SECTOR · SPORTS
Size, level and discipline decide the search before the brand does.
Sports gear is bought with very technical criteria: skill level, discipline, condition of use. We work so your catalogue answers those specific searches, not just the product's brand name.
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Brands that have trusted Laika
The sports shops and brands who call us compete in a catalogue that's highly technical and highly fragmented.
Search happens by level and discipline, not by product
'Beginner trail running shoes' or 'advanced padel racket' are concrete searches. If the catalogue is organised only by brand, you lose the person searching by their skill level.
The technical catalogue changes from season to season
Models get discontinued and replaced by new versions every year, with URLs that need managing to avoid losing ranking history.
Technical equipment coexists with everyday sportswear
The same catalogue mixes competition equipment with casual sportswear, with very different audiences and search intents from one another.
Each discipline's community talks in specialised forums and social channels
Runners, cyclists and climbers search and share in different places. Treating them as a single generic audience means the content doesn't connect with any of them.
You compete with marketplaces and big chains on brand searches
On the exact model of a well-known shoe, big chains dominate. You have to find where technical knowledge weighs more than price.
The scope
Doing SEO in sports means organising the catalogue by discipline and level, not just by brand, and providing the technical judgement that a search engine or an AI can't invent on its own. It's sports knowledge that separates a generic product page from one that converts.
We work on architecture by discipline and level, on technical content that resolves the choice of gear, and on presence in the communities where each sport is genuinely discussed.
Which capabilities matter here
In sports, technical judgement carries as much weight as catalogue structure. This is how we distribute the effort.
High weight
Search enginesThe base: architecture by discipline and level, and technical content that answers the gear-choice search.
High weight
Social SearchEach discipline has its own community on YouTube, Instagram or specialised forums, where much of the trust in a brand gets decided.
Medium weight
ConsultingDecide which disciplines and levels your catalogue can compete in with an advantage and where it's not worth fighting on price.
AI search still carries uneven weight depending on the discipline. We bring it in once we see it starting to move real purchase decisions in your category.
The areas of work
Four areas built for a technical, fragmented catalogue: first the structure by discipline and level, then gear-choice content, then seasonal catalogue management, and finally each sport's community.
Architecture by discipline and level
Make the catalogue navigable by discipline and skill level, not just by brand or product type.
See the detail
- Categories by discipline, skill level and use (competition, training, beginner)
- Technical facets (weight, cushioning, resistance) indexed with judgement
- Clear separation between technical equipment and everyday sportswear
- Internal linking that guides beginners to the right level without losing them along the way
Technical gear-choice content
Provide the technical judgement that decides a sports gear purchase, before the competition does.
See the detail
- Choice guides by level and discipline, with comparisons within your own catalogue
- Content on maintenance, technical sizing and equipment compatibility
- Answers to sport-specific doubts that a generic product page can't resolve
- Use of technical knowledge as a differentiating argument against price
Seasonal and technical catalogue management
Make sure ranking history isn't lost every time a model gets replaced by a new version.
See the detail
- A URL and redirect plan for when a model is discontinued or renewed
- Criteria for what to keep alive between seasons and what to archive
- Coordination of new season launches with already-ranking content
- Tracking which disciplines have marked seasonality and which stay constant
Community and social search by discipline
Be present where each sports community builds trust in a brand.
See the detail
- YouTube and Instagram content adapted to each discipline's language
- Presence in specialised forums and communities where gear gets recommended
- Coordination between community content and the product page
- Identifying which disciplines in the catalogue have an active community and which don't
Who does it?
The project is run by a senior profile with experience in technical, seasonal-catalogue ecommerce. MJ leads the strategy and the specialist team works architecture, technical content and community.
Why Laika?
We know that in sports technical knowledge sells more than price, which is why we put it at the centre of the content.
Treating every discipline the same doesn't work here. Each one has its own audience, language and way of deciding a purchase.
You always talk to whoever decides
There's no management layer between you and the judgement. MJ leads the strategy and the specialist team executes.
If we're not the right fit, we say so
Even if that means there's no project for us, we'd rather say so before signing.
We know which disciplines you won't win on price
Against marketplaces and big chains, some price battles aren't worth it. We'd rather put the effort into the technical knowledge where you do win.
We treat each discipline as a distinct audience
We don't talk the same way to a beginner starting to run as to a trail competitor. The content adapts to each level and each sport.
Frequently asked questions
How do we structure a catalogue with such different disciplines?
We start from how each community actually searches, not from the catalogue's internal organisation. Each discipline gets its own architecture by level and use, even though they coexist under the same brand.
What do we do when a model gets discontinued every season?
We decide which ranking history is worth preserving through a redirect and which content can be archived. The criterion depends on the search volume the previous model still receives.
Is it worth competing on the exact name of a well-known model?
Generally not, if you're competing against marketplaces and big chains on price. We look for the searches where technical judgement and advice weigh more than the final price.
How do we work each sport's community if we don't have resources for all of them?
We prioritise the disciplines where your catalogue is strongest and where an active community exists that can generate real trust in the brand. There's no need to cover all of them at once.
Tell us which disciplines you work with
With your catalogue and your main disciplines we can tell you where you compete with an advantage and where you don't.
Technical judgement sells more than price.
Tell us which disciplines you work with and we'll tell you where your catalogue can really win.
We look at your project before proposing anything. Reply within two working days at most.
Let's talk about your project