[SOLVED] Recommendation for adding another "dimension" to my products

[noesac]

My products are currently categorised in two ways.

The main way is the standard "Category" (e.g. iPhone vs. Blackberry).

The second is a "Manufacturer" dimension to each of my products (e.g. Griffin vs. Belkin).

I would also like to add a "Type" dimension to each of my products (e.g. Hard vs. Soft).


I'm thinking there are three approaches, which is the most recommended?


1) Add another category - not ideal because of duplication, maintenance overhead, code tweaks required to filter out the menus etc.

2) Repurpose the "Supplier" functionality?

3) Add the "Type" into the "Tag" field - this seems like the easiest approach...however my concern here is - does the Tag field get used in SEO? Should I be worried about using this field for non-SEO purposes? Where is this even used (other than a meta-tag cloud)?

[rocky]

The tag field at the bottom of the product page is used for the tag cloud only. It is not used for SEO. You must click the "Click here to improve product's rank in search engines (SEO)" link and enter tags in the "Meta keywords" field for tags related to SEO.

[noesac]

Thanks Rocky.

I think I will use the third option to give my products that extra "dimension". I will link them to:

../search.php?tag=


I think this is the most versatile, risk-free way of approaching this (in terms of SEO, code change required and maintenance overhead)