Building Local Authority: A Geo-Optimized URL & Silo Strategy
Client: A local HVAC contractor serving a main city + 15 suburbs (SAB).
Challenges We Faced
The client had a “flat” website structure and was not ranking outside their home city:
Flat URL Structure
All pages lived at the “root” (e.g., domain.com/ac-repair, domain.com/brooklyn-service). This created no logical hierarchy.
No Keyword-Rich URL Creation
Pages were not optimized for “service + city” keywords.
Keyword Cannibalization
Their “AC Repair” page and their “Brooklyn” page were competing for “AC repair in Brooklyn,” confusing Google.
Poor UI/UX & Breadcrumb Analysis
The site was hard to navigate.
Missing Internal Linking
Service pages didn’t link to related suburbs or services, reducing authority and local SEO effectiveness.
Build a Logical URL Structure
“Is your flat or messy URL structure confusing Google? Our url structure optimization company will build a logical ‘silo’ structure that ranks.”
Our Approach – How We Solved These Challenges
Comprehensive URL Structure Analysis
We audited their site and confirmed a “flat” structure with no clear silos.
Keyword Research & URL Mapping
We mapped out a new “silo” structure based on services and locations.
Customized SEO Strategy (Siloing)
We created new “parent” directories: …/services/ and …/locations/.
Old: domain.com/ac-repair
New: domain.com/services/ac-repair/
We then created new, hyper-local pages:
New: domain.com/locations/brooklyn/
New: domain.com/locations/queens/
URL Rewrite & 301 Redirects
Used NLP Content Optimization Tools (like SurferSEO) to create 50+ high-authority buying guides and style blogs, establishing topical authority.
Results
| Metric | Before | After | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rankings (“AC Repair Brooklyn”) | Page 3 (#28) | Page 1 (#4) | +24 spots |
| Local Leads (from suburb pages) | 5/mo | 35/mo | +600% |
| Keyword Cannibalization Issues (GSC) | 12 (High) | 1 (Low) | -91% |
Free URL Structure Analysis
“Not sure if your URLs are optimized? Request a Free URL Analysis and let our url structure optimization services team find your errors!”
Advice for Marketers & Brand Owners
- Create a logical “silo” structure. Your url structure optimization should group your pages (e.g., /services/, /locations/).
- Your URL tells a story. domain.com/services/ac-repair is much clearer to Google and users than domain.com/page-123/.
- Fix Keyword Cannibalization by creating one clear, authoritative page for each topic.
- Use UI/UX & Breadcrumbs to reinforce your new, logical URL structure.
Extra Factors That Made It Work
- The new “silo” structure was the key. It created clear topical authority for “services” and “locations.”
- The 301 Redirect Mapping was essential to preserve the authority of the old pages.
- The new breadcrumbs improved user time-on-site and reduced bounce rate.
