The automotive e-commerce space is crowded with big players who want to distinguish their wares from the competition. It’s not good enough to simply set up a product-packed online store if your information isn’t distinct from what other sites are providing. If you use quick copy-and-paste tactics for product information and other resources or just use general PIES information, your page rankings will suffer. Although it requires some creative thinking, it’s important to avoid duplicate content on your automotive e-commerce website so that you can score high page rankings on major search engines and make meaningful connections with your customers.
Diluting Search Results on Your Site
When multiple pages on your own site have duplicate content, you’re likely to lose page rankings for all pages in question. When Google crawls your site and finds duplicates, it’s forced to determine which of the two copies should have a higher rank. This determination is ultimately an impossible question as no variances exist between the two. If minor variances are present, the pages may rank differently for different keywords. However, in either situation, you’re ultimately losing potential page ranks by diluting your SEO efforts.
Individual users will run into a similar problem when they’re linking to your site. Organic links are an outstanding resource for boosting your page rankings and gaining more traffic. However, if you have too many pages with the same information, even a human visitor will struggle to decide which one to ultimately link to. Again, you will dilute your backlinks by forcing the links to come through a variety of similar or identical pages.
You may run into this problem if you provide the same information on every page for a carburetor, for example. Or if you just use the supplied information from the manufacturers PIES file. Diversify your pages and provide original content, even if the content is similar. This diversification will help you avoid this particular pitfall.
Confusing Your Page Organization With Duplicate Content
Duplicate content is often created automatically by the coding featured on your website. If you’re not careful about analyzing the code and determining whether duplicate creation is taking place, you may suffer the consequences of duplicate content created unintentionally. Duplicate pages may be created if your code features:
- • Session IDs
- • Printer-friendly versions
- • Both http and https versions
- • www and non-www versions
The best solution for this issue is to make sure that you’re not using any of these features for your website. Creating duplicates through any of these means can confuse your site organization and harm your page rankings.
Losing Rank to the Manufacturer’s Duplicate Info
Automotive parts retailers typically feature detail-rich descriptions on their sites. However, these descriptions are often similar or identical to those provided by the manufacturer. If you’re using content that is an exact duplicate of what the manufacturer provides, you will always cede your page rankings to the brand behemoth. The manufacturer’s official website holds far too much authority to rank second to any repair shop or other page related to automotive e-commerce. You can’t win with this strategy, so don’t try.
While you may save time copying and pasting those automotive product details, it’s far better for your page rankings if you can create your own distinctive content for these pages. You can use the manufacturer’s site or their PIES information for inspiration, but you should go to the trouble of crafting a fresh product description.
Make your descriptions unique to your locale or niche you are selling to. If you’re in a northern climate, discuss how all-weather tires will perform in snow and ice, or include an admonishment to use a different oil when the temperatures drop. In a state in the U.S. South, you may personalize your content with a discussion of proper tires for driving on the beach.
You can also increase your page rankings and distinguish your product descriptions from the manufacturer’s descriptions by including features such as your own photos, user reviews, and demonstration videos. Develop rich and informative content, and you can distinguish your site as a valuable go-to place that provides something distinctive in the automotive e-commerce space.
Getting Removed from SERPs
Duplicate information is considered unreliable by search engines such as Google. If you have several pages on your site with duplicate details, this unreliability only increases. This situation is likely to happen if you feature automotive product descriptions throughout your site that are the same as what’s used by the manufacturer or another major player in the automotive industry.
Avoid quoting any other sites word for word. Do research how your competitors are formatting their automotive product descriptions, but don’t steal their strategies. It’s important to set your site apart from others in this overwhelmingly crowded space. Find a way to craft distinctive details so that you’re not penalized with low page rankings or eliminated from SERPs (search engine results pages) entirely because Google judges your website to be a disreputable source of information.
Losing Opportunities for Customer Connections With Duplicate Content
The content on your website offers a prime opportunity to connect with your customers. More than 65 percent of consumers perform online research before heading into a store. Consumers will look online to determine which parts they need for their vehicles, where these parts are available, and how much they cost. If they can gather this information easily on your site, you’ll be in the running for their final purchase, whether they make that buy online or by physically going to a store.
Make sure that your automotive e-commerce website offers the essential information that your shoppers need; go above and beyond carbon copy descriptions of the items in your store. Don’t simply provide the specifications for the windshield wipers; include some information on how to determine which ones are right for your car and how to install them. Do you offer free installations? Include some details on that service. Use your content wisely and dive into the store-specific details that will offer the most value to your visitors.
When you create original valuable content for your automotive e-commerce site, you will instantly distinguish yourself as one of the top providers for these products and services in your area. Whether you’re offering state-specific tips for complying with automobile regulations, or you’re explaining which oil is best for each vehicle, adding those extra details and diversifying your product information will make a dramatic difference in how your website ranks.
Are you struggling to create unique content? Is duplicate content plaguing your Automotive Ecommerce website? Contact us today to review your options. We have expert writers on staff who can develop a clear content strategy. Learn more today by calling us – 813-775-4109.
We are Cellacore, the leaders in Automotive Product Data Management, Automotive Parts Software, and Automotive Ecommerce Websites. We specialize in helping automotive manufacturers, retailers, and wholesale distributors unleash the power of ACES PIES data to improve sales and streamline operations. When it comes to increasing sales in the automotive aftermarket in your retails store or automotive ecommerce website, Cellacore has solutions. We have solutions for ACES PIES Data, Ecommerce website development, SEO, content marketing, and much more. Contact us today for a no obligation review of your business. Call us now at 813-775-4109.