If there is one program that could cripple the entire aftermarket parts industry in one fell swoop, it would be Excel. Everyone tracks everything in Excel (unless you're as savvy as I am and use Sheets).
But did you know that you can do a whole lot more than just track inventory with that out-of-control .xlsx file? Absolutely you can, and I have even done it. Read on.
What is an ‘indexed’ page, and why should you care?
The most powerful websites in the world usually have thousands (or tens, hundreds, even millions) of indexed pages. It isn’t a prerequisite, but it is still important; Google doesn’t assign much search value to websites that bring nothing to the table, content-wise.
Google Search works in three stages, and not all pages make it through each stage:
Crawling: Google downloads text, images, and videos from pages it found on the internet with automated programs called crawlers.
Indexing: Google analyzes the text, images, and video files on the page, and stores the information in the Google index, which is a large database.
Serving search results: When a user searches on Google, Google returns information that's relevant to the user's query.
Indexing is the second step in the process, but it is kind of the money shot; once a page is indexed without problems, it is logged in Google’s massive index and then can be found on Google.
If your pages aren’t indexing, they aren’t showing up. This is more of a technical SEO thing, but very important. There is no reason to create a ton of good content if your website’s backend SEO is messed up.
Do you really want that many indexed pages?
In a word: YES. You absolutely want those indexed pages. Now, a simple RFQ entry isn’t making any waves on its own, so you will probably (okay, definitely) want to work with our team of SEO writers to build out these pages.
Each product doesn’t need its own 1,500-word blog post, though some high-visibility, high-demand parts may warrant one. See, high-intent prospects don’t Google “aircraft parts” – they search by specific part numbers and configurations. They already know what they need, and your goal is to be the first match on Google for their search query.
Also, and again, more is better when it comes to indexed pages. It signals to Google that you are a reputable and trustworthy website. If you look at the top 5 SERPs for most given searches, the top results are not outliers; they are high-trust websites that are methodically built up with a huge archive of indexed pages.
Why what’s in your inventory file matters for marketing
The typical sections in your inventory file include part number, alternate part numbers, description, aircraft/engine applicability, ATA chapter, condition, location, quantity, or some variation of these fields.
These are all extremely useful data points because each one represents a keyword for your purposes; they're items a potential customer knows and uses to search. This is your prime opportunity to build indexed pages that guide customers through the buying process to source and procure these specific parts from you.
And before you think that everyone else is doing this, they aren’t. They just aren’t. In my experience, most company websites in this market have very little useful content and definitely lack marketing funnels to bring in leads and turn them into satisfied customers. And think about the potential: if your spreadsheet has hundreds of items on it to market, you are looking at hundreds of opportunities to entice qualified leads and convert them into paying customers. High-intent customers don’t use generic trash phrases like ‘aircraft parts’ when they search; they know exactly what they want and ask for it.
You know y’all got something like this with all your info on it.
Step 1: Clean up your data + normalize it
Start by standardizing your part number formats (no random spaces, dashes, or inconsistent variants). Make sure that alternate part numbers are clearly tied to the primary part numbers as “equivalents” or “superseded by.”
Also, clean up the aircraft applicability and ATA chapters for consistent naming rather than five different variants.
Step 2: Decide the page structure strategy
There are three real options here, so let’s take a look at all three:
A.) One page per part number. This makes the most sense for high-value rotables or frequently requested components. I do not suggest this for low-cost or low-value items.
B.) Category pages by the ATA chapter, aircraft platform, or component family to capitalize on long-tail searches. Long-tail search strategy is one where longer-format keywords are targeted that have low
I suggest the key items (i.e., high-ticket) have dedicated pages, while consumables and minor parts are clustered together in category pages.
Step 3: Every row becomes a product page template
For each part page, include:
Part identification: primary part number, alternates, manufacturer.
Applicability: aircraft and engine types, ATA chapter, system description.
Condition & availability: new/overhauled/as removed, quantity, lead time.
Quality & approvals: traceability, certifications, warranty notes.
Conversion elements: “Request Quote” form, contact options, AOG priority message.
Step 4: Make it searchable (SEO basics for parts pages)
The goal with this whole process is differentiation. Your competition isn’t going to try this strategy, so you should. Use the exact part number in the page URL (slug), the title tag, the H1, and intro text.
In the body text, go ahead and drop alternate part numbers and aircraft types to pick up equivalent searches
Finally, take other closely related parts in your inventory and internally link pages to build topical clusters.
A topic cluster is a way to organize web pages. A main page covers a broad topic. Smaller pages cover specific parts of that topic. Links connect all these pages. This helps search engines see that a site knows a lot about a subject.
Parts of a Topic Cluster
Pillar page: The main hub page. It gives a wide view of the big topic.
Cluster pages: The smaller sub-pages. Each one looks at a single piece of the main topic in detail.
Internal links: The links between pages. Cluster pages link to the pillar page, and the pillar page links back to them.
Why Use Topic Clusters
Show expertise: Search engines learn you cover a topic well.
Better rank: Pages often get higher search spots.
Easy use: Visitors move smoothly between related pages.
Step 5: Connect pages to RFQ workflows
The goal is reducing friction for quote requests. Attach a short form, clearly show contact info (phone, hyperlink to email or contact pages). Your goal is to capture key qualification fields like aircraft type, date required, and quantity quickly and easily without overwhelming the user.
You want the form to feed your CRM or, at the very least, a regularly monitored inbox for rapid follow-ups.
Step 6: Measure which pages bring real opportunities
This is sort of uncharted territory; part of the appeal is that nobody else is doing it, but the flip side is that there is no real roadmap. But fortune favors the brave, so lean into this before the secrets gets out.
Be sure to identify which components get the most traffic and which parts pages generate the most RFQs, and when you figure this out, build out more content around those items.
Don’t wait for “perfect”
Don't wait for all your pages to be perfect before you start generating. Don’t even wait for them all to be done. Once the pipeline is in motion, keep building it and monitor it constantly. Add pages in batches that work together.
Is this a lot to handle? Yes.
My role is to take your raw materials (CSV files or whatever your tracking mechanism is), build structured pages, and build the tools you need to track RFQs.
Ready to get the ball rolling? Let’s talk
