Site Architecture: How To Build A Website That Ranks And Converts

Site Architecture: Build A Taxonomy Of Pages That Rank & Convert - Hero Image

If you are creating a new website, optimizing or redesigning an existing one, you know the struggle of coming up with an easy-to-navigate structure. 

Let me show you practices enabling you to build excellent website architecture that will boost your SEO and user-friendliness.

What is website architecture?

Website architecture, also called site structure, is the way information is arranged on your website. It comprises organizing your content so that your users can quickly find what they are looking for. It focuses on how different pages are linked together and how the content is displayed for optimal user experience. 

There are 2 important things to remember:

  1. Good website architecture serves both people and machines
  2. Good website architecture makes browsing intuitive.

Why should you care about good website architecture?

A good site structure helps users sift through the growing amount of information on the internet.

It isn’t just important for your users, though. It also helps search engines better surface your website’s content where it’s relevant.

Sticking to a logical and consistent architecture on your site can help you:

  • achieve the goals you have for the specific pages on your website, and
  • deliver a great user experience to your website’s visitors.

Good vs. bad website architecture

Bad website architecture is non-intuitive. It makes it hard for people to use your website and impossible for search engines to understand it. Both humans and bots get lost when information is poorly organized.

On the other hand, a good site structure does not require users to think too much. Importantly, it’s also readable by crawlers.

A diagram representing good website architecture that organizes pages into silos and a diagram representing bad website architecture that consists of disorganized, disconnected pages.

As acutely pointed out in Donna Spencer’s Practical Guide to Information Architecture, there are a few catches to creating good architecture:

  • There is always more than one way of organizing content.
  • People have different needs.
  • People have different ideas of what goes together and what does not.
  • Some people may know a lot about a topic, while others may know nothing, and you have to consider both perspectives.
  • The technology that people use to access websites keeps on changing.
  • Search engines that organize most of the information keep evolving as well.

Now, let me show you the process of creating an efficient site structure isn’t as complicated and intimidating as it may seem.

Creating the perfect website architecture – how to start

When sitting down to create website architecture, you should reflect on your current situation.

Are you creating a website from scratch, optimizing, or redesigning an existing one? 

There will be different sources of information in each case, but the workflow is quite similar:

Look at your competitors and learn from them

Your competitors are websites within your niche that are targeting the same users as you are. 

Unless you have an incredibly unique product, there is a chance that you have plenty of resources to inspire you.

Walk a mile in your user’s shoes, browse for products and services similar to yours, and see what you find. 

Now comes the crucial part: take notes of what you like and what you don’t like as a user browsing your competitors’ websites. 

Consider what you would like to find on your own website. Pay attention to details: the what, the why, the where, the how, the when:

  • What information do your competitors provide? What language do they use?
  • Why do you think they decided to include this particular information? Why is it useful for users?
  • Where do they provide specific types of information? Is it their homepage or some subpage? Can you think of a better place for this information?
  • How do they provide information: images, text, video? A mix of all? How was it sorted? How does it help users?
  • When do users encounter a particular element within their journey through the website?

Go back to your vision and mission

Now that you know what your competitors are up to, go back to the vision and mission of your site. Remind yourself what makes you… you. 

It will help you define what is important for your business and set the priorities for your website architecture.

Write down your unique selling point and how you think it should be presented on your website. 

Remember that you can have as many pages as you like as long as you organize them intelligently and in a way that allows users to flow through the content naturally.

Define the most important pages

The most important pages are usually those that have the potential to generate the most value. 

Value could be understood in many different ways. Commonly, very important pages (VIPs) are a combination of pages that generate the most revenue or the most traffic, or both.

When starting with website architecture, it is useful to write your VIPs down to make sure you give them priority at the later stages.

Make your website architecture SEO-friendly

Conduct thorough keyword research

Keyword research is an analysis of queries typed or voiced into search engines that helps understand how users look for information in your niche. It is most useful when prepared with the help of a keyword research tool.

External tools bring an objective perspective to the table. They also help differentiate the keywords based on metrics like popularity that prove useful when assessing the value of queries and pages.

Keyword research analysis helps to understand how users flow through topics by exploring the types of information users look for. Once you have it ready, organize your findings. 

Create topical silos to support the VIP pages

In a website context, topical silos are thematically related groups of pages.

Let’s say that you want to know about website architecture. You will most likely want to know what it is, what it consists of, what it looks like, how to design it, etc. All of these queries fall into a topical silo called “website architecture.”

