Study Case: Discontinued Product Redirect

Magento is a powerful CMS, allowing you to manage catalogs with a large number of references. In the case of Banana Moon, the collections are refreshed each season and many items are therefore discontinued.
But links continue to point to the pages of these items, from communications such as emails, social media posts, etc. Visitors who click on these dead links then land on 404 error pages.

The consequences:

• Poor customer experience: users quit the site and, as well as not returning, may well share their negative experience with others.
• Increase in bounce rate, causing downgrading of the site by Google and loss of visibility.
• Loss of sales opportunity
• SEO penalty: not only is the SEO value of these pages lost, but Googlebots will be slowed down, calling into question your position in the SERPs*.

Solution 1: Manual URL rewriting
The Magento guide explains point by point how to set up redirects from your back office.

Solution 2: Install a module that automates redirects
Given the large number of existing and future pages to be redirected, manually performing these redirects is as tedious as it is time-consuming.
Here’s a comparative table of the features offered by different Magento extension publishers, allowing you to automate redirects.

 

Blackbird meets the challenge

Our module, installed since February 2021 on the Banana Moon store, has enabled us to respond to the various problems related to discontinued products.
Here’s a summary of the solutions provided by our Discontinued Product Redirect module:

 

Problem	Solution
Loss of sales opportunity	Permanent (301) or temporary (302) redirects to a similar category or product
Poor customer experience	Guide and support the client in the process by explaining the situation
Increased bounce rate	Redirecting to a category increases the time spent on the site thanks to scrolling
Loss of SEO	Redirection allows you to transfer the SEO value to another page
Handling these redirects	Mass action and automation possible

Not convinced yet?

What if we told you that since the installation of this extension on the Banana Moon site, their bounce rate has dropped by 37%?

Behind this impressive data, you’ll find a module that’s simple to install and so intuitive that your teams won’t need training to use it.

Our tips for managing redirects

1. Find all the broken links in your store
There are various tools to detect these pages with a 404 error:There are various tools to detect these pages with a 404 error:

• The free Google Search Console tool: access the list from the "cover" tab and then click "exploration errors".
• Crawlers: Screaming Frog or Xenu, for example, browse the site in the same way as search engine bots.
• Semrush: a paid tool that allows you to spot 404 errors by going to the "Site Audit" tab and then clicking on "Broken" in the "Total Score" space.
• Increase efficiency by having agency support. Advisors will help you optimize the SEO aspects of your site.

 

2. Define relevant categories for product redirection
Choose categories which match your visitor's intention so they feel their request has been properly considered.

 

If you’re a B2B e-merchant:
In most cases, you’ll want to direct your visitor to a similar product. The BtoB buyer makes essential purchases and doesn’t want to waste time.

If the product they’re looking for no longer exists, offer them a similar or replacement product and you’ll have a satisfied customer.

 

If you’re a B2C e-merchant:
In the ready-to-wear sector for example, if your customer has clicked on a 2-piece striped swimsuit, it might be useless to offer them a replacement swimsuit with flowers. Better to redirect them to the 2-piece swimwear category, so that they can choose a new product themselves.
If you sell furniture and your visitor is looking for a coffee table with glass top, it doesn’t mean they absolutely want a glass top. So it’s better to redirect them to the coffee table category, where they can apply filters themselves.

 

If your sector of activity focuses on high-tech, household appliances or industry:
Sometimes products are updated. In this case, it’s better to redirect the customer to the newer model. If you’re not sure, put yourself in your customer’s shoes to understand what they’re looking for, so you can best meet their needs.

 

3. Choose a redirect automation tool
Do you want to save time in the management of your e-commerce, relieve your marketing teams of time-consuming tasks and focus on other tasks? Opt for a redirect automation tool. The table above will help you decide which to choose.

 

4. Adjust the redirection configuration
Your catalog evolves with the seasons, collections and your brand strategy. Be sure to adjust your redirects according to the tree structure of your site. For optimal SEO it needs to be as stable as possible.

Conclusion

Thanks to the Discontinued Product Redirect module, Blackbird met the challenge! Our solution, simple and intuitive to use, allowed our partner Banana Moon to easily solve this SXO** problem by improving the UX of their site and preserving their SEO.

Do you also want to turn your broken links into new conversion opportunities?

Discover our module now or contact us: we’ll be happy to demonstrate it.
And because your satisfaction is at the heart of what we do, get free support for 60 days for any purchase of our extension.

 

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*SERP: acronym for "Search Engine Result Page" which refers to the results page of a search engine. Seo practitioners aim by different techniques to reach the first position in serps, the most clicked and consulted.