Precipitated silica particulates having a BET specific surface ranging from 20 to 300 m.sup.2 /g, a CTAB specific surface ranging from 10 to 200 m.sup.2 /g, an oil uptake (DBP) ranging from 80 to 400 cm.sup.3 /100 g, a pore volume ranging from 1 to 10 cm.sup.3 /g and a mean pore diameter ranging from 10 to 50 nm, well adapted for such applications as the coating of paper and catalysis, are prepared by (a) simultaneously introducing a silicate and an acid into a dispersion of colloidal silica, thereby providing a silica suspension, (b) next decreasing the pH of such suspension to a value ranging from 3 to 7, and (c) then separating the silica particulates from the final suspension and drying them.