Learn to increase your website’s topical relevance and build its SEO Silo structure plan by looking at silo structure types and interlinking examples.
This page will discuss the following:
- What Is a Silo Structure?
- Silo SEO Benefits.
- Soft Silos vs Hard Silos.
- Utilize Silos to Build Topical Relevance.
- Silo Structure Plan.
- How to Create Silo Structure?
- SEO Silo Structures Types.
- Silo Links and Anchor Text.
Let’s begin
What Is A Silo Structure?
The concept of silo structure in the realm of search engine optimization refers to a method of website architecture in which related content is grouped, isolated, and interlinked.
This approach results in clean and distinct sections of content on the website. Each silo comprises a main silo page and associated content, all of which are interconnected.
It is crucial to note that the content within one silo does not link to the content in another silo, hence the term “silo” structure, which is derived from the definition of a silo as an “isolated grouping, department, etc., that functions apart from others especially in a way seen as hindering communication and cooperation” as per Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
Silo SEO Benefits
So you want to make sure your website is organized and easy to navigate, right? One of the best ways to do that is by using a silo structure in SEO. In a Silo similar content is grouped together to make it easier for users and search engines to find what they’re looking for.
The benefits of this approach are pretty impressive. For starters, search engines will be able to crawl, index and rank your website better because the content is organized and easy to understand. Plus, new and updated pages will be indexed faster, which can lead to an increased crawl budget for your website.
Another cool thing about silo structure is that it can help boost the authority of parent pages. This means that your website as a whole will be seen as more credible and trustworthy by search engines. And, the authority can even spread to important pages that are typically difficult to build links to.
And let’s not forget about the users! A silo structure makes it easy for them to find what they’re looking for and navigate your website. It’s like a treasure map that leads them straight to the gold (or the information they’re looking for). So not only will your website rank higher in search engine results, but it will also have a better user experience.
Soft Silos vs Hard Silos
Silos are an important aspect of website structure and organization, and there are two main types: soft silos and hard silos.
A soft silo is created by using internal linking to organize the pages of a website, while a hard silo is built into the website’s URL and directory structure.
The use of internal linking in a soft silo helps to create a clear hierarchy and organization of pages, making it easy for users and search engines to navigate.
Hard silos, on the other hand, are created by structuring the website’s URLs and directories in a specific way, which can help to establish a clear theme or topic for a group of pages.
Both types of silos have their own unique advantages and can be used in different ways to achieve different goals for a website.
How to Create Silo Structure?
Search engines like Google use a variety of signals to determine the relevance of a website for different search queries.
One way to demonstrate relevance on your website is by linking related pages together in a structured way.
For example, if you have a blog post on your website about the best protein powder, you can prove its relevance to search engines by linking to other related content on your site, such as “best protein powder recipes,” that is related to that blog post.
Additionally, applying an SEO silo architecture to your site can also help you more thoughtfully choose the pages and content that you want to enhance with more topical relevance.
When your silo is fully developed, you can easily direct topical relevance like a current across your site.
That can translate to more attention from Google search engines spiders, and that can mean higher keyword rankings and overall better SEO.
Silo Structure Plan
When it comes to planning a website silo, there is a lot to consider. However by following these four steps, you can get a good start on creating a website silo that is both effective and efficient. Step one is to determine or identify the theme of your website.
To do this establish a list of high search volume keywords your website is ranking for, identify keywords that are relevant to your website, use the top search queries users are searching for to find your content, and implement a clear theme or subject for your website.
Step two is to create a virtual silo where you focus on internal links that enhance the theme of your website.
Step three is to create link structures that apply links between pages which re-enforce your website’s theme.
And step four is to publish content that is of high quality. The content should include high and low search volume keywords. Make sure the topics of your content fit in with your content silo plans.
SEO Silo Structures Types
If you’re looking to improve your search engine rankings, the technique and linking pattern you use on your website are incredibly important.
One effective strategy for achieving this is siloing your website. Siloing essentially involves clustering similar pages together and linking them in a way that makes sense for both users and search engines.
By doing this, you’ll see a substantial reduction in the number of cross-links that search engine spiders need to crawl.
