Silo structure vs. pillar posts

I've read a lot about these two as ways to drive traffic and get rankings. I understand both concepts but I haven't found anything on how they go together.

For clarification:

• Silo page = parent page = category page = hub page = Aggregates and links to all relevant posts within a silo.
• Ultimate guide = skyscraper article = pillar page = Long-form content piece covering a topic in detail with a few thousand words

Most articles about silo pages describe the parent page as more or less content-poor, only linking to the relevant child pages.
While the pillar page concept is about a 2000-5000 words "everything's included" post, surrounded by content clusters, explaining more in-depth questions etc.

It seems that these are not the same but follow a similar idea (interlinking etc.).
So can these two concepts be combined? Or is it more less the same? And what is the way to go?

For me they are the same concept, different names, and very slightly different approaches in practical terms.
You also need content on those pages if you want to rank them.

SEOMet said:

For me they are the same concept, different names, and very slightly different approaches in practical terms.
You also need content on those pages if you want to rank them.

Click to expand...

Thank you, much appreciated

yes they are same in concept.

I tend to lean towards pillar posts because I've learned the hard way that tricks ultimately don't matter.

I know that sounds like heresy or blasphemy to a lot of people here, but I can only speak of what I know is true.

In my particular situation, when I used structure-based tricks, I can only go so far.

But when I focused on actual content quality, I achieved better results.

This begs the question.

What is content quality?

At the end of the day, it boils down to what experience the person entering your target keywords is looking for.

It doesn't get any simpler than that.

You have to deliver on search intent.

Back in the day, it's easy to cheat this because you can do all sorts of keyword-stuffing-related tricks but not today — not anymore.

Google's RankBrain update changed the game because now Google, through the magic of artificial intelligence, can actually figure out the context of your page and compare it with the search intent behind the keywords people use to find your page.

If there is some sort of disconnect measured by the behavior of the searcher, your ranking drops like a rock.

So, focus on delivering the experience people are looking for.

Pay close attention to what I just said.

I used the word experience.

I didn't say result, I didn't say content, I didn't say information.

Instead, I used the word experience because experience can be triggered by content.

It can be triggered by the flow of information on a page.

It can be created by the images and videos that you show on a page.

It is worth more and consists of more things than just one element like content or information.

That's how you produce superior content.

This has less to do with keywords, schema, backlinks, or other tricks.

Sure, they play a role, but at the end of the day, it's about the experience because now Google is rewarding publishers based on the experience of searchers.