# SEO silo

Category: [On-Page & Content](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/category/on-page-content/) › [Internal linking, structure & UX](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/category/on-page-content/internal-linking-structure-ux/) · Also known as: silo structure, siloing

**SEO silo** (siloing) means grouping a website's pages by topic into separate sections, usually through URL folders and internal links that mostly stay inside the section. This entry covers the SEO meaning, not data silos in IT.

## How does a silo work?

A site gets main sections with subsections, for example `/laptops/` with `/laptops/gaming/` underneath. Pages in a section link to their parent and to each other. Articles describe two variants: physical silos built from folders in the URL, and virtual silos built from internal links alone. Bruce Clay says he developed the concept.

Google does not describe siloing. Its SEO Starter Guide says that on sites with more than a few thousand URLs, the way content is organized can affect crawling and indexing, and that grouping similar topics in directories helps Google learn how often those URLs change.

## Example

An electronics shop has `/laptops/`, `/laptops/gaming/` and `/laptops/business/`. The subpages link to each other and to the category page.

## Common mistakes

A strict separation blocks useful links between sections, for example from a guide to the matching product. Links can go wherever they help readers (assessment).

*Diagram: Site architecture and click depth.* Each level sits one click further from the home page. Google finds pages mainly through links and recommends that every page you care about gets a link from at least one other page on the site. The breadcrumb shows the page’s position in the hierarchy.

## Related terms

- [Internal linking](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/internal-linking/index.md)
- [Topic cluster](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/topic-cluster/index.md)
- [URL structure](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/url-structure/index.md)
- [Pillar page](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/pillar-page/index.md)

## Sources

- [SEO Starter Guide – Google Search Central](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/seo-starter-guide)
- [Siloing presentation – Bruce Clay (self-reported origin)](https://resources.bruceclay.com/siloing-presentation-slides)
- [SEO silo structure – JumpFactor (secondary)](https://www.jumpfactor.net/seo-silo-structure/)

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Last updated: October 8, 2026
URL: https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/seo-silo/