Building SEO for products listed on an unindexed second site?

"I am working with a client who has a primary website that links to products on separate secondary websites. While I have transferred some products to a WooCommerce store on our site, we are unable to sell most of them due to vendor restrictions. I am hoping to boost the SEO for our main site by creating individual pages for each product that link directly to checkout on the secondary site. I would appreciate any advice on how to optimize the handling of these products for SEO."

You can improve your SEO by creating product pages that link to the secondary site, but you’ll need to carefully consider how to optimize these pages.

While directly linking to the checkout page on the secondary site might seem intuitive, this can negatively impact your SEO. Search engines might see these pages as thin content, lacking substantial information, and penalize your ranking. Additionally, Google might perceive this as an attempt to manipulate search results.

Instead, create comprehensive product pages on your main site that offer valuable information, including product descriptions, images, features, and benefits. Then, integrate a clear and concise call-to-action button that directs users to the checkout page on the secondary site. This approach will provide a better user experience and signal to Google that your pages offer valuable content.

To further optimize your product pages:

  • Use relevant keywords: Incorporate keywords related to the products in your page titles, headings, descriptions, and content.
  • Optimize images: Use high-quality product images and optimize them with alt text that includes relevant keywords.
  • Build internal links: Link to relevant product pages and category pages within your main site.
  • Monitor your analytics: Track your website traffic, keyword rankings, and conversion rates to assess the effectiveness of your SEO efforts.

By focusing on providing a positive user experience and creating informative content, you can improve your SEO while respecting vendor restrictions.