Most eCommerce sites make the same mistake.

They try to SEO every single product page into oblivion.
They stuff keywords into SKU-level pages.
They write 500-word descriptions that no one reads.

It doesn’t work.

I’ve seen this play out across multiple industries.

One client sold hardware—tons of SKUs, everything from fasteners to fittings.
Another sold car batteries. Pages and pages of nearly identical products.
It was like managing a mini Uline or Home Depot.

Every time, the pattern was the same:

• Hundreds of product pages.
• Slight variations in specs.
• Keyword-stuffed titles and meta descriptions.
• Zero traction.

They kept asking, “Why aren’t we ranking?”
“Do we need more backlinks?”
“Should we rewrite the product descriptions?”

But none of that was the problem.

The real problem?
They were optimizing branches instead of building a strong trunk.

Here’s what actually works.

Forget optimizing every product page.
That’s a losing game when you’ve got dozens—or hundreds—of similar SKUs.

Instead, build one badass category page.

Let’s say you’re selling something like sprinkler heads.

Here’s how you structure the win:

• Add filters for things shoppers actually search for—thread size, spray pattern, radius.
• Write a short, helpful intro that guides people (and hits a few keywords naturally).
• Link every product variation right on that page—make it the hub.
• Look at how the giants do it: Rain Bird, Home Depot, Orbit.

What happens?

• Traffic climbs.
• Products finally start ranking.
• People can actually find what they need—and buy it.

No viral content.
No ad spend.
No “SEO sorcery.”
Just a smarter structure that makes sense for both humans and Google.

Why category pages crush product pages

Product pages are too niche.
Too fragmented.
Too similar.

Google doesn’t want to show 100 near-identical pages.
It wants to show one authoritative, structured page that organizes those 100.

That’s your category page.

Think of it like this:

• Product pages = individual books
• Category page = the library shelf they live on

If people can’t find the shelf, they’ll never find the book.

Build your shelf like this:

1. Name it clearly.
   Use the product type in the URL:
   /sprinkler-heads/ not /shop/123-product.
2. Group by spec.
   Customers search by thread size, radius, spray pattern—use filters.
3. Intro it like a guide.
   Help people choose. Answer questions. Keep it skimmable.
4. Link internally.
   Every product on that page should link back to the category.
   And vice versa.
5. Spy on competitors.
   Rain Bird and Home Depot already cracked the code.
   Model them. Don't reinvent.

One page to rule them all

You don’t need 50 SEO-perfect product pages.
You need one killer category page that makes buying easy.

Forget perfect content.
Forget chasing tail keywords.
Forget writing an essay for every SKU.

Structure wins.

Clear wins.
Helpful wins.
Fast filtering wins.

Bottom line:

Want to sell more sprinkler heads?
Stop obsessing over the sprinkler head.
Start obsessing over how people shop for them.

Be the shelf, not just the book.

Want to stop drowning in product pages—and start building pages that rank?

Grab this free PDF kit. Inside, you’ll get: