Website structure: what it is and why it is needed
Site structure — is the logical organization and hierarchy of pages on a website that determines how content is organized and presented to users and search engines. It includes the relationships between pages, menu layout, navigation elements, URL construction, and ways to access different sections.
Why site structure is important
Site structure plays an important role in user experience, search engine optimization (SEO), and the technical convenience of maintaining a resource. Key benefits:
User-friendly
- Makes it easier to navigate the site: users can quickly find the information they need. Logical organization eliminates chaos in the arrangement of content.
- Creates an intuitive experience: Well-organized sites inspire more trust.
Search engine optimization
- Better indexing: Search engines understand and crawl a logically structured site more easily.
- Important pages: Identifying key pages allows you to increase their priority for search robots.
- URLs: Clear URLs increase search engine rankings.
- Internal linking: Proper connections between pages improve rankings.
Improving conversions
- Easy access to important pages, such as products, services or a contact form, increases the likelihood of conversion.
- A clear hierarchy guides the user to targeted actions.
Technical convenience
- Reduces time for updating and scaling the site.
- Ensures ease of integration of new features.
Basic requirements for website structure
The main requirements for the site structure are aimed at ensuring usability, effective SEO promotion and compliance with the project's business goals.
It is important to consider two main components of the site structure: external and internal.
- The external site structure provides a logical organization of content for users, including menus, navigation, categories, subcategories and pages. It is responsible for an intuitive user experience and ease of interaction with the resource.
- The internal site structure is focused on technical organization, including URL optimization, relinking, file system (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) and database integration. It ensures effective indexing and search engine performance.
Below are the general key aspects that we recommend adhering to:
Logical hierarchy
- The site should have a clear structure with a home page, categories, and subcategories. Sections and subsections should be logical and understandable to users.
- All pages should be connected to each other in logical ways.
- The depth of the pages should not exceed 3-4 levels so that users and search engines can easily reach the necessary information.
- The structure of the website should allow adding new sections and pages without disturbing the overall organization.
Comprehensive URLs
- URLs should be short, readable, and informative.
- Dynamic or unclear URLs should be avoided.
3-hand navigation
- The main menu should contain the main sections.
- The footer should include additional links (contacts, privacy policy, terms of use).
- Important pages (products, services, contact information) should be accessible in two clicks from the main page.
- Using the search function on the web resource should be clear to users.
- Breadcrumbs are required to display the user's path.
Internal linking
- Provides connections between pages for easier navigation.
- Allows you to improve SEO by redistributing the weight of pages.
- Links should be thematically relevant.
Seo site structure
- Presence of XML Sitemap for search engines.
- Using canonical URLs to avoid duplicate content.
- Optimizing the placement of headings (H1, H2, H3) on each page.
Web page structure
- Web page structure includes the logical organization of elements such as the header (H1), subheadings (H2, H3), content, navigation elements, call-to-action blocks (CTA), and footer. Each page should be organized in a way that provides user convenience and improves SEO, making it easy for search engines to understand. A consistent style and structure on all pages helps maintain the integrity of the site.
Taking into account the needs of the audience
- The construction of the site should take into account the requests of the target audience.
- For example, an online store should have sections for filtering products by category, price, brand, etc.
Website structure development by Restudio
Designing a website structure in ReStudio — is a comprehensive process aimed at creating an effective and user-friendly web resource architecture. Our approach includes the following stages:
- Analysis of business requirements and project goals. We determine the main goals of the project and the client's expectations. We study the target audience and its needs.
- Research of competitors and the market. We analyze the structure of competitors' websites and identify the best options that can be applied in the client's industry.
- Development of a semantic core. We collect keywords and phrases relevant to your business. We create the basis for the future architecture of the site.
- Creation of information architecture. We determine the main sections and subdivisions of the site. We build a hierarchy of pages to ensure logical navigation.
- Development of prototypes. We visualize the location of elements on the pages. We work out user scenarios and navigation paths.
- Testing and approval. We agree on the usability test and compliance with business goals. We make adjustments based on customer feedback.
- Preparation of technical documentation. We prepare a description of the site structure, navigation paths and functional requirements. We provide recommendations for further development.
Each of these stages is aimed at creating a site that is user-friendly and effective for achieving your business goals. Contact us if you need a site structure design tailored to your needs and requirements. We will help you create the foundation for a successful online project!
