For a long time, so-called “SEO texts” were used to promote online store category pages. These were long, dense blocks of text stuffed with keywords—often highlighted in bold. This strategy yielded results and secured top rankings, as competitor analysis revealed that sites holding the leading positions featured such texts. They were frequently placed at the bottom of the page, below the product catalog.
The situation shifted somewhat following the 2017 introduction of Yandex’s “Baden-Baden” algorithm. This is a Yandex filter that penalizes specific pages—or entire websites—for using SEO texts in locations where they serve no user purpose, solely to manipulate search engine rankings.
How does this work? SEO specialists place informational or quasi-commercial text on product catalog pages, tag pages, or category sections. Everyone involved—search engines, site owners, and visitors alike—fully understands that this text is not written for human readers. People do not read these texts; if they scroll to the end of the product list, they simply move on to the next page.
Sometimes, these texts are placed above the product list, but they rarely offer any real value. They tend to be filled with keyword spam or useless “fluff.”
This does not help the site visitor make a choice, nor does it provide them with any value.When this method is used, webmasters receive a notification in Yandex.Webmaster about sanctions being imposed, and sites begin to drop in rankings and lose their positions. This is currently a problem. On one hand, in certain niches, we see top-ranking sites that feature these massive blocks of text in their footers. On the other hand, there is a risk of incurring a Yandex penalty for using such content.
There is no definitive answer as to whether or not to use text on category pages. You need to experiment. When initially optimizing a resource, you might try to do without text content at first—waiting a while before potentially adding a textual component later.
How can you optimize a catalog page for Yandex without a massive block of text?
- Include primary keywords in the page title.
- Include keywords in the page’s H1 heading.
- Optimize the product list displayed on the first page of the catalog category (incorporate keywords and word variations).
- Distribute short text snippets and blocks across the page (at the top, bottom, or sides)—such as sections on delivery, payment, warranties, and returns—to organically integrate keywords.
This approach helps you promote a product catalog page while minimizing the risk of incurring Yandex penalties. As for SEO text, proceed with caution; while it is indeed necessary and highly beneficial in certain niches, it isn’t always required.
Check the top-ranking results, analyze them, and experiment. The situation is slightly different with Google; it is more lenient toward such content (more on that in a separate post).
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