SEO is an essential factor in the visibility and success of any online store, including those in Palmdale. However, many business owners are often left wondering how to handle SEO for discontinued products. Should these pages be left as is, deleted, or redirected? Leaving these pages as is could result in customer frustration and increased bounce rates, while deleting them can lead to loss of valuable SEO equity. Let’s delve in and unearth the best practices on how to manage SEO for your discontinued products.
1. Don’t Delete the Page:
The first instinct for many is to delete the page of a discontinued product. Seems like it makes sense, but in truth, this isn’t the best strategy. Deleting a page will essentially throw away any SEO value the page may have accrued over time. The page’s ‘link equity’, earned from other websites linking to your product page, is an incredibly valuable aspect of your site’s SEO. When you delete a page, you deplete your website of this SEO currency.
Instead, it would be more beneficial to reference the discontinued products from a new or closely related product page. This way, you keep your SEO value and direct potential customers to an alternative product.
2. Use 301 Redirects:
If you do decide to remove the product page, make sure to use a 301 redirect. A 301 redirect sends visitors and search engines to a different URL than the one they initially requested, which helps to preserve your SEO rankings.
You should ideally redirect the discontinued product page to the most closely related product still available on your website. If there’s no related product, redirect to the relevant category page.
3. Notify Your Customers:
It’s crucial to keep your customers in the loop regarding product discontinuation. An informed customer is less likely to be frustrated and more likely to stay on your website, reducing your bounce rates.
On the discontinued product page, you can indicate that the product is no longer available. Offer the customer alternative similar products or redirect them to the right category page with similar product types.
4. Optimize Your Product Pages:
Ensure that all your product pages, even those that are discontinued, are fully optimized. Well-optimized pages enhance user experience and SEO rankings. Include high-quality images, relevant keywords, product descriptions, and user reviews if possible.
5. Leverage Out of Stock Products:
Even out-of-stock or discontinued products can be leveraged to benefit your website’s SEO. These can be powerful tools for link building. A clever strategy is to keep the page alive and offer customers an option to be notified when the product is back in stock.
Over time, product discontinuation is inevitable. However, when handled correctly, discontinued products can become an opportunity to enhance your website’s SEO, improve user experience, and even foster customer loyalty. The key is to strategize effectively and focus on maintaining your website’s SEO value and customer engagement even amidst product changes.
In summary, handling SEO for discontinued products in Palmdale, much like anywhere else, needs careful planning and execution. By following these tips, you can ensure that the discontinuation doesn’t impact your business’s online visibility and customer experience negatively. Don’t view product discontinuation as a setback, but rather as an opportunity for SEO optimization.