Website architecture diagram based on topical silos

People naturally look for information by exploring topics. A good website architecture divides these topics into smaller chunks – individual pages but keeps them just a few clicks away, so users can access any additional content as soon as they want.

Organizing content in topical silos simply allows for all related information to be easily findable on a website.

Divide topics and queries into pages based on search/user intent

Once you have the topics, the next step is dividing the information into consumable chunks – pages, based on search intent.

Search intent is the primary goal a user has in mind when searching using a search engine. 

That means that when a user communicates something to Google, they have a certain expectation they want to be met. 

Your pages should ideally answer these expectations hidden behind queries.

How to assess user intent in practice? 

  1. Take all queries that you gathered in your topical silo and think about what intent lies behind them. What would you like to see after typing them into the search engine?
  2. When in doubt, type the queries into the search engine. If you see similar results for two queries, it suggests that the intent is similar. You can target them on one page to avoid cannibalization.
  3. The queries that can be answered with similar content can fit into one page. It is totally fine to target multiple queries with one page. 

By following these steps, you will assign queries to your pages. Even though this might seem like a lot of work, you will notice patterns much faster than you think, and you will be able to build chunks of website architecture without checking every keyword in your database separately.

Review keywords targeted on your most value-creating pages

This is a reminder to check that the most valuable pages you listed earlier have clearly defined intent and relevant, popular queries assigned to them. You should also provide proper internal linking within the topical silo.

Add a Call-To-Action that aligns with the purpose of each page

Now that you have assigned queries to intent and intent to pages, set a purpose for each page.

Website architecture example with clear category page purpose

Examples include:

  • Product listing page on an eCommerce site: to showcase the inventory and encourage users to explore particular products.
  • A blog article on a news site: to describe a topic and encourage users to explore more content and subscribe.
  • Careers page: to engage with potential new candidates and encourage them to get in touch.

All this might sound obvious. However, defining the purpose and assigning pages call-to-action can help clear the vision and adjust the content and labels.

Website architecture example with clear CTAs adjusted to purpose

Use your findings and use the right keywords

Now that you know how your users look for information, use the words your keyword research identified in the key elements of a given page.

You should use the primary keywords associated with your page in all the crucial elements, like the meta title, headers, and navigation elements that point to that page.

The more everyday language you have on those labels, the easier it will be to find information. 

For example, if you decide to have a blog, make sure to call it a blog unless you have an excellent reason not to do so

Don’t be too creative, as you may accidentally confuse your readers.

Optimize your on-page structure

By now, you should have your intent and queries clearly assigned to pages. Then, it is time to decide what to put on each page and structure the findings intuitively.

This is where an on-page structure with clearly defined headings and subheadings comes in handy. 

Ideally, the user should be able to determine if the content is relevant to them or not by simply reading the headings. 

Be consistent. Keep a similar structure for pages with similar purposes.

Maximize your website’s potential with our OnPage SEO services. We’ll optimize your website’s structure, content, and keywords to improve your rankings and drive more traffic to your site.

Use a flat website structure for better SEO

A flat website structure is one in which the most important pages are just a few clicks away from the homepage. Search engine bots are unlikely to crawl pages buried deep in the structure. 

It also helps spread PageRank more effectively.

Website architecture diagram

Include all pages in your architecture

Apart from being flat, an SEO-friendly website structure should incorporate all pages. Meaning there is no orphaned content. Orphaned pages are those that do not have any incoming links. If all pages are well-defined and have a purpose, they all need to be linked to each other.

The internal linking structure should be simple and predictable to ease user navigation. When interacting with the website, the relationship between related pages should be clear and intuitive. 

Messy structures can cause crawling issues and users to lose patience and leave your website.

NEXT STEPS

Here’s what you can do now:

  1. Contact us.
  2. Receive a personalized plan from us to deal with your issues.
  3. Enjoy your content in Google’s index!

Still unsure of dropping us a line? Read how website structure optimization and information architecture services can help you improve your website.

For more details, explore our technical SEO services.

Arrange your topics into popular site architecture elements

The internet has been with us for a while, so when creating your structure, make sure not to reinvent the wheel and work with predictable elements.

Main navigation bar

The main navigation bar is accessible across the website, so both users and search engines will treat the pages included there as important.

Keep it simple – don’t overdo it. 

Too many links will water down the importance of pages and make the navigation bar less intuitive.

Sidebar navigation

Sidebar navigation usually provides additional segmentation of content. 

If designed intelligently, it can serve both bots and users.

Faceted navigation

Faceted navigation is where all your filters are. When you have thousands of subpages (e.g., products), users should be able to narrow down the choices to more digestible chunks.

