Content
Search or internal links are the best ways to navigate these kinds of websites. And the best way to do this is by having a well-defined and solid site structure. This is different than the XML Sitemap you need to create and submit to search engines. In your website’s footer you can include an HTML sitemap that shows the website hierarchy to users. With your URL structure identified, the next step is creating an internal linking strategy, which is one of the 3 stages of SEO.
- For example, if you sell bicycles online, your site should have useful content that’s contextually linked.
- Instead, your menus should be scannable to help users navigate your site quickly.
- The first step is creating a layout that can be replicated in each section of your website.
- Identify your most valuable pages and link to them from other related pages of your website.
Therefore, something like a newsletter sign-up form is also a possibility as are social media icons, a search bar, recent posts, or a call to action. However, don’t overdo it and add too many links, as it can overload the page experience. You want to find a balance between inviting visitors to explore more of your site, https://globalcloudteam.com/ while not detracting from where they currently are. A good rule of thumb is to place about three to five links per 1,000 words. First, make it a habit to link from each page to other relevant content on your site. You know, like we do in this post, where we point out related articles that might be of interest to you.
Free Tools
With differences in design and website structure principles, a designer and an SEO pro’s opinions can vary considerably. This ebook shows you how to meet customers at each stage of their journey and create compelling content that converts. Use this ebook + sortable master list download to help determine whether a new set of SEO tools could be key to your agency’s success.
You can use them in a browser or just download them on your computer. The website structure is all about how your website pages are organized according to the content and topics it focuses on. Imagine you need to update your older content; how will you sort it out to find what to start with? A well-thought website structure will help you understand which areas of your content need to be improved and where you should look for it. The first thing to think about is the general type of site architecture that you will be going for. For most websites, that will be a structure organized in some type of hierarchy.
Why You Should Consider a Content Audit
Get a complimentary, no obligation marketing performance review. Before you go, we would love to get additional information to help us better understand how we can serve you best. Get in touch with us to discuss your specific objectives and the best, tailored-made strategy to reach and surpass them. As always, you need to know your target audience’s goals and design your header accordingly.
It’s important to include queries of different search volume to cover both general inquiries and very specific intents. Rankings in the SERPs are connected to how easy a website is to use and navigate. All transitions between pages should be natural and any page should be accessible in no more than 3 clicks. Think of pillar pages like really comprehensive, important pieces of content. You can create pillar pages that cover broader subject areas.
Plan your site structure in advance
Our proprietary methodology combines the best of technology and people to deliver business-impacting results with breakneck speed. We’re driven by a passion to deliver great work and help great companies. With the help of tools like Optimal Workshop, you can analyze visitor behavior and identify roadblocks in their customer journey. Conventional wisdom dictates that most pages on your site should be accessible within three to five clicks from your homepage. While that’s generally true, I think there are times when it makes sense (and it’s worth it) to click further down a topic column for more in-depth information.
Categories
Its sitemap can display more than just URLs, as users can collaborate with each other, share comments, analytics data, categories, and more. Shallow navigational structures give the best experience for both crawler and your user. It should take only three or fewer clicks to reach every page.
These types of reports are basically a click path of how your users interact with various pages on your website. You might want to spend time on URL optimization if your URLs have incoherent numbers and symbols. URLs matter how to plan a website structure because they give weight to the overall authority of your top-level domain and are a minor ranking factor. A well-crafted URL uses hyphens to separate words, as well as lowercase letters, and avoids underscores and spaces.
Matrix Structure
They have supporting content pieces clustered around them that dive into more specific information and link back to the pillar. URL structure – The format of your URLs is also part of website architecture and especially important for search engines. Google will be able to figure out where to find the most important content on your website based on how it is structured. The structure of your website determines whether a search engine can comprehend your content and products. From the home page, you should provide links to important or popular pages.
Understanding your site as a whole gives Google confidence in serving your pages in search results. Contact us today for a no-obligation, free consultation to learn how we can work together to achieve your business goals. If are deleting web pages, make sure there aren’t any backlinks pointing toward them; otherwise, you’ll be left with a return 404 error.