Search Engine Optimization All-In-One For Dummies®

Chapter 3. Structuring Internal Links

In This Chapter

• Theming your Web site by subject

• Optimizing link equity

• Creating and maintaining silos

• Understanding site maps

• Figuring out XML site maps

Siloing is a way of arranging your Web site according to themes that allows for prime search engine optimization. We discuss siloing a bit in the previous chapters, but, in this chapter, we go into how to actually build and structure your site in order to have the best silos possible.

First, we review the subject theming of your site, and then we discuss link equity. From there, we cover actually creating and maintaining your silos. This means we walk you through the setup, construction, and maintenance work necessary for good silos.

Another thing you read about in this chapter is a site map. There are two different kinds: the traditional site map and the XML site map. A traditional site map is a Web page that is designed to guide users to all the pages on your site. It's a little like an index page in the back of a text book where every page is listed and linked to, usually grouped by subject theme. An XML site map is a document designed specifically to be readable by a search engine. You can tell a search engine all about your site using this kind of document. Despite their confusingly similar names, the two types of documents aren't interchangeable and they both have their uses. In this chapter, we show you how to use both to your advantage.

Subject Theming Structure

We talk about subject theming, ...