Data Feed Product Categories Impact Search Results

A client recently asked me: ?How do you get my products in the correct category on the comparison shopping engines (CSEs) when you submit my data feeds??

Excellent question. The process is known as Taxonomy.

Taxonomy is where your data is scrutinized, scrubbed and corrected so it aligns with all the criteria (the attributes) on each of the CSEs or marketplaces you?ve chosen for listing your product data feeds.

And I?ll add that here at Feed Manager we do this work for our clients. Taxonomy is a value-added service we provide as part of the complimentary set up of a new feed. We understand it and deal with it every day. This also means your product feeds get implemented faster. Taxonomy mapping is something few other feed management companies do for you.

Getting back to the original question on getting products into the right category . . . the taxonomy process is where this is accomplished.

Why is it critical to have your products categorized accurately?

Because it directly impacts search relevance. Properly categorized products in your data feeds impacts how likely it is YOUR products will show up high in search results as shoppers type in their query ? or even show up at all. And if they can?t find your products customers certainly can?t buy them!

.

Let?s use bicycle parts as an example.

I choose this in honor of Georgia Gould (Fort Collins, Colorado ? photo at left) who won the? Bronze medal for the U.S. last Saturday in women?s mountain bike cross country at the London 2012 Olympics.

To illustrate how this works and why it?s so important, I?ll compare Google Shopping to Nextag:

Broadest category

? Google Shopping = Sporting Goods

? Nextag = Sports & Outdoors

Again, we?re searching for bicycle parts ? a new saddle. Let?s take it farther. Look below at the product categories for bicycles in Google Shopping.

.

.

.

Above in the illustration you see how Google Shopping breaks categories down by several layers to help make the search as relevant as possible for your customers.

Sporting Goods > Outdoor Recreation > Cycling > Bicycle Parts ? and on it goes in some cases

.

Nextag also breaks it down pretty well but the category names are nearly all different:

Sports & Outdoors > Individual Sports > Cycling

And you see that Nextag does NOT have a ?bicycle parts? category per se, and they don?t break it down quite as far as Google either.

So for the shopper looking to replace their bicycle saddle, you want your ecommerce product inventory in the ?Bicycle Saddle? category on Google Shopping. And on Nextag they would go in the ?Cycling Seats? category.

Careful attention to detail is a must for taxonomy. It?s not something to rush. It?s not something to leave to chance. This is because a product placed in the ideal category means more shoppers will find it and then have a chance to buy it.

Few more points to understand: Cycling enthusiasts often search on terms that include . . .

Frames (differences based on size, weight and material)

Manufacturer?s makes and models

Tires, wheels and mudguards

Helmets and safety accessories (lights, water bottles, carrying baskets, clothing, and high visibility clothing)

Colors and designs

Each and every bike has a unique set of indicators allowing the customer to select one of these terms ? or several in combination ? when searching for a bike.

That?s not all. Additional attributes such as MPNs (Manufacturer Part Numbers), UPCs (Universal Product Codes), and Barcodes are among the essential elements of accurate product listings. Individual MPNs, Barcodes, and/or UPCs are assigned to each particular bike and bike part or accessory.

If these key fundamentals are missing then having your products accurately matched up against your competitors? listings would result in incorrect rankings on all comparison sites. And in a worst case scenario, errors like this ? including incorrect product category ? could prevent your products from listing at all on the CSEs.

If you sell sporting goods you?ve probably seen a surge in sales during the Olympics ? hopefully for several days following them as well.

One of the best ways to maximize sales from the Olympics or any event, holiday, season, etc. related to your ecommerce business is to be prepared long before the event occurs. Product categories are just one of the many attributes to tackle in taxonomy and feed optimization. Please make certain your product data feeds are done correctly from day one. Be a winner like Georgia Gould and all the medalists.

For more in depth information on how we can help you and your ecommerce business, please don?t hesitate to contact us today.

.

==========

Photo by UltraRob via PhotoPin.com

Source: http://www.feedmanagerusa.com/feeds-management-news/data-feed-taxonomy-includes-product-categories-and-other-attributes-to-get-listed-and-found-by-customers-08-2012-bicycles/

snapdragon kim jong ill dead wedding crashers next iron chef next iron chef aquamarine iraq war