Faceted navigation in SEO: an essential asset for the user experience

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Faceted navigation

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In an increasingly competitive digital world, offering a complete user experience quality has become essential to stand out from the crowd and increase the conversion of a site.

An often underestimated but crucial element in this process is the faceted navigation in SEO.

Discover the benefits and best practices in 10 points.

1. What is Faceted Navigation?

Faceted navigation allows users toquickly refine their searches on a websiteby offering filters tailored to the characteristics of the product or service you are looking for.

Also known as "faceted filtering" or "faceted search", it improves the user experience by making browsing easier and saving time thanks to precise selection according to specific criteria (size, colour, brand, etc.).

2. Contribution to referencing

When properly implemented, faceted navigation can have a very positive impact on the natural referencing (SEO) of your website. It allows you to structure content effectively of your pages, and when search engines see this organisation, they are likely to give your website more credit.

3. The benefits of faceted navigation for SEO

Improving the user experience

Allowing users to find what they're looking for quickly, faceted navigation offers a significant advantage in building loyalty to your site. audience. Increasingly taken into account by search engines, a optimised user experience will indirectly contribute to SEO.

Reduced bounce rate

Another direct advantage of faceted navigation is the reduction in bounce rateThis is a key indicator of the interest shown in your site and is taken into account in natural referencing. By making it easy for visitors to navigate your site, you encourage them to stay longer and visit more pages.

A better internal structure

By creating filters tailored to your products or services, faceted navigation encourages the creation of a "unique" experience. solid internal structuremaking it easier for search engine spiders to index your site. A better internal networking will be perceived as a sign of quality and will therefore improve your site's ranking in search results.4. Choosing the right facets

To make browsing even easier for users, it's essential to choose the right products. relevant facets depending on the type of website and the sector of activity concerned. The facets should help your visitors to quickly identify the features that correspond to their searches, and make it easier for them to make a decision.

5. URL management to avoid duplicate content

A common problem with faceted navigation in SEO concerns the URL generated by the use of filters. It is crucial to ensure that they are properly managed in order to avoid the problem of duplicate contenta source of penalties for natural referencing.

Setting up canonical attributes

one solution is to add a attribute rel= "canonical " to the filtered pages, indicating to the search engines that the "original" version of the page should be the only one taken into account.

Using URL parameters

Also make sure that the url parameters are correctly configured to make it easier for search engines to analyse them and to minimise the risk of duplicate content.

6. The importance of the Noindex tag for certain facets

Some navigation facets may not add sufficient value in terms of your website's SEO ranking. In this case, it is advisable to add a NoIndex tag on these specific pages, telling search engine spiders not to index them.

7. Optimising faceted navigation for mobile devices

In a context where the majority of searches are carried out via mobile devices, it is essential to ensure that the faceted navigation offers an optimal experience on smartphones and tablets. Adaptability, legibility and ease of use must be at the heart of your concerns when setting up and improving faceted navigation.

8. Taking keywords into account in the filter

To maximise the SEO benefits of faceted navigation, don't hesitate to include relevant keywords in the title or description of the facets used. This will enable search engines to better identify their content and can help to improve your positioning on specific searches.

9. Pagination when using faceted filters

When filters are used to produce a wide variety of results, it is important to set up a system for monitoring the results. pagination to avoid forcing Internet users to load large amounts of data. Dividing the results into separate pages also facilitates indexing by search engines.

10. Quick access to selected criteria

Finally, remember to offer your visitors quick and easy access to the search criteria they select when browsing. This will not only allow them toimprove their experienceIt also minimises the risk of errors or frustrating your users in the event of mishandling.

In short, the Faceted navigation in SEO is an essential means of improving the user experience and optimising your website's natural referencing.. By taking into account the 10 points mentioned above and mastering the various best practices, you will be able to take full advantage of this key asset over the long term.