Pages: Category Pages
Guides e-commerce category page structure, content, and SEO optimization. Category pages organize products by attributes and drive 3x more organic revenue than product pages by ranking for broad, high-volume keywords.
When invoking: On first use, if helpful, open with 1-2 sentences on what this skill covers and why it matters, then provide the main output. On subsequent use or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output.
Initial Assessment
Check for project context first: If .claude/project-context.md or .cursor/project-context.md exists, read it for product catalog and site structure.
Identify:
- Catalog: Product count, categories, subcategories
- Facets: Filters (size, color, price, brand, etc.)
- URL structure: Current hierarchy, parameter handling
Category Structure
Hierarchy
| Principle |
Practice |
| Logical grouping |
General -> specific (e.g., Furniture -> Bedroom furniture -> Beds) |
| User search intent |
Match how users search (e.g., "bedroom furniture" vs "furniture") |
| Crawl depth |
<=4 clicks from homepage; shorter paths improve indexing |
| Long-tail categories |
Niche categories convert better (36% vs 11.5% for broad) |
URL Structure
- Subfolders:
example.com/shoes/sneakers, example.com/shoes/outdoor-shoes
- Slugs: Descriptive, keyword-rich; lowercase; no stop words
- Avoid: Dates, timestamps,
/category/ prefix
- Breadcrumbs: Show path; help users and crawlers
Faceted Navigation (Filters)
Filters create many URL combinations (size + color + price). Manage to avoid duplicate content and crawl waste:
| Strategy |
Use |
| Canonical |
Point all faceted URLs to base category URL |
| robots.txt |
Block faceted URLs from indexing if needed |
| nofollow |
Add to internal links to faceted URLs |
| JavaScript |
Keep filters client-side; single URL for category |
On-Page Content
Content Requirements
- 150-300 words unique copy; pages with this rank ~2.7x higher than product-only grids
- Placement: After hero/H1; FAQ block at bottom
- Purpose: Help users decide; answer curation, materials, recommendations
- Avoid: Manufacturer copy; crowding product grid
SEO Elements
| Element |
Practice |
| H1 |
One per page; primary keyword; clear purpose |
| Title tag |
50-60 chars; keyword; compelling for CTR |
| Meta description |
150-160 chars; value props (free shipping, returns) |
| Schema |
ItemList, Product; AggregateRating if reviews; FAQ if applicable |
Trust & Conversion
- Reviews: Star ratings in SERPs; 99.9% of users read reviews; see serp-features for review rich results
- FAQ: Answer materials, quality, recommendations; +157% conversion when used
- Guides: Link to product guides; internal linking for SEO
Technical
- Consistent layout: Same template across categories; predictable UX
- Mobile: Responsive; touch targets >=44x44px
- Redirects: 301 to category when product pages move; avoid breaking hierarchy
Output Format
- Structure (hierarchy, URL paths)
- Facet strategy (canonical, nofollow, robots)
- Content (H1, intro copy, FAQ)
- SEO (metadata, schema)
- Checklist for audit
Related Skills
- programmatic-seo: Programmatic SEO strategy; category pages as template-based scale
- card: Card layout; product card structure, grid design
- grid: Product grid layout; responsive columns
- products-page-generator: Product cards, grid layout
- canonical-tag: Faceted URL canonicalization
- schema-markup: ItemList, Product, FAQ schema
- internal-links: Category linking
- breadcrumb-generator: Breadcrumb trail for category hierarchy
- url-structure: URL hierarchy
1---
2name: category-page-generator
3description: When the user wants to create, optimize, or audit e-commerce category pages or listing pages. Also use when the user mentions "category page," "product category," "faceted navigation," "filter URLs," "e-commerce listing," "category SEO," "category structure," "product filters," or "listing page." For programmatic SEO at scale, use programmatic-seo.
4metadata:
5 version: 1.0.1
6---
7
8# Pages: Category Pages
9
10Guides e-commerce category page structure, content, and SEO optimization. Category pages organize products by attributes and drive 3x more organic revenue than product pages by ranking for broad, high-volume keywords.
