A silo structure organizes a website into distinct themed sections, often reflected in URL folders, with pages linking up to a section hub and across to close neighbors. The aim is to make topics easy to follow for people and crawlers. The term comes from SEO practice, and it is not a Google concept. The grouping is useful, while the strict version that forbids links between sections usually isn't.
Need help with SEO?
Comppound runs SEO and AI search for SaaS companies. We plan what to publish, produce it with AI, and every page passes automated checks, and a person reviews samples and anything high-risk.
- Published to your site and tracked in Search Console
- One person answers for your account
- Plans from $400 a month, terms from 3 months
What a silo looks like
A hub page introduces the topic, child pages cover its subtopics, and links connect them. Folders can mirror that grouping, although the links do more to express the relationships than the URL does.
/integrations/ (hub)
/integrations/crm/ (category)
/integrations/crm/hubspot (detail page)
/guides/ (hub)
/guides/onboarding/ (category)What Google has said about organization
Google's SEO starter guide says that grouping topics in directories can help it learn how often sections change, which may matter on sites with more than a few thousand URLs. The same guide also advises against reorganizing a site just for this, because search engines will likely understand existing pages as they are. Link text and useful links between relevant pages get far more emphasis there than any fixed structure.
Strict silos versus sensible clusters
Strict siloing tries to keep links inside a section. That can harm readers, since a page on SSO setup may naturally relate to both a security guide and a pricing page. A softer approach keeps the clear sections and hub pages, then adds cross-section links wherever they would help someone. This is close to the way topic clusters work.
Example
Loosening a rule that hurt readers
Hypothetical workflow tool Tarnhollow had an old rule that blog posts could only link within their own category. A post on approval automation could not link to the relevant feature page or integration guide, so readers hit a dead end.
The team kept its folders and hub pages but dropped the rule. Writers now link to any page that helps the reader, and a periodic review checks that each hub still points to its important pages.
Common mistakes
Blocking useful cross-links
Refusing to link between related sections hurts readers and leaves useful pages less connected.
Restructuring URLs only to create silos
A URL change needs redirects and can cause temporary fluctuation. Internal links can often express the grouping without moving anything.
Building silos on a small site
A site with few pages gains little from rigid sections. Start with simple navigation and add structure as content grows.
Frequently Asked Questions
Clear topical grouping is useful, especially on larger sites. Strict rules against linking across sections are hard to justify and can hurt readers.
They are similar. A silo stresses separation between sections, often with folder structure, while a topic cluster stresses a hub and related pages connected by links.
No. Folders can help organize a large site, but internal links can show how pages relate even without them.
Keep reading
- Site Architecture: Site architecture is how a site's pages are organized and linked together, which shapes how visitors and crawlers find and value them.
- Topic Cluster: A topic cluster is a group of related pages around one subject: a broad pillar page linked to detailed pages on each subtopic, all linked to one another.
- Internal Linking: Internal linking is linking from one page on your site to another. It helps search engines find and understand pages and guides readers to the next step.
- Pillar Page: A pillar page is a broad, comprehensive page on a core topic that links out to more detailed pages on each subtopic. It anchors a topic cluster.
- AMP: AMP is a web framework for building fast-loading pages under strict rules on JavaScript and CSS. Google no longer requires it for the Top Stories carousel.
- Cache-Control: Cache-Control is an HTTP header that tells browsers and CDNs whether and how long to store a response. Good caching makes repeat loads and crawls faster.
- Canonical URL: A canonical URL is the version of a page search engines treat as the main one when several URLs show the same or very similar content.
- Canonicalization: Canonicalization is the process of choosing one preferred URL when several pages have duplicate or very similar content, so search engines know which version to show.
