James Dooley Podcast

**James Dooley:**
Semantic SEO principles being used on category pages on ecommerce websites. Let’s jump straight into it. Why is it important to make sure you are using semantic SEO on category pages?

**Szymon Słowik:**
It is a big challenge for many SEOs and ecommerce managers. The main problem is how to fill category description areas properly. People often try to fill those CMS fields with informational content. They write things like what are jeans, what are speakers, what is a MacBook, depending on the category. That is a big mistake. Category pages should align with commercial and transactional intent. This is where semantic SEO becomes critical.

When people think about semantic SEO, they usually think about writing articles and targeting informational intent. I was inspired to look deeper into this when someone in an SEO group asked how to apply Koray Tuğberk GÜBÜR’s framework to ecommerce. I realised it maps very well to category pages if you shift from informational intent to buying intent.

You still work with entities, attributes, and relationships, but you describe them from a purchasing perspective. You help users choose products, choose a shop, and understand differences between options. You do not explain what jeans are. You explain how to choose the right jeans. That is the difference.

Semantic SEO is not only about text. In the AI era, semantics in HTML structure matter more than ever. Many ecommerce platforms use poor heading structures. H2 and H3 tags are often reused sitewide and are not page specific. That hurts parsability and understanding. Semantics is about meaning. Make category pages extremely easy for machines and humans to understand.

**James Dooley:**
I am glad you brought this up. Context and meaning on category pages change completely when you switch from informational to transactional intent. Attributes, predicates, edges, and facets all look different. Headings change. Sentence structure changes. Both macro and micro semantics shift. Many people get this wrong and add the wrong attributes to category pages.

If someone has an ecommerce site and wants to improve category pages, what are your go to principles for training a team to get semantic SEO right?

**Szymon Słowik:**
I focus on ecommerce specific angles for each category. Start with simple commercial verbs like buy, order, compare, ship, or deliver. Combine them with the category name and you are already halfway there.

Then follow semantic principles consistently. Another very important thing that people forget is that the product grid itself is content. Product names are content. If product titles include the category name, that already reinforces entity salience. You do not need to overstuff the category description with repeated terms.

Product grids help both Google and AI systems understand the page. They are part of the semantic structure. So do not overdo descriptive text. Balance it. Let the products support the category semantics naturally.

**James Dooley:**
Absolutely. Anyone watching this should understand that semantic SEO is more important than ever. It is no longer just about Google or Bing. It is about visibility in ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and other AI systems. Semantic SEO principles are foundational for that.

It has been a pleasure speaking with you, Szymon Słowik. Thank you for joining us.