B3 — Chapter 2 - Structure

Criterion b3-table-des-matieres : Table of contents — guide + checklist

PART 1 - Fundamentals Chapter 2 - Structure Keyword : table des matières

Here we are talking about a criterion that often makes the difference in auditing.

Criterion **B3 — Table of contents** is part of our SEO checklist (335 criteria).Here you have a **practical** method to check and correct it — with a concrete example.

What exactly this criterion covers

Here we are talking about a criterion that often makes the difference in auditing.

**B3 — Table of contents** (Chapter 2 - Structure): Internal navigation with anchors for long articles (+1500 words), improves UX and can generate sitelinks

Why it matters (SEO + UX)

Why it matters: it’s a lever for CTR and perception in SERP.When it is poorly applied, we often observe: ambiguity (bad associated query), duplication between pages, or loss of performance on CTR.

On sites generated in volume, this criterion also serves as a **safeguard**: a stable rule avoids 1,000 errors at once.

How to check (step by step)

Approach: crawl check (list + export).Recommended tool: **Search Console (Links)**.

  1. Crawl (Screaming Frog): 200/301/404 + canonicals + depth.
  2. Controls the anchor and the target page (intent consistency).
  3. Checks stability (no unnecessary parameters, no redirect chain).

Tip: first isolate 10 “representative” URLs (top pages + generated pages) before scaling the correction.

How to correct properly

Strategy: Apply a rule, then check neighboring pages.

  • Repair broken links (301/update targets).
  • Write **descriptive** anchors (topic + angle), not “click here”.
  • Build a network: pillar pages → subpages → returns.

Next: re-crawl 50–200 URLs, then monitor Search Console over 7–14 days (impressions/CTR/indexing).

Concrete example (illustrative)

Example (illustrative):

  • **Context**: product sheet for hotel in Lyon
  • **Before**: Identical anchors everywhere (“click here”) + broken links.
  • **After**: Descriptive anchors + links to pillar pages (e.g. hotel → product sheet).
  • **Note**: Objective: better distribute internal popularity and guide crawling.

Checklist to tick

  • [ ] 0 critical broken links
  • [ ] Respect: +1500 words
  • [ ] Descriptive anchors
  • [ ] Linking to pillar pages
  • [ ] Reasonable depth
FAQ

Frequently asked questions — B3

What is the most common error on “Table of Contents”?

Correct an isolated page without correcting the template/import: the error returns to the next generation.

Which tool is the fastest to control at scale?

For this type of criteria, a crawl (e.g. Screaming Frog) + a targeted check in Search Console (Links) is generally the fastest combo.

How to prevent this from happening again on 10K pages generated?

Freeze an auto-generation rule (title/structure/schema/URLs) + add an automatic check (crawl or test) before import into production.

Ready to go from theory to action?

Validate this criterion with an audit, then deepen the method in the Academy.

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