Site Depth Distribution Tool
Analyze how many clicks it takes to reach pages from the homepage and identify deep or buried content.
Site Depth Distribution Tool - Analyze Internal Click Depth for SEO
The Site Depth Distribution Tool helps you understand how deep your pages are buried within your website’s internal link structure. By analyzing how many clicks it takes to reach pages from the homepage, this tool highlights crawl efficiency issues, user experience problems, and internal linking opportunities that directly affect SEO performance.
What Is Site Depth?
Site depth refers to the number of clicks required to reach a page starting from the homepage. A page at depth 0 is the homepage itself. Pages linked directly from the homepage are at depth 1, pages linked from those pages are at depth 2, and so on. Search engines and users both prefer shallow site structures where important pages are easy to reach.
Why Site Depth Matters for SEO
Pages that are buried deep in a site structure are harder for search engines to crawl and often receive less internal link equity. As depth increases, crawl frequency usually decreases. This can lead to slower indexing, weaker rankings, and poor visibility for important content.
How This Tool Works
The Site Depth Distribution Tool starts crawling from the homepage and follows internal links only. It tracks how many clicks it takes to discover each page and groups pages by depth level. To keep the analysis safe and fast, the crawl is limited to a controlled number of pages and maximum depth.
Understanding the Depth Distribution Report
The results table shows how many pages exist at each click depth. A healthy site typically has most important pages within 1 to 3 clicks. A large concentration of pages at depth 4 or deeper can indicate poor internal linking or overly complex navigation.
Ideal Site Depth Structure
For most websites, the homepage should link to main categories (depth 1), category pages should link to subcategories or important content (depth 2), and individual content pages should generally not exceed depth 3. While not all pages must be shallow, key SEO pages should be easily accessible.
Impact on Crawl Budget
Search engines allocate a crawl budget to each site. Pages that are deeply buried often receive fewer crawl visits, especially on large websites. Improving site depth helps search engines discover, crawl, and index your content more efficiently.
User Experience and Conversion Impact
From a user perspective, deep pages are harder to find and navigate. Users prefer intuitive structures where content is accessible with minimal clicks. Improving site depth can reduce bounce rates, increase engagement, and improve conversions.
Common Causes of Deep Pages
Common reasons for excessive depth include poor navigation design, lack of internal linking, orphan pages, overuse of pagination, and complex URL hierarchies. Identifying these patterns is the first step toward fixing them.
How to Reduce Site Depth
You can reduce site depth by adding contextual internal links, improving menu and footer navigation, creating hub or category pages, and using breadcrumbs. Strategic internal linking helps distribute link equity and makes pages easier to reach.
When Deep Pages Are Acceptable
Not all deep pages are bad. Utility pages, filtered URLs, or low-priority content can safely exist at greater depth. The key is ensuring that important SEO and conversion pages are not buried.
Who Should Use This Tool
This tool is valuable for SEO professionals, site owners, content strategists, and developers who want to improve crawlability, internal linking, and site architecture.
Final Thoughts
A clear and shallow site structure benefits both search engines and users. The Site Depth Distribution Tool provides actionable insights that help you identify structural weaknesses and improve your website’s overall SEO health.
FAQ
What is a good site depth for SEO?
Is site depth a direct ranking factor?
Does this tool crawl external links?
Why are some pages very deep?
Can I use this tool on large websites?
How often should I check site depth?
Does pagination increase site depth?
What is an orphan page?
Can internal links reduce site depth?
Is this tool safe to run on my site?
Related tools
Pro tip: pair this tool with Page Size Checker and Mobile Friendly Test for a faster SEO workflow.