SITE STRUCTURE: WHAT, HOW, WHY
- michaelkwilliams16
- Apr 13, 2021
- 2 min read

What is a site structure and why is it needed?
The structure of a site is the relationship of its pages to each other. It should be simple and understandable for both the user and search engines and be built on the basis of a semantic core, taking into account the needs of potential customers and the type of site.
If the structure is not built correctly, the following problems arise:
It is difficult for the user to find the desired page, as a result, he leaves the site and behavioral factors (bounce rate, viewing depth, time spent on the page) worsen;
Difficulties with indexing;
Search engines select the wrong relevant pages
What does a well-formed structure give?
Helps to quickly navigate the site;
Improves behavioral factors and does not complicate indexing, as a result of which positions and traffic grow
Simplifies work on a project - you can see problem areas, form a content plan, distribute the weight of internal links, etc.;
Is built on the basis of the selected semantics - for each group of requests there is its own optimized page.
It is not necessary to organize the structure based on the price list or download from 1C. There, the division by position may be inappropriate. For example, by brand name or collections - the user does not always understand these things. If you have any doubts, you need to analyze competitors from the TOP 10 and see how the hierarchy is built on more successful projects. But first of all, the semantic core is taken as a basis.
How to create a site structure?
The site structure should be logical and user-friendly. Several parameters affect its choice: the type of site (informational or commercial, business card or store, etc.), the semantic core, commercial and behavioral factors - we look at which useful sections the competitors have, which are important for the site to receive issuing high positions. For example, the availability of reviews and complete information about the company, guarantees, payment and delivery are important commercial factors and such sections should be mandatory on a commercial project.
For a successful SEO promotion, pay attention to weight distribution. The main page has the greatest weight, then - sections, then - subsections and cards of goods or services. With a well-built structure, everything turns out exactly like this.
The creation of the site structure takes place in several stages:
Imagine an ideal site from the point of view of a potential client - what would you like to see there, include logic and common sense, and make sketches;
Competitor analysis - study several sites of similar topics from the TOP 10;
Collecting the semantic core and clustering queries;
Draw the "skeleton" of the future project based on the received data.
It should be taken into account that the same product cannot be in different groups under different URLs, otherwise there will be duplicates. Also, think about the category names - they should be clear and consistent with the content. Avoid deep levels of nesting.
"Breadcrumbs", a map in html format, a search bar and filters by product characteristics will simplify navigation.
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