Why you need to work on your site structure
Site structure is often missed out by many people who build their own websites, but it is a stage that should not be missed. Carefully planning and executing a successful site structure can be very beneficial for many reasons
Firstly, a good site structure will make a site easy to navigate. This makes it a more enjoyable site for users and will mean they will spend more time on your site. They are also more likely to make a purchase if they can find what they’re looking for easily.
A good site structure can also give you site links in SERP’s, which can help you dominate search results and build reputation and trust with current and potential customers.
Sitelinks are rewarded to well-built sites by Google in a way of congratulating them on have an easily crawled site. A good structure will be easier for Google to crawl and will in turn give you more exposure.
Accordingly, the architecture of a website can have a significant impact on how each individual page ranks in the search engine results pages. Boosting the search engine optimization of a website involves a number of different factors, and therefore it is important to focus on high-impact activities that will have a huge impact on how the pages rank.
If you would like to learn more about the importance of optimizing a website, you can find some helpful resources over at this website. With crisp and precise resources, you could improve your SEO game and take it to the next level.
But that’s not to say that it’s always an easy task. In fact, optimizing a website can be a complex process for many website owners, especially where e-commerce sites are concerned. So, a large number of business owners now outsource their SEO tasks to specialist SEO agencies. This tends to benefit business owners more because there would be comprehensive steps taken to improve the website’s game in the SEO sphere. In fact, it could enable companies to see thrice the amount of engagement, according to this resource from Polkadot Communications.
For now, though, let’s take a closer look at the steps you need to take to improve the structure of a website.
How to improve your site structure
There are a few things that can be done to boost and optimize your website’s structure. These are key to making the portal easier to work with and browse through, especially for new visitors. So, even if you seek help externally from an SEO agency to make the necessary changes and modifications, you’d want to include the following:
- Plan out a navigation hierarchy
It’s best to plan out your navigation hierarchy before you start building your site. This way you can create your site architecture the right way from the get go. Below is an image of what ‘the optimal structure of a website would look’ like.
Your site structure should be set out in a logical way, with 2-7 main categories and an even balance of sub-categories. This means that the sub-pages should be spread out between the main categories in a relatively even manner and one shouldn’t have a lot more than others.
- Use HTML and CSS
JavaScript, Flash and Ajax complicate the code and make it more difficult for crawlers to read and access pages.
Using other forms of code such as JavaScript can limit a crawler’s access to your pages and mean that pages get missed. This can have a negative impact on SEO.
Keep all navigation coding to HTML and CSS to make the crawler’s job much easier and make them more likely to be able to crawl through your site.
- Don’t let your navigation structure go too deep
It is advised that there are no more than 3 clicks to get to each page. This helps you maintain a shallow navigation structure.
If your structure goes too deep, it is possible for pages to get lost. The recommended three clicks maximum is a good rule to adhere to.
- Header links to your main navigation pages
Have the links in your header navigation match your hierarchy. The main categories should form the header links, you can then add the other pages in the same way that the hierarchy is formed.
- Internal Linking
Internal linking helps search engines crawl your site more effectively. Each page should have a link to another page as well as link from another page on your site.
