The document discusses how to use XPath to extract useful information from e-commerce websites for SEO purposes. It provides examples of common uses of XPath like extracting schema code, scraping product information, and auditing backlinks. The document also offers tips for scraping e-commerce sites, including analyzing empty categories, comparing on-page elements, and identifying out of stock products. Throughout, it emphasizes using tools like XPath, Google Sheets, and Screaming Frog to simplify scraping tasks.

1. Janet Plumpton
MISSGUIDED
How to use XPath with
e-commerce Websites
@PlumJans

2. make the
most from
website
code for
e-commerce
SEO
#brightonSEO@PlumJans https://www.slideshare.net/JanetPlumpton

3. #brightonSEO@PlumJans
XPath = XML
Path Language
the easy way to pluck data
contained in HTML pages

4. #brightonSEO@PlumJans
what does it look like?
//@href
//H2
//span[@itemprop=’ratingValue’]

5. #brightonSEO@PlumJans
a few
standard uses for XPath
extraction

6. #brightonSEO@PlumJans
extracting schema code
58 reviews

7. #brightonSEO@PlumJans
scraping product SKUs
Product number: A2502222
Product number: DE911161
Product number: R9335328
Product number: A2502826
Product number: DD910086

8. #brightonSEO@PlumJans
exporting specific page copy
CATEGORY
COPY
PRODUCT
COPY

9. #brightonSEO@PlumJans
backlink auditing

10. #brightonSEO@PlumJans
monitoring social activity

11. #brightonSEO@PlumJans
scraping dates from blog posts
BLOG POST VISITS YEAR
http://www.missguided.co.uk/blog/fashion/blog-six 267 2017
http://www.missguided.co.uk/blog/fashion/blog-two 146 2012
http://www.missguided.co.uk/blog/fashion/blog-four 682 2015
http://www.missguided.co.uk/blog/fashion/blog-three 214 2015
http://www.missguided.co.uk/blog/fashion/blog-five 16 2016
http://www.missguided.co.uk/blog/fashion/blog-one 86 2011

12. #brightonSEO@PlumJans
the very
useful
tool kit

13. #brightonSEO@PlumJans
SEO TOOLS
FOR EXCEL
the very
useful
tool kit

14. #brightonSEO@PlumJans
SEO TOOLS
FOR EXCEL
SCREAMING
FROG
the very
useful
tool kit

15. #brightonSEO@PlumJans
SEO TOOLS
FOR EXCEL
SCREAMING
FROG
INSPECT
ELEMENT
the very
useful
tool kit

16. #brightonSEO@PlumJans
SEO TOOLS
FOR EXCEL
SCREAMING
FROG
SCRAPER
EXTENSION
INSPECT
ELEMENT
the very
useful
tool kit

17. #brightonSEO@PlumJans
SEO TOOLS
FOR EXCEL
SCREAMING
FROG
SCRAPER
EXTENSION
INSPECT
ELEMENT
GOOGLE
SHEETS
the very
useful
tool kit

18. #brightonSEO@PlumJans
If you are new
to XPath…

19. #brightonSEO@PlumJans
…simply open a Google Sheet
Data XPath
Page
Title =ImportXML("URL","//title[1]")
Meta
Description =ImportXML("URL","//meta[@name='description']/@content")
H1
Heading =ImportXML("URL"; "//*[@name='h1'] ")

20. @PlumJans
4 scraping tips for
e-commerce websites
time is money
#brightonSEO

21. #brightonSEO@PlumJans
#1

22. #brightonSEO@PlumJans
It can be a shock
to discover valuable traffic
going to empty categories

23. #brightonSEO@PlumJans
products
per
category
mark-up

24. #brightonSEO@PlumJans
//span[@class='js-cascade-label-max']
GOOGLE SHEETS
=IMPORTXML("URL", "//span[@class='js-cascade-label-max']")
SEO TOOLS FOR EXCEL
=XPathOnURL("URL", "//span[@class='js-cascade-label-max']")

25. #brightonSEO@PlumJans
couple this data up
with traffic per URL

26. #brightonSEO@PlumJans
0
200
400
600
800
1,000
1,200
1,400
1,600
1,800
2,000
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
30,000
35,000
40,000
45,000
A B C D E F G H I J K
Traffic and Styles per Category
Organic Traffic Styles

27. #brightonSEO@PlumJans
#2

28. #brightonSEO@PlumJans
number of products in a site
search URL

29. #brightonSEO@PlumJans
recreate search URLs in Excel
Search Terms Site Search URL String + Search Terms
red bodysuit domain.co.uk/search?q= red+bodysuit
white blazer dress domain.co.uk/search?q= white+blazer+dress
khaki bomber jackets domain.co.uk/search?q= khaki+bomber+jackets
export site searches from GA

30. #brightonSEO@PlumJans
are you presenting fewer
products on landing pages?
yes or no?

31. #brightonSEO@PlumJans
#3

32. #brightonSEO@PlumJans
which on page elements
perform better?
compare metrics

33. #brightonSEO@PlumJans
do product pages convert
better with videos?

34. #brightonSEO@PlumJans
//*[@id="product-media"]/a[1]/text()
Address Videos
/premium-white-plunge-neck-zip-through-bodycon-dress play video
/silky-plunge-wrap-shift-dress-red play video
/black-floral-print-strappy-midi-dress play video
/peace-love-white-lace-high-neck-midi-dress play video
/sequin-snake-high-neck-bodycon-dress-animal play video

35. #brightonSEO@PlumJans
pick and choose
what you want to scrape
apply your metrics

36. #brightonSEO@PlumJans
#4

37. #brightonSEO@PlumJans
out of stock products
are they getting lots of traffic?

38. #brightonSEO@PlumJans
http://schema.org/OutOfStock
what code sets your
OOS pages apart?
“Product out of Stock”
find it

39. #brightonSEO@PlumJans
apply average conversion rate
(faint)
products coming back?
yes or no?

40. #brightonSEO@PlumJans
and that’s it

41. make your day to day
tasks easier
by understanding your
website code
@PlumJans #brightonSEOhttps://www.slideshare.net/JanetPlumpton