category-page-generator

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.

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:

1. Catalog: Product count, categories, subcategories
2. Facets: Filters (size, color, price, brand, etc.)
3. 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