Learn how your site structure can be used to support your search rankings on your main keywords.
When it comes to data management, siloing (keeping information locked up in separate systems) is a big no. But when you’re talking SEO, you must say yes to silos!
What is SEO Siloing?
In SEO, siloing is a way of structuring your website to support better rankings on your keywords. Just as a farmer would separate specific types of grains into different silos, you’re going to separate your pages into different digital “silos” based on their keywords. The goal is to only have related keywords within each silo.
This accomplishes several important things in terms of your website’s interaction with search engines:
- Having silos helps search engines identify your site’s main topics
- Having full silos helps ensure there is ample keyword-supporting content
- Having well-organized silos maximizes the effectiveness of your content in establishing your site as an expert authority in your topic areas
Choose Your Silo Structure
There are two different ways that you can build silos into your website structure: Physical Siloing and Virtual Siloing. We recommend using both for the biggest impact on your rankings.
With physical siloing, you use the URL directory structure to create your topics. It’s basically the digital version of using different folders in a filing cabinet: You might have folders for your main product categories “Widgets,” “Gadgets,” and “Wingdings,” and then within each folder you will have separate pages for the different products in that category. Your webpages are also stored in folders in the URL directory structure. If you create a new page for a new type of widget and put it in the “Widgets” folder, this reinforces your expertise in widgets much more than if you had just placed the new page in the main site folder.
With virtual siloing, you are using links to connect groups of pages into “silos.” Often, physical siloing supports virtual siloing in a very natural way: If you have a landing page for “Widgets” you will naturally want all your different widget subpages to link back to this page. Subpages should never link back to any page that is outside their silo, as these kinds of random links would weaken your topic themes.
Need Help?
At Webstract Marketing, we are here to explain SEO and related concepts to you in plain English and help you implement strategies to improve your search rankings and convert more visitors into customers or clients. Contact us today to learn more.