To make Google’s life easier, you should prevent it from indexing the filtered results. You don’t want to waste your crawl budget on unimportant URLs like those generated by user activity.

Example of a good faceted navigation

Footer

The footer, just like the main navigation bar, is an element of a website architecture that appears on every page, so it potentially indicates that all links that are included there are more important than others. 

As tempting as it might be, refrain from overdoing it and only include links to pages that make sense there.

A footer is a great place for contact information, an About page, newsletter sign-ups, social profiles, etc.

Example of footer links on mobile and desktop

Breadcrumb navigation

Breadcrumbs, or a breadcrumb trail, indicate the page’s position in the site hierarchy.

It can help users understand and explore a site effectively. A user can navigate all the way up in the site hierarchy, one level at a time, by starting from the last breadcrumb in the breadcrumb trail.

Example of breadcrumb navigation for desktop and mobile

Related content

There are certain expected ways in which to link to related content. For example, on eCommerce websites, links to 

  • recently viewed products, 
  • you might also like products, or 
  • relevant sections from the blog,

are all elements that users got used to and expect to see. 

With more and more eCommerce websites introducing blog articles, shoppers tend to look for content that helps them choose the right product.

However, search engine bots appreciate links to related content as it gives more context to the pages they crawl.

Website architecture example with related content links

Follow user experience best practices

Humans are creatures of habit and thrive in repetitive environments. When we know what to expect, we function better. 

Originality does not necessarily pay off when it comes to website architecture. So unless you really have a good reason, follow what the industry leaders do.

People might get frustrated if you do not stick to website architecture’s well-imprinted paths, especially if they are proven to work.

Use proven navigation templates

If people expect to find top categories in the main navigation bar, it makes sense to keep it there. Likewise, with faceted navigation. 

Use buttons for user interaction

The same goes for buttons and labels or expecting that the logo will be linked to the homepage.

Example of typical buttons on product pages

Keep everything 4 clicks from the homepage

I have already mentioned that a flat structure is great for SEO. 

And there’s actually a rule you can stick to here: every page should be within 4 clicks from the homepage. 

If users need to dig deep into your website for more details, they might get bored and leave your site. 

On the other hand, search engine bots may depreciate a page or even skip it if it’s buried too deep within your architecture.

Be consistent in your layout

Make sure that the main elements of your website structure remain the same on all pages. That means that the main menu shows the same labels everywhere. 

If your buttons are a certain color and your links are blue and underlined – keep them that way consistently not to confuse users.

All category pages should be designed similarly, and all blog posts should follow a similar structure. It makes browsing through the website more predictable.

Review technical aspects

First of all, you need to understand why technical aspects are important. 

Search engines, like Google and Bing, are a filter for the information we are looking for. But to serve us information, they need to understand it first. 

The technical aspects of website structure are important because they make the content readable and understandable for search engine crawlers.

Do not fall into the trap of creating website architecture for the crawlers. Your priority is still to have it in line with what human users need. The bots are a filter, so you have to make sure that the filtering does not alter the meaning of your content. That is all.

Use HTML

HTML is a markup language readable to all search engines, so all key elements must be written in HTML. That includes:

  • Navigation items with links and labels.
  • Page titles and headings provide a semantic structure to the contents.
  • The text content itself and the alternative text for images and videos.
  • Parts of the page structure like the menu, sidebar, main content, and footer. 

The better search engine bots can understand the content of your page, the easier it will be for them to index and rank it.

Ideally, you should use semantic HTML5 elements like <section>, <nav>, <figure>, <footer>, and all the other tags that help Google better understand your page.

Make the crucial content visible in the source code

All your important content must be visible in the source code, as this is what search engine bots will crawl and evaluate for indexing and ranking purposes.

You can do a quick check by clicking CTRL + U (Cmd + Option + u on Mac) or right-clicking and selecting “View Source.” Then verify:

  • if the links appear in the correct <a href=”’> format and if, after clicking they take you to the intended page; or
  • if the contents of the page are readable in between the code. Can you read the labels? How about headings?

How to check if links are in source code

If you can see all the links and content in the source code, you are good to go.

URL structure

URL structure can suggest to both human and bot users where a page belongs in the website architecture. 

It is a good practice to keep the URL structure simple and have it follow a consistent pattern. Again, predictability pays off.

Avoid duplication

Duplication is when two identical (or near-identical) pages are available under two separate URLs. 

It is a prevalent issue related to bad website architecture, especially in eCommerce. 

It’s common to have different product variants or products that belong to various categories. Humans understand and value the difference between 0.5l and 0.75l water bottles, but search engines need clearer guidelines.

