Putting my content under domain.com/content, or under related categories: domain.com/bikes/content ?

[Inevo]

Hello

This questions plays on what Joe Hall talked about during this years' MozCon: Rethinking Information Architecture for SEO and Content Marketing.

My Case:
So.. we're working out guidelines and templates for a costumer (sporting goods store) on how to publish content (articles, videos, guides) on their category pages, product pages, and other pages.

At this moment I have 2 choices:
1. Use a url-structure/information architecture where all the content is placed in one subfolder, for example domain.com/content. Although it's placed here, there's gonna be extensive internal linking from /content to the related category pages, so the content about bikes (even if it's placed under domain.com/bikes) will be just as visible on the pages related to bikes.

2. Place the content about bikes on a subdirectory under the bike category, **for example domain.com/bikes/content. **

The UX/interface for these two scenarios will be identical, but the directories/folder-hierarchy/url structure will be different.

According to Joe Hall, the latter scenario will build up more topical authority and relevance towards the category/topic, and should be the overall most ideal setup.

Any thoughts on which of the two solutions is the most ideal?

PS: There is one critical caveat her: my costumer uses many url-slugs subdirectories for their categories, for example domain.com/activity/summer/bikes/, which means the content in the first scenario will be 4 steps away from the home page. Is this gonna be a problem?

Looking forward to your thoughts

• Sigurd, INEVO

[Andy.Drinkwater]

Option 2 sounds like the logical option - I don't think a flat structure would make sense for what you have to work with.

Interlink your content from other pages and don't try to be clever with structures here - it's whatever makes the most sense to what you are trying to do.

Of course, it is ideal to try not to place any content too far down the tree but if you have no options in what you can and can't do with changing the structure itself, then I would work with what I have.

-Andy