Links in Menu bar or Sidebar does it matter? SILO structuring

by nik0 Banned

Posted: 10 years ago 14 replies

So I silo structure a site with dynamic widgets in the sidebar only showing products relevant to that category.

However we got the menu bar and it's not so easy to customize that on category level so we could say, screw the menu bar right and use the sidebar to navigate.

However, in the menubar some of my most important pages are present, like best lists optimized for "best product" which has the most exact searches/month so I want to pass as much juice to that page as possible.

Rumors go around that the link on top of the page passes the most juice, so when I place those links in the sidebar then it's more like at the bottom of the page cause when you check source page you'll see that.

So does the benefit of a 100% silo'd site weight up against those links being at the bottom of the page instead of at the top?

#bar #links #matter #menu #sidebar #silo #structuring

Karan Rawat 10 years ago

What is the difference between putting juice under the table and over the table
- Thanks
- 1 reply
Signature
1800CS
{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8893095].message }}
- nik0 Banned 10 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Karan Rawat
  
  What is the difference between putting juice under the table and over the table
  
  Rumors go around that the link on top of the page passes the most juice
  
  [ 1 ] Thanks
  
  1 reply
  
  {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8893119].message }}
  
  yukon Banned 10 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by nik0
  
  Rumors go around that the link on top of the page passes the most juice
  
  When you look at on-page SEO from that point of view I don't think it's one size fits all. I agree the top of the page (above the fold) is important but something else I think needs to be considered is how much distraction is on the same page.
  
  What I mean is, as an example, Wikipedia typically has a very long page of text, where I typically have a very small amount of text (per page). I even have some pages (a few) that have so little text/links on the page I don't even have a scroll bar on my browser, 100% of the on-page text/links on those specific pages are above the fold. My point is all pages aren't equal. How much distraction do you have between point-A & point-B (between the top of the page & the bottom of the page)?
  
  As far as sidebars go typically a left sidebar is coded to load towards the top of the page, a right sidebar typically loads towards the bottom of the page. Both types of sidebars can be coded to load in any order you want (CSS) but that's a bit more advanced (ex: Wikipedia top nav loads towards the bottom of the their source code).
  
  On top of those things, I have a few sitewide footer keyword rich anchor-text links where the pages those links are pointing at rank just fine. When looking at a typical Google cache (text version) page for my sites/pages it's very focused but at the same time those pages are very simple (no fluff).
  
  Thanks
  
  1 reply
  
  {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8893182].message }}
  
  nik0 Banned 10 years ago
  
  Distraction totally depends from page to page.
  
  - Homepage, tons of distraction, links to informative article, to contact/privacy/tos pages, comparison chart on it, content etc etc
  
  - Category pages, sidebar disabled as I only have 6 products on the category so makes no sense to place a sidebar that link to the same products
  
  - Best pages, sidebar disabled, collection of the 6 products, each with a description and image and links to each individual product so again makes no sense to link to those reviews again from the sidebar when it's already linked from within the content
  
  - Informative pages, sidebar disabled, as I want to funnel the juice only through the main navigation / menu bar to the pages with most searches
  
  - Product reviews, sidebar enabled, as here comes the silo into play where only reviews from that specific category are shown.
  
  For me the category and best pages are the most important ones btw and they get linked from every single page through the menu bar. Just have to be careful that I don't over optimize as I use exact anchors in the menu.
  
  In fact the "best list" pages kind of function as categories, just optimized for different keywords then the category itself. Could call it redundant but I do this to avoid having affiliate links on each page, the "best pages" aren't monetized, sometimes I wonder whether it's wise to follow this structure as I can easily combine the main keywords on one page, eg: "best hair dryer reviews" instead of having a category optimized for "hair dryer reviews" and a best page for "best hair dryers". Anyway it adds some extra uniqueness to the site so that's worth something.
  
  With my new larger sites I'm going to do it the other way around.
  
  Instead of linking from the best pages to the individual product reviews I am going to link from the reviews to the best list / comparison page, and that "best" page will be monetized instead of the individual reviews.
  