If you have several pages with the same information, search engine bots may get lost, and eventually, they won’t know which page to show to users.

When planning your website architecture, make sure that you have only 1 URL for 1 piece of content.

Think mobile

In 2016, Google started talking about mobile-first indexing, meaning ranking, crawling, and indexing websites based on their mobile versions.

When creating your website architecture, it is essential to see how users move through the site on mobile devices, where screens are smaller and navigating is done with fingers.

All navigation and labels should be reviewed for mobile-friendliness, for example, using Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test.

Desktop navigation the same as mobile

What to avoid in your website architecture 

There are quite a lot of misconceptions that are worth going over in order not to repeat them when building your own website architecture. 

Let’s sift through them real quick.

Don’t assume users start on the homepage

Users do not always start their adventure with your website on the homepage. 

Aim to build your structure so that all elements are interconnected and allow navigating back and forth between all levels of pages.

Imagine that a user types in a question to the search engine, and your article pops up. Unless you are a news publisher, this article is just part of the customer journey and aims to lead the user to the page that generates value for your organization. 

Every page should be linked to the previous and next steps of the customer journey.

Don’t assume everything is equally important

You may think that every single piece of content on your site is vital. But it’s better to accept that it is simply not true, and we need to pick our battles.

Don’t use carousels

Carousels are boxes with multiple pieces of content that occupy a single space and change without the user’s specific request. They are very popular in today’s web design, but they are not always useful for users or SEO.

Example of a carousel in website design

Even if, at first glance, they appear visually pleasing, they are distracting. Instead, choose a great hero image and work on explaining what your page is actually about.

Don’t overdo the above-the-fold content

Above-the-fold content is a part of a page visible without scrolling. Without a doubt, it is essential as it gives the first impression of what the page is about. 

Just because of that, do not succumb to the temptation of stuffing your above-the-fold view with all the VIP links. 

Instead, focus on your human users and design it in a way that will best describe what they will find on the page. 

Don’t overdo the footer.

An abundance of footer links dilutes PageRank and hurts the user experience.

What is good for users is good for SEO. Your contact information, your About page, etc., all belong in the footer. But all the other pages from your top 100 VIP pages list don’t.

Don’t neglect to update your site

We usually approach website architecture once in a blue moon, meaning every couple of years when we redesign the website. 

However, the products, categories, and, most importantly, user needs evolve. Therefore, you must constantly make adjustments.

Categories will be out of date and will have to be replaced. Products will change their features over time. Users will start valuing information that was not so relevant before.

Get to work with these tools & templates

When creating website architecture, you need 2 types of tools:

  • Those that gather all keywords in one place, aggregated by type and with a value assigned to them to spot what is most important easily.
  • Those that allow you to draw connections between pages in a way that is clear enough for a designer and developer to understand and put into practice.

The good news is that these tools do not have to be sophisticated, and there are plenty of free options. 

Spreadsheets for sorting and aggregating your keywords

Whether you use Google Sheets or Excel, the goal is to keep your data arranged clearly so that you can easily spot keyword patterns that, later on, could be grouped into silos and pages and assigned value.

Mind-mapping tools for outlining connections between pages

Diagrams.net is one of the free mind-mapping apps that allows for drawing website architecture.

Since there will be a lot of connections, make sure to start small. 

First, simply create labels for all groups and play around with how they fit together. Always go back to thinking about how the user moves through the site. Explore your website’s map and follow the links by moving from one page to another in a similar way a user would.

Draw a diagram with connections (links) for every type of page you plan to have: homepage, category page, product page, blog article, about us, etc. 

If, due to the size of your website, drawing links is not possible, try drawing boxes with types of pages you would like to link to, i.e., boxes with links to related blog articles.

Key takeaways

  1. Good website architecture serves humans and bots and allows both of them to flow through your content.
  2. Keyword research, competitor research, your vision & mission research are essential to start your work. 
  3. Your site structure should be SEO-friendly. 
  4. It’s better to stick to the predictable elements: main, side, and breadcrumb navigation, plus a simple footer.
  5. Review the technical aspects of your website architecture: your internal linking and content deserve to be read by search engine bots, not just users!

Hi! I’m Bartosz, founder and Head of SEO @ Onely. Thank you for trusting us with your valuable time and I hope that you found the answers to your questions in this blogpost.

In case you are still wondering how to exactly move forward with fixing your website Technical SEO – check out our services page and schedule a free discovery call where we will do all the heavylifting for you.

Hope to talk to you soon!