Creating Silos in Webflow

Hi there,

I am trying to create URL silos for the web site for SEO. For example:

http://vincent.polenordstudio.fr/snap/5tdyd.jpg

I see that this is possible using static pages by putting each static page into a folder, which creates this hierarchy in the URL’s.

The problem is that static pages are limited to 100 static pages. So, this must be accomplished with CMS collections, instead.

However, I do not see a way to do this with CMS collection URL’s. The structure is limited to one level only with no subfolders.

Am I missing something?

Looks like the forum HTML filter messed up my hierarchy. I am going to rewrite an example.

Basically, what I am trying to accomplish is this:

/construction-tools/electrical-tools/insulated-screwdrivers

But looks like Webflow CMS collections can only have one level, like so:

/construction-tools/insulated-screwdrivers

Silos structure are determined by links, not folder structure. Silos aren’t a “physical” thing.

For example, homepage linking to page A and B, and inside of page A you’d link to C D E, and inside of B, F G H…

x3vt8

The fact that there is no link from C D E to F G H is what makes the structure a silos structure.

You can organise folders around this is you like but this won’t change anything to how it works.

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I respectfully disagree. Yes, the structure of internal links is greatly important, but that doesn’t mean that proper URL structure is unimportant.

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I tried to prove you right but couldn’t really find anything about it.

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@ds18 if we are only talking about seo perf here i do agree with @vincent. When google bot looks at your pages individually, it looks at links. In vincent example here, i wouldn’t even link A to C when you are on A page. So when you go from C to A you can only go upper (Homepage).
It’s a very weird thing to do from an accessibility perspective, i agree, but trust me it works.
Links should be all in absolute btw, no relative because it counts as a backlink !
And never twice the same link in the same page, use IDs on hero section for example to fake another link.

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If there is one thing I’m rarely forced to do, it’s mixing siloing with accessibility. I mean, my silos aren’t hidden, but they’re never meant to be browsed by the general public. I design them, they’re nice and all, responsive, but they have a different purpose than being navigated. So their structure can be semantically weird (in the sens that there’s none), it doesn’t matter.

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That said, if you can find anything to prove me wrong (about URL structure being important) by someone credible like Matt Cutts or Bruce Clay, then I will reconsider my position.

Until then, I use this for siloing to add another layer of clarity to SE’s on how the web site is structured. I am not saying “no” to any other aspect of siloing, like internal links… I am just saying “yes” to URL structure as an additional way to define silos.

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Again, not saying “no” to internal linking. That is the most crucial part. However, just because bricks are important when building a house, it doesn’t mean that cement is irrelevant.

Can you explain what you mean by “it counts as a backlink”? I am not sure I understood that. Also, I didn’t understand the ID’s on hero section to fake a link. Can you please expound on that?

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Sure @ds18, if you use relative links, google bot won’t consider it has a backlink, however if you use absolute it will. ( I have the feeling i’ve wrote the exact same thing but tell me if it helps :stuck_out_tongue: )
It means that in webflow, try not to use this

07

For the second point, from my understanding, multiple same links in a same page affect the pagerank of the targeted page.
Might be wrong on this, but internal anchors are ok for google so i do that “just in case” when i try to max the optimisation.

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Reading moz and Niel Patel, they say less folders is best. Interesting.

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Hi @zbrah, thank you for the clarification. That is interesting. I always use absolute links, but I wasn’t doing it for this reason. That is good to know.

I can see now that Webflow is using all relative links, and I wish there was a way to tell it to default to absolute links. I imagine that wouldn’t be too hard for the coders to implement.

It seems pretty annoying to look up the absolute link for each page before linking. Is there an easy way of doing that in Webflow?

Good looking out on all of this linking info. I will look into it!

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@HammerOz I will take a look, thank you!

@ds18, unfortunately no and i haven’t seen that request on the wishlist :frowning:
I guess we can ask for it :stuck_out_tongue:

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“An interesting conversation! I would add that in France, SEO professionals (specially Laurent Bourrely - see his english viedo link downunder) use the concept of the semantic cocoon with success. The semantic cocoon is an approach to structuring content that involves organizing a website’s pages hierarchically and semantically.
It is based on the idea that content should be grouped into thematic or related topics. Each theme or topic has a main page (called a cocoon page) that delves deeply into the subject, while related sub-pages (called satellites) address more specific or related aspects.
The goal of the semantic cocoon is to create a website structure that enhances search engine understanding of the content and improves the relevance of search results.”

The importance of the breadcrumb trail in this strategy.

The breadcrumb trail is an essential navigation element on a website. It consists of a series of hierarchical links that allow users to know where they are on a site and to easily navigate between different pages. In the context of the semantic cocoon strategy in natural SEO, the breadcrumb trail holds particular importance.

The semantic cocoon is an approach to structuring the content of a website that aims to organize pages into interconnected thematic groups. Each group, or cocoon, deals with a specific topic, and the pages within each cocoon are semantically linked. This structure aims to improve search engine understanding of the site’s content and enhance rankings in search results.

The breadcrumb trail plays a crucial role in this strategy for several reasons:

Facilitated Navigation: The breadcrumb trail allows users to navigate easily between the various pages of a semantic cocoon. This improves the user experience by making navigation more intuitive.

Content Hierarchy: The breadcrumb trail displays the hierarchy of pages within a cocoon. This enables users and search engines to understand the site’s structure and how pages are organized based on their importance and relevance.

Improved Indexing: Search engines use the breadcrumb trail to follow links between pages and explore the site’s structure. Proper use of the breadcrumb trail in a semantic cocoon can contribute to better indexing of pages and a more precise understanding of their context.

Semantic Signals: By clearly indicating the hierarchical relationship between pages, the breadcrumb trail reinforces the semantic signals of the site. Search engines can better interpret the relevance of content and the relationships between them.

In summary, the breadcrumb trail is an essential element of the semantic cocoon strategy, helping to efficiently organize and navigate the site’s structure. It enhances the user experience and strengthens search engine understanding, thereby contributing to improved visibility in search results.

RE : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uh3Gzg448I