{"id":34247,"date":"2018-10-03T07:10:48","date_gmt":"2018-10-03T14:10:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.constant-content.com\/content-writing-service\/?p=34247"},"modified":"2022-04-08T16:57:21","modified_gmt":"2022-04-08T23:57:21","slug":"product-hierarchy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.constant-content.com\/content-writing-service\/2018\/10\/product-hierarchy\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a Product Hierarchy and Why Does it Matter?"},"content":{"rendered":"

A product hierarchy is a method of classifying your company\u2019s products and services by their essential components into a logical structure.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a good chance you\u2019ve encountered a one while shopping online:<\/p>\n

Women\u2019s –> Fall Collection –> Jacket –> Wind Breaker –> Blue<\/p>\n

But product hierarchies aren\u2019t just for fashion brands. They\u2019re equally important for any businesses, even if you only have one core product.<\/p>\n

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What is a Product Hierarchy?<\/span><\/h3>\n

Here is a simple hypothetical example of what a hierarchy might look like for a computer store:<\/p>\n

\"product-hierarchy\"<\/p>\n

Looking at the picture this may seem like an obvious and simple concept. However, the impact is quite profound: it establishes a common language across your entire organization.<\/p>\n

[bctt tweet=”An effective product hierarchy establishes a common language across your entire organization.” username=”constantcontent”]<\/p>\n

Why Does a Product Hierarchy Matter?<\/span><\/h3>\n

Walmart, Costco, The Home Depot.<\/p>\n

These companies all have a hand full of subsidiaries, hundreds of product lines, and millions of products. With so many moving parts, you may think it\u2019s a bit of an organizational dumpster fire.<\/p>\n

Yet, thanks to their intuitive and well-planned product hierarchy, it\u2019s any but.<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s not all. When done well they can also support the user experience, SEO, and internal search.<\/p>\n

User Experience<\/span><\/h4>\n

The best user experiences let people complete their task quickly and effortlessly. You or I could visit The Home Depot\u2019s website and find a 50-pack of stainless steel finishing nails in seconds.<\/p>\n

When shoppers can follow intuitive and helpful product structures, they will have a much easier time navigating to where they are trying to go.<\/p>\n

SEO<\/span><\/h4>\n

The SEO value of product and category pages has been well established. A robust hierarchy offers multiple opportunities to create keyword rich content.<\/p>\n

Over the years we\u2019ve written more than 1,000,000 product and category pages<\/a> for big brands. We\u2019ve seen first-hand how well-written hierarchy pages can support SEO.<\/p>\n

Internal Benefits<\/span><\/h4>\n

One final benefit that shouldn\u2019t be overlooked is how a hierarchy supports your employees by allowing anyone in your organization to be a product advocate and deliver a consistent message about what your product does, who it\u2019s for, and its value.<\/p>\n

[bctt tweet=”An effective product hierarchy allows anyone in your organization to be a product advocate and deliver a consistent message about what your product does, who it\u2019s for, and its value.” username=”constantcontent”]<\/p>\n

Everyone from your front-line staff, to customer service, to sales, and marketing will share the same mantra. For that reason, a product hierarchy isn\u2019t about product attributes alone. It should begin with your core product need.<\/p>\n

\"product-hierarchy-walkthrough\"<\/p>\n

How to Develop a Product Hierarchy<\/span><\/h3>\n

Developing a product hierarchy isn\u2019t an easy task.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because it can be difficult to drill down to the core need and key features.<\/p>\n

Step 1: Drill Down to the Core<\/span><\/h4>\n

Focusing in on the core product need can be difficult. One approach that may help with step 1 is to start with your company mission statement.<\/p>\n

For example, Salesforce\u2019s is a \u201cCustomer Success Platform that empowers companies to connect with their customers in a whole new way.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the surface, this mission may seem simple, but it\u2019s packed with useful information.<\/p>\n