How deep should I go with a directory site?
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I am creating a new site which has a directory component. Based on what I have ready I am inclined to keep the site architecture as flat as possible. However, the natural layout that I have come up with in my head has the directory listings 5 or 6 pages deep in the site structure.
I saw in another post that someone in a similar situation was suggesting that going deep like this is fine so long as there are many internal links to the deeper pages to indicate that they are important.
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Should I make a conscious effort to make the site architecture as flat as possible?
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Are there any specific guides/resources that address this particular issue that I should be aware of?
Thanks!
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the past couple years, industry thinking had it that architecture should be as flat as possible. I never held that belief, and all my clients who employed the "2 - 3 layers, 4 at most" policy all sailed through the Panda update.
The issue is as much about deep internal linking as it is about topical organization and a major signal about topical relationships is in folder keyword seeding, along with breadcrumb navigation, supported by inbound links pointing to that 2nd and 3rd layer.
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