Hub and category pages: what a page above other pages must do
A hub page is a page whose main job is to cover a topic at the overview level and send readers to the more specific pages beneath it. In a store it is usually a category page; on a content site, a guide or section page; on a service site, a service page that branches into specific problems. It is the page most often left thin, and the one that most needs to be written.
On this page — 4 sections
What is a hub page, and how is it different from a list of links?
Quick answer
A hub page answers the broad question itself and then routes the reader. A list of links only routes. The hub should define the topic, explain how its parts differ, and help the reader choose, so it can rank for the broad query instead of passing every visitor elsewhere.
Compare two "Corner sofas" pages on a Cairo furniture store. One shows a grid of 48 products and nothing else. The other opens with two paragraphs on sizes for typical Egyptian living rooms, fabric choices for homes with children, and delivery to upper floors, then shows the grid. The second answers "كنب زاوية" before the reader scrolls.
The same holds for a content site. A "Ramadan recipes" hub on an Egyptian cooking site that only lists 60 recipes is a directory. One that groups them into suhoor, iftar and desserts, with a line on each group, is a guide.
What should a hub page contain?
Quick answer
Five things: a definition-first opening, a short map of the subtopics with one line each, help for choosing between them, a link to every child page, and a link up to the parent. Add a comparison table when the children differ on clear attributes.
- A definition-first opening that answers the broad query in two or three sentences.
- A map of the subtopics: each child page named, with one line on what it covers.
- Help choosing: "If you need X, start here." For an AC company in Dubai: noise, no cooling and water leaks each lead to a different page.
- A link to every child page, with descriptive anchor text rather than "read more".
- A link up to the parent, and breadcrumbs. Google supports breadcrumb structured data, which can show the path in results.
| Oud oil type | Scent | Price band | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cambodian | Sweet, fruity | Higher | Collectors |
| Indian | Earthy, animalic | Higher | Experienced wearers |
| Blends | Softer, varied | Lower | First purchase or gifts |
How do store categories and filters fit the hierarchy?
Quick answer
Categories are hubs and branches; most filters are not. Google's faceted navigation guidance suggests keeping filter URLs you don't need in search out of crawling, for example with robots.txt. Promote a filter to a real category page only when people search for it.
A filter combination such as colour, price range and sort order creates a new URL for every click. A store with 20 filters can produce millions of addresses, almost all of them near-duplicates. Search engines spend crawling on those instead of on new products.
- Make it a page: "كنب زاوية" or "عود كمبودي" has its own searches, so it deserves a written branch page with its own URL.
- Keep it a filter: "beige, under 10,000 pounds, sorted by newest" serves a shopper already on the page. It does not need to be indexed.
- Test with evidence: check autocomplete and Search Console before promoting a filter. A practitioner rule: if you can't find people searching for it, leave it a filter.
This article is part of the Topical Authority series — What topical authority is, how to choose the subject you want to own, and how structure, links and publishing pace build it.
About the author
Mohamed Youns
Semantic SEO Engineer · Author & system developer
Mohamed Youns writes about how search engines understand content — the same standards he applies when building semantic systems at Nut Hub. nut-hub.org