To address this challenge, we devised the following solution:

• Distinct Product Sections: On the new JoJo site, all products were featured in the products section on the primary website (destined for distributors), regardless of whether they were purchasable or not. This section did not include any prices or “Buy now” call-to-action (CTA) to preserve pricing discretion.
• Duplicate Products in Shop Section: To make the products available for the general public, we duplicated all purchasable products. These duplicates were then placed in the Shop section alongside the main Products section.
• Different URLs for Purchasable Products: We ensured that the purchasable products in the Shop section had distinct URLs from those in the Products section. In the Shop section, we added the keyword “buy” to the URLs for these purchasable products to improve their ranking potential in search engine results.
• Canonical Tags for SEO: To prevent any confusion for search engines and maintain SEO integrity, we implemented canonical tags. These tags instruct search engines to rank URLs in the Products section as secondary to the purchasable (/buy-) or Shop version URLs as secondary to the primary URLs in the Products section.

Advantages of this Solution: 

• Clarity for Distributors: Distributors browsing the products section will not encounter any confusion or frustration, as all products are listed without displaying any prices, aligning with the discretion required for their dealings.
• SEO Improvement: By including the keyword “buy” in the URLs of purchasable products in the Shop section, we enhance their ranking potential in search queries, especially when users include the term “buy” along with the specific product they are looking for. This can lead to increased visibility and accessibility for potential customers. Another significant SEO advantage stems from the implementation of Canonical tags. By employing Canonical tags, the Shop’s (/buy-) products can ascend in rankings for essential keywords that potential consumers are actively searching for, such as “water filter cartridges” or “water filters,” among others. This strategic employment of Canonical tags aids JoJo in accomplishing the client’s overarching objective of effectively targeting high-intent actions from users.