11
12**When invoking**: On **first use**, if helpful, open with 1-2 sentences on what this skill covers and why it matters, then provide the main output. On **subsequent use** or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output.
13
14## Initial Assessment
15
16**Check for project context first:** If `.claude/project-context.md` or `.cursor/project-context.md` exists, read it for product catalog and site structure.
17
18Identify:
191. **Catalog**: Product count, categories, subcategories
202. **Facets**: Filters (size, color, price, brand, etc.)
213. **URL structure**: Current hierarchy, parameter handling
22
23## Category Structure
24
25### Hierarchy
26
27| Principle | Practice |
28|-----------|----------|
29| **Logical grouping** | General -> specific (e.g., Furniture -> Bedroom furniture -> Beds) |
30| **User search intent** | Match how users search (e.g., "bedroom furniture" vs "furniture") |
31| **Crawl depth** | <=4 clicks from homepage; shorter paths improve indexing |
32| **Long-tail categories** | Niche categories convert better (36% vs 11.5% for broad) |
33
34### URL Structure
35
36- **Subfolders**: `example.com/shoes/sneakers`, `example.com/shoes/outdoor-shoes`
37- **Slugs**: Descriptive, keyword-rich; lowercase; no stop words
38- **Avoid**: Dates, timestamps, `/category/` prefix
39- **Breadcrumbs**: Show path; help users and crawlers
40
41## Faceted Navigation (Filters)
42
43Filters create many URL combinations (size + color + price). Manage to avoid duplicate content and crawl waste:
44
45| Strategy | Use |
46|----------|-----|
47| **Canonical** | Point all faceted URLs to base category URL |
48| **robots.txt** | Block faceted URLs from indexing if needed |
49| **nofollow** | Add to internal links to faceted URLs |
50| **JavaScript** | Keep filters client-side; single URL for category |
51
52## On-Page Content
53
54### Content Requirements
55
56- **150-300 words** unique copy; pages with this rank ~2.7x higher than product-only grids
57- **Placement**: After hero/H1; FAQ block at bottom
58- **Purpose**: Help users decide; answer curation, materials, recommendations
59- **Avoid**: Manufacturer copy; crowding product grid
60
61### SEO Elements
62
63| Element | Practice |
64|---------|----------|
65| **H1** | One per page; primary keyword; clear purpose |
66| **Title tag** | 50-60 chars; keyword; compelling for CTR |
67| **Meta description** | 150-160 chars; value props (free shipping, returns) |
68| **Schema** | ItemList, Product; AggregateRating if reviews; FAQ if applicable |
69
70### Trust & Conversion
71
72- **Reviews**: Star ratings in SERPs; 99.9% of users read reviews; see **serp-features** for review rich results
73- **FAQ**: Answer materials, quality, recommendations; +157% conversion when used
74- **Guides**: Link to product guides; internal linking for SEO
75
76## Technical
77
78- **Consistent layout**: Same template across categories; predictable UX
79- **Mobile**: Responsive; touch targets >=44x44px
80- **Redirects**: 301 to category when product pages move; avoid breaking hierarchy
81
82## Output Format
83
84- **Structure** (hierarchy, URL paths)
85- **Facet strategy** (canonical, nofollow, robots)
86- **Content** (H1, intro copy, FAQ)
87- **SEO** (metadata, schema)
88- **Checklist** for audit
89
90## Related Skills
91
92- **programmatic-seo**: Programmatic SEO strategy; category pages as template-based scale
93- **card**: Card layout; product card structure, grid design
94- **grid**: Product grid layout; responsive columns
95- **products-page-generator**: Product cards, grid layout
96- **canonical-tag**: Faceted URL canonicalization
97- **schema-markup**: ItemList, Product, FAQ schema
98- **internal-links**: Category linking
99- **breadcrumb-generator**: Breadcrumb trail for category hierarchy
100- **url-structure**: URL hierarchy
gabrielmoreira