Taxonomy and categorisation: optimise the customer experience

Organising your product catalogue is no longer an option, but a necessity. A clear taxonomy and effective categorisation not only improve the customer experience, but also boost your search engine optimisation (SEO) and make it easier to manage your product data. Yet many e-retailers underestimate the impact these elements have on their performance.

Imagine a customer searching for a specific product on your website. If they cannot find it within a few clicks, they will go to a competitor. Worse still, if your categories are poorly structured, search engines will struggle to index your pages correctly, thereby reducing your visibility. Fortunately, solutions exist to automate and optimise this process, such as Product Information Management (PIM) tools.

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Taxonomy and categorisation: definitions and challenges

For an e-commerce site to perform well, it’s not enough simply to have the right products; above all, customers must be able to find them instantly. This is where taxonomy and categorisation come into play – two pillars of information architecture that transform a complex product catalogue into a seamless shopping experience.

What is taxonomy?

Taxonomy is the science of classification. Applied to e-commerce, it involves organising your products according to a logical hierarchy (categories, sub-categories, attributes, etc.). A good taxonomy enables you to:

• Make navigation easier for the user.
• Improve organic search engine optimisation.
• Simplify the management and updating of the catalogue.

What is categorisation?

Categorisation is the process of assigning each product to one or more categories. It must be intuitive, consistent and tailored to customers’ expectations.

Practical example: A sports website might classify its products into ‘Running’, ‘Fitness’ and ‘Swimming’, and then into sub-categories such as ‘Running shoes’, ‘Fitness clothing’, etc.

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Why is good product organisation crucial?

Good product organisation is an investment that pays off on every level: an optimised customer experience, better search engine rankings, and simplified internal management.

For the customer experience: smooth navigation, satisfaction, conversions

The way you organise your products has a direct impact on how your customers interact with your website. Simplified navigation is the first visible benefit: when categories are logical and filters are relevant, customers find what they’re looking for in just a few clicks. Conversely, a confusing or cluttered structure causes them to abandon their search, or even leave your site for a competitor’s.

Reducing the bounce rate is another major advantage. A customer frustrated by complex navigation or irrelevant results will not return. By structuring your categories intuitively, you minimise drop-offs and increase the chances of conversion.

Finally, a well-thought-out taxonomy enables you to offer personalised recommendations. By analysing browsing behaviour, you can suggest complementary or similar products, thereby increasing the average basket value. For example, Amazon excels in this area: its recommendation algorithms rely largely on precise categorisation and detailed analysis of customer data.

For SEO: visibility, traffic and performance

Good product organisation is also a powerful driver for SEO. Search engines, such as Google, analyse your website’s structure to understand its content. A clear hierarchy (categories, sub-categories, product pages) facilitates indexing and improves your ranking in search results.

Each category can be optimised for specific keywords. For example, a ‘Women’s running shoes’ category can target queries such as ‘best women’s running shoes 2026’ or ‘lightweight running shoes’. This attracts more qualified traffic and increases the chances of conversion.

Finally, good organisation helps ensure that rich snippets appear in search results. These visual elements (star ratings, prices, availability) catch users’ attention and improve click-through rates.

For internal management: efficiency and scalability

Internally, a well-organised structure saves a considerable amount of time. Fewer errors, fewer duplicates, faster updates: all of this translates into increased productivity for your teams. For example, adding a new product is much simpler when categories and attributes are already defined and standardised.

Integration with catalogue management tools, such as PIMs, also becomes much smoother. These solutions centralise all product information and enable it to be automatically distributed across multiple channels. A PIM such as Quable facilitates data synchronisation, ensures consistency and reduces the risk of errors, particularly for large catalogues.

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How should you structure your taxonomy and categories?

1. Analyse customer expectations

Before defining your taxonomy, understand how your customers search for and navigate your website. Use behavioural analysis tools such as heatmaps (Hotjar, Crazy Egg) or customer journeys (Google Analytics) to identify:

• The most visited and least performing pages.
• The most frequently used internal search terms.
• Points of friction in navigation.

2. Define a clear hierarchy

An effective taxonomy is based on a simple and intuitive hierarchy. Limit the number of levels to a maximum of 3 to 5 to avoid confusing the user. Here is a typical structure:

• Level 1: Main category (e.g. ‘Men’, ‘Women’, ‘Children’).
• Level 2: Sub-category (e.g. ‘Clothing’, ‘Footwear’, ‘Accessories’).
• Level 3: Sub-sub-category (e.g. ‘Trousers’, ‘T-shirts’, ‘Dresses’).
• Level 4: Specific attributes (e.g. ‘Colour’, ‘Size’, ‘Brand’).

3. Use relevant attributes

Attributes help to refine searches and make filtering easier. Choose criteria that are useful to your customers and suited to your sector:

• Fashion: Colour, size, material, style, season.
• Tech: Brand, capacity, compatibility, price.
• Food: Allergens, origin, organic, weight.

Tip: Use faceted filters to allow customers to combine several criteria (e.g. “Red organic cotton T-shirt, size M”).

4. Test and iterate

A taxonomy isn’t set in stone. Test, measure and adjust accordingly:

• Customer feedback: Surveys, reviews, customer service.
• SEO performance: Organic traffic, bounce rate, ranking of category pages.
• Analytics data: Time spent on pages, purchase journey.

Method:

• Launch an initial version, then analyse user behaviour.
• Simplify or merge underperforming categories.
• Add sub-categories if demand arises (e.g. “Vegan shoes”).

5. Mistakes to avoid

• Too many categories: Risk of confusion for the user.
• Overly technical category names: Opt for clear and accessible language.
• Inconsistency: The same category should not have different names on different pages.

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Tools and solutions for automating management

To boost efficiency, Quable is the ideal solution for centralising and optimising the management of your product data. Here’s what it offers in practical terms:

• Automated categorisation: Artificial intelligence classifies your products according to your criteria, eliminating errors and repetitive tasks.
• Collaborative management: All teams (marketing, logistics, e-commerce) work on a single interface, ensuring a consistent and always up-to-date taxonomy.
• Instant publication: Export your product listings to your website, marketplaces (Amazon, Fnac, etc.) or social media with a single click, without having to re-enter any data.

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Try it out on our interactive demo!

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Conclusion

A well-designed taxonomy and effective categorisation are powerful tools for improving the customer experience, boosting your SEO and optimising your catalogue management. By using tools such as PIMs, you’ll gain in productivity and accuracy. Don’t wait any longer to review your current structure and implement the best practices outlined here. Your customers, your teams and your results will thank you for it.