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Managing SEO on Your WSM Store: Sitemaps, H1 Tags, Meta Data, and Indexing

Search engine optimization (SEO) helps your store rank well in search results and appear correctly to customers and search engines. This article covers the most common SEO-related questions from WSM store owners, including sitemaps, robots.txt, H1 tags, meta titles and descriptions, canonical tags, and re-indexing your catalog. If you need help with any of the items below, our Support team can assist you directly.

Sitemaps and Robots.txt

Your sitemap tells search engines which pages exist on your store, and your robots.txt file tells crawlers what they are and aren't allowed to access.

Two common issues to watch for:

    • Non-secure (HTTP) URLs in your sitemap. Your sitemap should reference the secure (https://) version of your site rather than the non-secure (http://) version.
    • Blocked crawlers. Your robots.txt file may be configured to block certain bots. If crawlers you want to allow are being blocked, this can reduce your store's visibility.
If you suspect your sitemap contains non-secure URLs, or that your robots.txt is blocking crawlers you want to allow, contact WSM Support and we'll review your configuration.

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H1 Tags

An H1 tag is the main heading on a page. Search engines use it to understand what a page is about, so each page should generally have one clear, descriptive H1.

Two situations come up frequently:

Missing H1 on a page

If a page (such as your homepage) has no H1 tag, it can be added. Contact WSM Support and let us know which page needs an H1, and we can help you add or configure it.

 

Multiple H1 tags on a page

Sometimes more than one H1 tag appears on a page. This can happen because certain page elements—such as category headers or interactive components like filter panels—generate their own headings that may not be visible in the standard page source, but appear when using a browser inspection tool.

If you notice multiple H1 tags on a page and are unsure where they come from, contact WSM Support with the page URL. Our team can investigate the source and advise on the best resolution.

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Meta Titles and Meta Descriptions

Meta titles and meta descriptions are the text that appears in search engine results and browser tabs. Well-written, unique meta data helps your listings stand out.

Common issues include:

    • Missing page titles on category pages.
    • Repeated or inaccurate meta descriptions—for example, the same phrase or a single specific year appearing across many general categories. General category descriptions should not contain a single, specific year, as this makes them less accurate and less useful.
    • Meta titles displaying in unexpected places, such as appearing above a news article's name.

Tip: Meta descriptions should be unique and relevant to each page. Avoid reusing the same description across unrelated categories.

If your meta titles or descriptions need to be reviewed, rewritten, or corrected, reach out to WSM Support with the affected pages.

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Canonical Tags

A canonical tag tells search engines which version of a page is the "primary" one when similar or duplicate content exists. This helps prevent duplicate-content issues that can hurt your rankings.

Canonical tags can be implemented for specific brands or across your entire site. If you'd like canonical tags set up—either for a specific section or site-wide—contact WSM Support to discuss your needs.

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Controlling Which Pages Get Indexed

You may not want every page on your store to appear in search results. For example, you might want to prevent a broad "catch-all" or universal category page from being crawled or indexed, and remove links pointing to it.

WSM Support can help you:

    • Hide or remove links to specific pages.
    • Apply "noindex" / "nocrawl" settings to pages you don't want in search results.
Let us know which pages you'd like excluded, and we can configure this for you.

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Re-Indexing Your Store

When you make changes to your catalog—such as updating product availability, adding or removing remarks, or adding new products—those changes may not immediately appear on your search and category pages. Re-indexing refreshes your store so these updates are reflected.

If you've made catalog changes and they aren't showing up on search or category pages:

    • Confirm your changes have been saved.
    • Contact WSM Support and request a re-index, noting what you changed.
    • Allow time for indexing to complete—changes may take a while to appear as the index processes.
Note: Indexing can also affect features that rely on product data, such as Year/Make/Model (YMM) filtering. If you've imported new products and YMM filtering isn't working as expected, verify your import file is formatted correctly, and contact Support if you need help confirming your format or checking indexing status.

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Need Help?

Many SEO settings are configured on the back end by our team. For any of the items above—sitemaps, robots.txt, H1 tags, meta data, canonical tags, indexing control, or re-indexing—contact WSM Support with:

    • The URL(s) of the affected page(s)
    • A description of the issue or change you'd like made
We'll review your request and follow up with next steps.

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Note: Some of the source material referenced opting into SMS notifications and standard messaging rates. This is an optional support-communication service and is unrelated to SEO configuration.