementation of Effective Filtering System: A robust technical implementation of the filtering system was carried out. Correct URLs were assigned to pages with existing traffic. For other filtering pages, a URL with a GET parameter was generated through a POST request. These pages were then safeguarded from indexing using the meta tag “robots,” effectively controlling their visibility to search engines.

  2. Internal Linking from Product Pages: Product pages were strategically interlinked with relevant low- and medium-frequency filtering categories. As the products in this particular niche did not generate substantial traffic, redirecting the internal weight to the appropriate product filter pages was a logical decision. This approach helped consolidate relevance and optimize the user’s journey.

  3. Data Integration for Listing Pages: Listing pages were modified to incorporate the same data mentioned in Point 2. However, this data was presented in a list format without any hyperlinks. This configuration allowed for the inclusion of additional keyword entries specific to the filtering pages. Consequently, it positively influenced the website’s relevance in search results.

These pre-SEO efforts were instrumental in establishing a solid foundation for subsequent optimization work.

Link Building

We conducted an analysis of the existing inbound links in comparison to competitors and identified several shortcomings:

  • Low-Quality Links from Sape Exchange: We discovered that the site had been partially promoted using low-quality links obtained through the Sape exchange. However, upon switching to another contractor, these links began to disappear.

  • High Percentage of Anchor Links: There was a significantly higher percentage of anchor links compared to our competitors, which could negatively impact the website’s link profile.

  • Limited Link Building Scope: Links were only built on nine pages of the site, indicating a narrow focus in terms of link distribution.

  • Insufficient Links to the Main Page: There were very few links pointing to the main page of the website, which could affect its overall visibility and authority.

  • Lack of Links from Ukrainian Sites: The client’s website had minimal backlinks from Ukrainian sites, limiting its exposure within the local market.

To address these issues, we developed a comprehensive plan for link building, specifically targeting the identified deficiencies:

  • Increased Percentage of Links to the Main Page: We prioritized building more links to the website’s main page to strengthen its overall authority and visibility.

  • Diversification of Anchor Links: We adjusted the ratio of anchor links on pages that had an excessive concentration of such links and poor performance in search engine rankings. This helped to reduce over-optimization and improve ranking potential.

  • Emphasis on Randomness: To enhance the organic nature of the link profile, we introduced maximum randomness in link building activities, specifically targeting medium- and low-frequency pages.

In terms of the types of links we built, our strategy included:

  • Crowd Links: We utilized forums and comments sections to generate crowd links, thereby increasing the website’s online presence and diversifying its backlink profile.

  • Article Links on Trusted Ukrainian Sites: Through link services and outreach efforts, we secured article links on reputable Ukrainian websites, including media platforms. This approach allowed us to acquire high-quality backlinks that positively impacted the website’s authority.

It is worth noting that the client prioritized link quality over quantity, and after six months of work, the link-building budget was increased by 40%. This was primarily driven by our ability to leverage high-quality donors with reasonable prices, maintaining positive dynamics without compromising link quality.

Results

Following the implementation of optimized H1s, titles, and indexed text, numerous keyword groups achieved rankings within Google’s top 20, and after building 1-3 links, they reached the top 5. Furthermore, higher-frequency keyword groups gradually showed growth as well.

It is important to consider that this niche experiences significant seasonality. Therefore, it is crucial to compare the results with the previous year’s traffic and sales, and analyze the position dynamics within Google’s search results.

Over the course of one year, we successfully increased traffic by 75%. Below is a screenshot comparing the monthly traffic in 2019 and 2018.

In certain priority areas, the client’s website has surpassed all competitors.

Key Takeaways:

When initiating SEO work, developing a comprehensive promotion strategy is of utmost importance. In this project, our strategy focused on targeting medium- and low-frequency queries for the most conversion-oriented categories. This approach proved particularly significant given the current trend where high-frequency categories are dominated by aggregators and large websites.

By emphasizing narrower categories, we were able to attain top positions rapidly and with smaller budgets, driving targeted SEO traffic to the client’s website.

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