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SEO 2020 FORUM
SEO Training, SEO Tips, SEO Strategy
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jaycee33
SEO White Belt
Joined: 21 Sep 2006
Posts: 3
Location: UK
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 Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2006 2:40 pm Post subject: Silos or Virtual Silos |
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| I started building a site using Theme Zoom's examples and recommendations - a silo structure with a new directory at each level of the silo. I then purchased The Master Plan and read that a Virtual Silo Stucture will do as well as an actual Silo Structure. I don't really understand how the Virtual Silo works and would like to know, after spending many hours building the Silo Structure correctly, whether it doesn't really matter which is used. What is the answer? |
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Ahri22
SEO Blue Belt
Joined: 01 Jun 2006
Posts: 163
Location: Australia
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| Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2006 11:40 pm Post subject: Re: Silos or Virtual Silos |
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| jaycee33 wrote: | | I started building a site using Theme Zoom's examples and recommendations - a silo structure with a new directory at each level of the silo. I then purchased The Master Plan and read that a Virtual Silo Stucture will do as well as an actual Silo Structure. I don't really understand how the Virtual Silo works and would like to know, after spending many hours building the Silo Structure correctly, whether it doesn't really matter which is used. What is the answer? |
A virtual silo works exactly the same way as a directory silo except that you don't use folders.
So, if you were building a cat site, for example, using folders you may have: http://thecatsite.com/cat_health/
http://thecatsite.com/cat_breeding/
etc.
The silos here would be Cat Health and Cat Breeding, and all pages that relate to these silos would be inside these directories (you could even have directories going deeper, for example http://thecatsite.com/cat_health/cat_health_insurance/)
In a virtual silo structure, your website would be laid out exactly the same way, but all the pages would be stored under the root directory (not in folders). HOWEVER, you would still link to them in exactly the same way. Your cat health silo, for example, might have as its main page: http://thecatsite.com/cat_health.html
All pages relating to that silo would be linked to from that silo and not from the main cat site home page, but would look like:
http://thecatsite.com/common_cat_illnesses.html
This page would be accessible only through the cat health silo, even though it would be saved under the root directory.
So what are the advantages of using a directory structure?
1. MUCH easier to organize. You've got all relevent pages inside the relevant folders. Imagine a site with 1000 pages, all saved in the root directory...Imagine instead each silo having its own directory (folder) and subthemes within each directory having their own folders. Each folder would contain only about 10 pages. So much easier and far less confusing.
2. Extra keywords in your URLs may help with ranking
http://thecatsite.com/common_cat_illnesses.html compared to http://thecatsite.com/cat_health/common_cat_illnesses.html
Now, there has been some suggestion that search engines don't read the entirity of a URL, but this may or may not be the case.
For a themed site I'm making, I've used folders for the main silos and for subthemes within silos, and some of the pages within those folders are getting ranked by Google. (The site's only quite new so I don't expect a lot of visitors to the site yet).
Hope that helps
Cheers
Fiona
PS As you have the Master Plan, have you joined the forums there? You'll find a great deal more information relevant to TMP related sites than you'll find here. You will need to register with the forum (the link should be found within the book). |
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jaycee33
SEO White Belt
Joined: 21 Sep 2006
Posts: 3
Location: UK
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| Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 3:43 am Post subject: |
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Hi Fiona
That was a great answer. It confirmed what I was thinking, that the organisation would be a lot easier and there may be an advantage with SEO. Yes I have joined the Forums but haven't had a lot of time to visit, mainly due to wrestling with the Theme Zoom Analysis screen and building my site.
I like the look of your Directastic Site. I can see its built on TMP principles. Is this your main site or do you have others? Is the Directastic site getting traffic? What are the benefits of building a Directory? Sorry about all the questions.  |
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Ahri22
SEO Blue Belt
Joined: 01 Jun 2006
Posts: 163
Location: Australia
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| Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 8:15 pm Post subject: |
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| jaycee33 wrote: | Hi Fiona
That was a great answer. It confirmed what I was thinking, that the organisation would be a lot easier and there may be an advantage with SEO. Yes I have joined the Forums but haven't had a lot of time to visit, mainly due to wrestling with the Theme Zoom Analysis screen and building my site.
I like the look of your Directastic Site. I can see its built on TMP principles. Is this your main site or do you have others? Is the Directastic site getting traffic? What are the benefits of building a Directory? Sorry about all the questions. |
The Directastic site was actually just built using PHPLD, which is a directory software (the version I got was free!) I basically started it as a bit of an experiment...Charles recommends submitting to directories for backlinks, and I noticed that many directories have monetization on them, and offer paid feature links etc. I thought it'd be something useful to try!
It didn't get much traffic at the start, but I submitted it to info.vilesilencer for possible inclusion in their next list of directories, and since then I've had a LOT more visitors (the Alexa got to 51,000 on one day, I think! Not brilliant, but higher than any of my other sites have ever reached).
I have other sites that are basically just niche sites. A couple I built according to The Plan, and my newest site I'm building using TMP.
Cheers
Fiona |
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jaycee33
SEO White Belt
Joined: 21 Sep 2006
Posts: 3
Location: UK
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| Posted: Fri Sep 29, 2006 4:26 am Post subject: |
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Hi Fiona
What do you use to build your niche sites? I had been trying to use XsitePro, as it makes life very easy, but I can't get the directory site structure I need to meet TZ and TMP principles, (neither can the Support team at XsitePro) so I'm using Dreamweaver with some simple templates.
John |
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Ahri22
SEO Blue Belt
Joined: 01 Jun 2006
Posts: 163
Location: Australia
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| Posted: Fri Sep 29, 2006 11:23 pm Post subject: |
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| jaycee33 wrote: | Hi Fiona
What do you use to build your niche sites? I had been trying to use XsitePro, as it makes life very easy, but I can't get the directory site structure I need to meet TZ and TMP principles, (neither can the Support team at XsitePro) so I'm using Dreamweaver with some simple templates.
John |
Hi John,
I use Dreameaver for my niche sites. I find it's probably one of the easiest sitebuilders for creating TMP sites at this stage.
Cheers
Fiona |
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