Case Study

2024-07-15 00:00|SEO 案例研究|閱讀時長：4 分鐘

In eCommerce SEO, site architecture is a silent killer. A poorly designed structure can cripple user experience, waste crawl budget, and hide your most valuable pages from search engines. This case study demonstrates the profound impact of getting it right.

We partnered with a mid-sized home appliance eCommerce platform and, by re-architecting their site structure, achieved a 280% increase in organic traffic in just six months.

This is the story of how a data-driven approach to site structure transformed their SEO performance.

The Problem: A Deep and Confusing Structure

Our client managed a platform with over 15,000 SKUs across 8 main categories. A thorough SeoSpeedup SEO Audit revealed critical foundational flaws:

  • Excessive Click Depth: Reaching a product page required 4-6 clicks from the homepage.
  • Chaotic URL Structure: Multiple URL variations existed for the same product.
  • Poor Categorization: Categories were named with technical jargon that didn't match user search behavior.
  • Uneven Internal Linking: Link equity was hoarded by a few top-level categories, leaving long-tail product pages orphaned.

Performance Before Optimization

  • Organic Traffic: 32,000 visits/month
  • Indexed Pages: Only 4,200 out of ~18,000 total pages were indexed by Google (23% indexation rate).
  • Keyword Rankings: A mere 156 keywords in the top 100.
  • Bounce Rate: A staggering 68%.

Diagram of the old, deep site structure The original deep, convoluted site architecture.

The Solution: A Data-Driven Restructuring

Phase 1: Information Architecture Redesign (Months 1-2)

We applied a flat architecture principle, collapsing the old 5-layer structure into a streamlined 3-layer hierarchy:

Homepage → Category Page → Product Detail Page

This simple structure was supported by creating new, crawlable pages for important facets like brands and features, which previously were hidden behind un-indexable filters.

URL Optimization

We transformed the URLs from long and confusing to clean and keyword-rich.

Before: /category/kitchen/cooking/rice-cookers/brand-a/model-x/

After: /rice-cookers/brand-a-model-x/

Category Page Rebuild

Each category page was redesigned to be an SEO powerhouse, featuring:

  • A 300-500 word, keyword-optimized description.
  • Rich filtering options (brand, price, ratings).
  • A section for top-selling products.

Phase 2: Internal Linking Overhaul (Months 3-4)

We replaced the chaotic linking with an intelligent, structured system:

  1. Main Navigation: Ensured all primary categories were accessible from the main nav.
  2. Contextual Cross-links: Created semantic links between related categories (e.g., linking from "Coffee Makers" to "Coffee Grinders").
  3. Data-Driven Product Links: Used purchasing behavior data to power "Related Products" and "Customers Also Bought" sections.

This strategy deliberately funneled link equity from the homepage down to the most important category and product pages, ensuring a more even distribution of authority.

Phase 3: Technical Migration & Implementation (Months 5-6)

301 Redirect Strategy

A massive undertaking, we mapped every single old URL to its new counterpart with a 301 redirect. This was critical to preserve existing link equity and prevent user frustration from broken links or bookmarks.

Sitemap Restructure

We submitted a new XML sitemap that clearly outlined the new, flatter structure and assigned higher priority to our core category pages.

1<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">
2  <!-- Category Page: High Priority -->
3  <url>
4    <loc>https://example.com/kitchen-appliances/</loc>
5    <priority>1.0</priority>
6  </url>
7  <!-- Product Page: Standard Priority -->
8  <url>
9    <loc>https://example.com/rice-cookers/brand-a-model-x/</loc>
10    <priority>0.8</priority>
11  </url>
12</urlset>

Breadcrumb & Schema Implementation

We implemented BreadcrumbList schema on every page to provide clear navigational cues to both users and search engines, reinforcing the new, logical structure.

1{
2  "@context": "https://schema.org",
3  "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
4  "itemListElement": [{
5    "@type": "ListItem",
6    "position": 1,
7    "name": "Home",
8    "item": "https://example.com/"
9  },{
10    "@type": "ListItem",
11    "position": 2,
12    "name": "Kitchen Appliances",
13    "item": "https://example.com/kitchen-appliances/"
14  }]
15}

The Results: A 6-Month Turnaround

Key Performance Metrics

  • Organic Traffic: Surged from 32,000 to 121,600 visits/month (+280%).
  • Page Indexation Rate: Increased from 23% to 87%.
  • Top 100 Keywords: Grew from 156 to 892.
  • Page 1 Keywords: Jumped from 6 to 43.
  • Bounce Rate: Dropped from 68% to 41%.
  • Average Session Duration: Increased from 2:31 to 4:18.

Business Impact

  • Conversion Rate: Improved from 1.8% to 3.4%.
  • Average Order Value: Increased by 22%.
  • Customer Retention: Grew by 31%.

Chart showing organic traffic growth over 6 months Organic traffic trend over the 6-month project period.

Conclusion: Structure is Strategy

This case study proves that site architecture is not just a technical concern—it's a core business strategy. A logical, flat structure directly improves crawlability, enhances user experience, and ultimately drives significant commercial growth.

For any eCommerce site struggling with SEO performance, a deep look at the underlying information architecture is not just recommended; it's essential. The return on investment for fixing a broken structure is often one of the highest in the SEO discipline.