A content silo is a way of organising a site so that pages on the same topic sit together and link to each other, with one main page at the centre of each group. The structure tells Google what each section of the site is about and passes authority from the supporting pages to the main page they link to.
AI search has made silos more useful, not less. Google’s documentation says AI Overviews and AI Mode may split a question into subtopics and search for each one. A well-built silo already matches that shape: the main page answers the question, and each supporting page answers one of the subtopics Google goes looking for.
How a silo is structured
| Part | Role | Example for an MSSP |
|---|---|---|
| Main page | Covers the topic broadly and targets the main commercial search | Managed detection and response service page |
| Supporting pages | Each answers one narrower question in depth | MDR vs EDR, MDR pricing, MDR for regulated industries |
| Internal links | Supporting pages link up to the main page and to each other where it helps the reader | Descriptive anchors such as “MDR pricing models” |
| Definitions layer | Glossary pages that explain terms used across the silo | SIEM, SOC, XDR entries |
A silo can follow URL folders, such as /mdr/pricing/, or exist only through internal links. The links matter more. A folder structure with no links between the pages gives Google little to work with.
What a silo restructure did for a Canadian MSP
For a Canadian managed service provider, restructuring the site into content silos took target keyword rankings from page 4 to page 1 over five months. No new domain authority was involved. The same pages, grouped and linked by topic, made the site’s subject clear to Google.
For an AI-native managed security service provider, I built the silos from intent-driven keyword research in Ahrefs, used ChatGPT and Claude to map the topic clusters and the questions around them, and set a scheduled internal linking calendar so new pages joined the right silo as they were published. A cybersecurity glossary sat underneath as the definitions layer.
When silos don’t work
Silos work best for B2B sites with 50 or more pages competing in a defined niche. On a site with fewer than 20 pages, the structure forces artificial divisions that blur what each page is for. For everyone in between, a well-built silo is still the most effective site structure decision you can make. The other trap is rigidity: a strict rule against linking across silos stops you from linking a pricing page to the comparison page a buyer needs next. Link across silos when the reader would follow that link.
Common mistakes
- Creating folders without the internal links that make a silo work.
- Building a silo before the main page exists, leaving supporting pages with nothing to point to.
- Generic anchors such as “learn more” inside the silo, which waste the topic signal.
- Orphan pages published outside any silo and never linked.
- Forcing a silo structure onto a site too small to need one.
Related terms
Topical authority · Internal linking · Anchor text · Content gap · Entity SEO
Planning silos for a security company? See how I approach SEO for MSSPs.
