Every website has a structure, but not all are created equally. Some are rigorous and carefully thought out from start to finish, while others are a mess of random pages that lack actual composition. Believe it or not, the structure of a web page doesn't just direct our visitors to the right content. The right structure can impact traffic, sales, branding, reliability, etc.
Introduction to Website Page Structure
A strong website organization ensures that both users and search engines can navigate effectively. Through website structure analysis, we can identify weaknesses and improve the site’s overall performance.
If we work strategically and carefully to build our site (or makeover our site if it already exists), we can increase overall visibility. Many don’t realize that understanding how to plan a website structure is crucial for SEO, but getting it right can be a real game-changer.
Service Blueprint is essential for the service that the team is developing for the customer. Click through to explore about Service Blueprint Benefits and its Elements
Why is Website Structure important?
Let's take a quick look at some of the reasons why site structure is so important from a technical SEO perspective and some of the reasons why implementing best practices early is a good idea.
Website Structure for User Experience
First of all, we want our website to be easy to use and enjoyable for our audience. Otherwise, they will leave as fast as they land on it! But what happens when we strip away colors, photos, headlines, and funky fonts? We are left with the site's basic structure of a web page, which is fundamental.
As humans, our brains crave logic. There's a lot of psychology behind website organization, and one key takeaway is that people naturally categorize information. By structuring our site with clear categories and guiding the user journey, we make navigation effortless. This improves engagement, increases time spent on the site, and encourages repeat visits. As we can see, the structure of a web page is critical for enhancing the user experience.
Dividing our web pages using categories and guiding our user journey will make our visitors cognitively happy. That way, they will be happier, stay longer, and are more likely to return to our website in the future. As we can see, the structure is essential for improving the user experience.
Website Structure for Achieving Site Links
Site links are hyperlinks to various pages within a website that appear under Google search results. We've likely seen them countless times, even if we didn’t pay attention. A well-planned site structure helps search engines understand our content hierarchy, increasing the chances of earning site links. These links not only improve navigation but also boost brand credibility, increase click-through rates (CTR), and enhance SEO performance.
Through website structure analysis, we can refine our design to maximize these benefits. Understanding how to plan a website structure early on ensures a well-organized site that performs well for both users and search engines.
Service User experience design is a user-product interaction, and improve the product, and users experience by addressing all perspectives of a product by the user's feedback & requirements. Click to explore about, User Experience Design Tools and its Principles
For example, if site links appear in search results, they provide users with quick access to key pages within our website.
However, these are not manually created by website operators. Google's algorithms assign site links based on keywords and the structure of a web page. Without a well-organized site structure, our website may never gain these benefits or the SEO advantages they offer.
We can establish the website structure using navigation and by categorizing content, but that isn’t enough. A strong internal link structure helps users navigate, directs them to valuable content, and improves SEO. This is why website structure analysis and understanding how to plan a website structure are crucial.
Website Structure for Better Crawling
Web crawlers help index the content of our web pages to match relevant search terms. If the structure of a web page is poor, crawlers may struggle to find and access content, resulting in lower rankings in SERPs.
A well-planned site structure makes it easier for crawlers to navigate and index content efficiently. While optimizing for search engines is important, we should always prioritize real users when designing or improving our website. In summary, a strong website structure lays the foundation for SEO success.
A designer’s role is to ensure accessibility and create a website with great UX. A well-thought-out website organization enhances usability by helping visitors quickly find what they need. To establish a solid website structure, we must carefully plan how to organize content—such as the homepage, categories, single pages, and blog posts. Proper website structure analysis ensures that both users and search engines can navigate our site seamlessly.
A well-executed UX Strategy delivers growth to ideas and directions while maintaining the integrity of the entire CX strategy. Click to explore about, User Experience in Software Product Development
Essential Concepts for Website Structure
Understanding the structure of a web page is essential for both usability and SEO. Below are key elements of website organization that contribute to a well-structured site.
Header
The top of the website doesn't change when we move to another page. Headers typically display a navigation bar that can include elements such as logos/names, social media icons, phone numbers, and search bars.
-
The Sticky Header: The Sticky Header (also known as the Fixed Header) is a fixed website navigation bar that doesn't disappear when the user/viewer scrolls down the page. This is useful so that we can access it from anywhere on our site without navigating back to the top of the page.
Main Navigation/Menu
Navigation elements that appear on our website. This primarily refers to the "menu bar" at the top or both sides of the website, but we can also include text links in the breadcrumb trail at the bottom of the page, at the top of the page content, or in the sidebar. The Utilities menu/navigation may include account logins, shopping cart links, and more for large websites.
-
Drop-down Menu: A drop-down menu is a navigation menu with submenus or categories below it. When we hover over or click on it, the submenu "collapses" is displayed to the user.
-
Hamburger Menu: The Toggle navigation menu is primarily used for mobile versions of website navigation because it compresses the navigation and opens / toggles when clicked.
Main content
The central section of a website is where users find the most important information. This is the core of the structure of a web page, containing text, images, videos, and other essential elements.