This, in turn, means that more link juice from relevant anchor texts will be passed to similarly clustered pages in the silo.
The following are examples of good and bad interlinking strategies you can use to interlink your website and build that topical authority.
Silo Example structure 1
If you’re looking for a website strategy that’s easy to set up and can give your site a boost, the Top-Down Recycle Silo is a great option.
It’s a triangular structure where your homepage links to supporting pages and then sub pages link to internal pages.
The bottom pages then link back to the homepage, completing a loop. This helps ensure that any external links to lower-level pages still pass link juice to other pages on the site.
Silo Example structure 2
Reverse Silo, is a unique type of Silo that operates in a manner that is almost identical to that of the Top-Down Recycle Silo, the only difference being that the site pages in this type of Silo also have links pointing in the opposite direction.
This means that in addition to each of your main silo’s own page levels linking down to sub-pages of their categories, they also link internally back to the homepage or category page that they are a part of.
This feature allows for a very fluid flow of link juice which can be passed in any direction, making it an excellent choice for link building.
Silo Example structure 3
The Serial Silo is a tricky site setup that’s similar to a circular silo. It’s basically like a chain of pages where each category page links to only one sub-page, and that sub-page then links to other related pages in the same category.
Let’s say you have a food website and you want to organize your recipes into categories like “desserts”, “main dishes”, and “side dishes”.
Using a Serial Silo structure, you would have a “desserts” page that only links to one sub-page, like “chocolate cakes”, and then the “chocolate cakes” page would link to all the different chocolate cake recipes on your site.
But, this can weaken the power of your other pages by spreading out the link juice too thin, making it less likely for people to find your other recipes.
Silo Example structure 4
The YOLO Silo utilizes a linking structure in which every single silo page interlinks with one another.
However, it is not a recommended approach as it can appear disorganized and chaotic, particularly for websites with a large number of pages.
Additionally, it can impede search engines’ ability to differentiate between primary and secondary pages, ultimately leading to a lack of distinction between primary and secondary pages.
Silo Example structure 5
Priority Silo is a highly effective method for organizing your website’s links in a way that boosts topical relevance.
It builds on the reverse silo approach, using internal linking to connect pages that cover the same subject.
To do this, you’ll need to identify the most important pages on your site through competitive keyword research.
These pages will be your cornerstone pages and target pages, and you’ll want to make sure that other relevant pages link to them.
To make the most of Priority Silo, it’s crucial to link internally from your home page to your category silo pages, and to link from your category pages to your individual post articles.
Overall, Priority Silo is a comprehensive approach that can significantly improve the way search engines understand and rank your content.
Silo Links and Anchor Text
When adding content to your website, there are a few key rules that you should keep in mind to ensure that your website is optimized for search engines.
First, Google only counts the first link on a page that points to the same location, so it’s important to make sure that the first link has good, keyword-rich and relevant anchor text.
This way, when people search for those keywords, your website is more likely to show up in the search results.
Second, the placement of your links on the page is crucial. People are more likely to click on links that are higher up on the page, so if you want to help users access more content or navigate to your most important pages, you’ll want to make sure those links are at the top of the page.
Third, you should use unique anchor text for links to different pages. You don’t want to be telling Google that both pages you’re linking to are about the same topic, so make sure the anchor text for each page is unique and relevant to that page’s content.
This way, Google will know that the pages are about different things, and will be more likely to show them in different search results.
Lastly, it’s important to make sure your internal links don’t use the “nofollow” attribute.
When you use this attribute, it tells Google that you don’t want the link to pass on any “SEO value” to the page it’s linking to.
So if you want your internal links to help with your website’s search engine optimization, you’ll want to make sure they don’t use the “nofollow” attribute.
By following these rules, your website will be more likely to show up in search results and be more easily navigable for your users.
Use Link Magnet Pages to Pass SEO Value
In Order to Ensure Optimal Seo Performance, It Is Recommended that Any Link Magnets Utilized on The Website Be Linked to Other Pages through internal links.
Additionally, it is best practice to include an internal link to a product or service page within the link magnet.
It is important to note that link magnets also serve as a traffic magnet and as such, it is advisable to direct these visitors to relevant sales pages.