Have you ever visited an online store where everything just clicks? Categories are clear, products are easy to find, and it feels like the site was designed for how you actually shop. Now imagine the opposite: a store where products are scattered across unrelated menus and finding what you need feels impossible. Frustrating, right?
Search engines experience websites in a similar way. How you structure your ecommerce site affects both user experience and organic search performance. That’s where silo navigation comes in.
Flat Structure vs Deep Structure for Ecommerce
Many online stores start with a flat structure – every product lives just one click from the homepage. URLs might look like this:
- yourstore.com/shoes.html
- yourstore.com/backpacks.html
This approach can work for small shops with limited products, but it breaks down quickly as your catalog grows. Visitors spend more time hunting for products, and search engines struggle to understand how pages relate to each other.
A deep structure groups products into logical categories and subcategories:
- yourstore.com/mens/shoes.html
- yourstore.com/mens/backpacks.html
This mirrors the natural shopping journey and allows search engines to see clear relationships between your product pages.
What Is Silo Navigation?
Silo navigation takes deep structure further. It organizes your store into “silos,” or groups of thematically related products, based on how customers shop rather than just what products you sell.
For example, if your main audience is parents buying for children, a silo could guide them from breakfast items to snacks to lunchbox essentials. Internal links within each silo connect related pages, helping both shoppers and search engines move naturally from one page to the next.
How Silo Navigation Improves Page Rank
Page Rank measures the authority each page passes to other pages through links. In a flat structure with thousands of products linked from the homepage, the authority each page receives is minimal.
Silo navigation addresses this by:
- Linking pages primarily to related products and categories
- Reducing unnecessary top-level links that dilute Page Rank
- Concentrating authority on the most important product pages
The result? Your top-selling products and key category pages get more link authority, increasing their chances of ranking higher in search results.
SEO Benefits for Ecommerce
Silo navigation does more than improve rankings, it strengthens keyword relevance and topical authority. By connecting related products, categories, and content internally, search engines clearly understand your store’s structure and themes.
For example, a “mens running shoes” silo can link to product reviews, size guides, and related accessories, all reinforcing the same topic. This makes it easier for Google to rank your pages for relevant search terms.
Driving Conversions with Silo Navigation
A well-planned silo not only boosts SEO but also improves sales and conversions. When shoppers can easily navigate through related products, they explore more items, discover new categories, and are more likely to complete purchases. Navigation becomes a strategic tool for guiding customers rather than just listing products.
For ecommerce stores, silo navigation is a must. It organizes products intuitively, improves internal Page Rank flow, strengthens SEO, and guides shoppers through your store to increase conversions.
At TryAds Digital, we help ecommerce brands design navigation that works for both search engines and customers, ensuring your store performs at its best. Need assistance? Let us help you.