  Thanks
  
  1 reply
  
  {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8893241].message }}
  
  paulgl 10 years ago
  
  Top or side bar, does not really matter in that case.
  
  However, in the footer, or buried quite deep, they can be invisible to
  google. Or just ignored.
  
  Anyone who says link placement location on a site is just rumors, has not really
  studied much in the google-seo department. But could be a reason why so many
  people think they have oodles of backlinks, only to find out google thinks
  otherwise.
  
  Paul
  
  Thanks
  
  Signature
  
  If you were disappointed in your results today, lower your standards tomorrow.
  
  {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8893419].message }}
Karan Rawat 10 years ago

Rumours , Brazil looks strong in paper definitely they are going to win world cup again
- Thanks
Signature
1800CS
{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8893149].message }}
dreamtoreality 10 years ago

To the naked eye it looks as is if I put the links in the sidebar. However, if you look at a text browser then you will see that the links are just below the content. I heard the links carry more weight that way. I would put the links at the bottom of the page, but it decreases ctr (tested).

Not really sure what Google thinks of that - if anything - but does anyone think that this is cause for concern?
- Thanks
{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8893465].message }}
ilee 10 years ago

As Yukon mentioned, if it worries you you can always have the sidebar code higher up and then css position it to where you want it.
- Thanks
- 1 reply
Signature

--~***~--

SUPER SILO SITES

--~***~--
{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8894075].message }}
- nik0 Banned 10 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by ichl13
  
  As Yukon mentioned, if it worries you you can always have the sidebar code higher up and then css position it to where you want it.
  
  That becomes a little too complex right now. Perhaps in the future.
  
  Thanks
  
  1 reply
  
  {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8894100].message }}
  
  MikeFriedman 10 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by nik0
  
  That becomes a little too complex right now. Perhaps in the future.
  
  What is so complex about it?
  
  float: right;
  
  or
  
  float: left;
  
  Done.
  
  Thanks
  
  1 reply
  
  Signature
  The SEO Pub Forums
  
  For SEO news, discussions, tactics, and more.
  
  {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8894123].message }}
  
  nik0 Banned 10 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by MikeFriedman
  
  What is so complex about it?
  
  float: right;
  
  or
  
  float: left;
  
  Done.
  
  Thanks but that ain't doing the trick:
  
  .sidebar {width:230px;color:#333333;font-size:12px;padding-top:10px;float:left;}
  
  Thanks
  
  1 reply
  
  {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8894158].message }}
  
  MikeFriedman 10 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by nik0
  
  Thanks but that ain't doing the trick:
  
  .sidebar {width:230px;color:#333333;font-size:12px;padding-top:10px;float:left;}
  
  Sidebar is on the left, isn't it?
  
  Thanks
  
  1 reply
  
  Signature
  The SEO Pub Forums
  
  For SEO news, discussions, tactics, and more.
  
  {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8894179].message }}
  
  nik0 Banned 10 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by MikeFriedman
  
  Sidebar is on the left, isn't it?
  
  Yeah I changed it to left in the code, it still shows on the right side.
  
  Thanks
  
  1 reply
  
  {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8894468].message }}
  
  multiplecloud 10 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by nik0
  
  Yeah I changed it to left in the code, it still shows on the right side.
  
  check your code container eg.,
  
  <div class='float-right'>
  <div class='float-left'>
  sidebar
  sidebar
  </div>
  </div>
  
  So sidebar are still right
  
  Thanks
  
  Signature
  
  █ SafePBN - PBN on different shared hosting company
  █ 100% no bad neighborhood | host pbn at safest
  █ MultipleCloud - Multiple location hosting provider
  █ 200+ worldwide location | different server | different ip owner | best for pbn
  
  {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8895167].message }}

Links in Menu bar or Sidebar does it matter? SILO structuring

Trending Topics

How do I effectively build and nurture an email list for affiliate marketing purposes?

Are Solo ADs the Most Cost Effective Way to Promote your Product?

Are billboards still effective in driving customers?

Been a while! Any of you Old Timers here?

How much does the rebranding affect CR ?