Sidebar
A repeating page section of some or all web pages within a website. The sidebar displays information that we need to access from all or specific pages of our website, such as The Business Subscription form for mailing lists, special navigation, or listings of recent blog entries. With the advent of responsive design, the width of the mobile screen can no longer accommodate two columns, so the sidebar is used less frequently as more people visit the website on mobile devices that move the sidebar content to the bottom of the page.
Footer
The footer is at the bottom of the website and doesn't change when we click another page. We can see some items here like Business Contact information, social media feeds, or subscription forms.
An interface design that allows users to interact with either real humans or bots using text and voice/speech. Click to explore about, Principles of Conversational User Interfaces
Types of Website Structures: Which One is Best for You?
There are four main types of website structure. A correct understanding of the structure of a website makes it easy for designers to create meaningful website information architectures. We’ll go through them one by one.
Hierarchical Model
Hierarchical models are one of the most common types of site architecture. Hierarchical models are commonly used in web applications that contain large amounts of data. The hierarchical model is similar to a tree in that it has trunks (such as the home page) that branch into categories and pages. Sites like CNN.com and BBC.co.uk are good examples of hierarchical models.
Sequential Model
The sequential model is used to guide users step by step, and it is often seen in onboarding processes or instructional flows. UX designers rely on this structure of a web page to create smooth user journeys. Websites like wikiHow.com provide great examples of pages designed to follow a logical sequence.
Matrix Model
The matrix model is one of the oldest website structure types on the internet. It provides users with multiple navigation choices, allowing them to decide their browsing path. These websites rely heavily on search functions and internal links. Wikipedia is a prime example of a matrix site structure, where users can move from one page to another based on their interests.
Database Model
The database model is a dynamic approach to website structure, integrating database functionality and search-based navigation. To build such a structure, designers must focus on metadata, strong information architecture, and a bottom-up approach. Medium.com is a great example of a database website structure where content is categorized and tagged for personalized user experiences.
This model requires careful planning and website structure analysis to ensure that content is well-organized and searchable. When done correctly, it allows users to create their own experience based on what they are looking for. Understanding how to plan a website structure is essential when designing websites using this model.
Conversational user interface technology is fundamentally shifting how technology providers build and how people use software and applications. Click to explore about, Conversational UI for Software Product Innovation
What is HTML DOM (Document Object Model) and How Does It Work?
The Document Object Model, which is mainly referred to as the DOM, is an important part of making a website interactive. It acts as an interface that allows programming languages to manipulate a website's content, structure of a web page, and style dynamically.
JavaScript is the client-side scripting language that connects to the DOM of a web browser. In most cases, the website will act. For example, switching image slideshows, displaying errors when users try to submit incomplete forms, and switching navigation menus result from JavaScript access and DOM manipulation.
If our web page contains too many DOM nodes or HTML tags or those nodes or tags are nested too deeply, the DOM size will be large. This can cause problems with website performance due to Jerky scrolling and slow page load times. On the other hand, Optimized DOM size provides a better user experience and leads to higher conversions.
For website owners, especially those running e-commerce stores, website structure analysis should include DOM optimization. Google considers page experience metrics when ranking websites, so maintaining an efficient DOM is essential when planning the site structure for SEO success.
Why the HTML DOM is Crucial for SEO and Web Performance
The browser can handle larger DOM trees but is optimized for a maximum depth of 32 elements. Large DOM trees can affect page performance in several ways.
-
Network efficiency and read performance: If our server provides a large DOM tree, we may send many unwanted bytes. This can also slow down page load times as the browser may parse many nodes that aren't visible in "positions we can't see without scrolling."
-
Runtime performance: When users and scripts interact with the page, the browser must always recalculate the location and layout of the nodes. Large DOM trees combined with complex style rules can significantly slow down rendering.
-
Memory performance: Using common query selectors such as document.querySelectorAll ('li') can unknowingly store references to many nodes that can overwhelm our device.
LightHouse Issue
Google’s Lighthouse tool flags internal URLs when the DOM structure exceeds 32 elements in depth. If a page's site structure is too deep, Lighthouse triggers performance warnings, which can affect SEO.
How do we resolve the LightHouse Issue?
-
Optimal DOM Tree Guidelines: Keep total nodes under 1500, maintain a maximum depth of 32 elements, and ensure no parent node has more than 60 child nodes.
-
Optimize Page Loading: Reduce the number of unnecessary nodes in the structure of a web page. Load only the necessary elements and dynamically generate additional content based on user interactions, such as scrolling or clicking a button.
How to Optimize Web Page Structure for Better Rankings and Conversions
The general structure of a web page for a business website should be clean, simple, and logical. In website design and development, establishing a strong site structure is a fundamental step.
By following the best practices outlined above, we ensure that our website organization aligns with both business goals and audience needs. A well-planned website structure benefits both users and search engines, making it easier for Google to crawl and index the site efficiently. Additionally, a clear website structure analysis allows for seamless updates and prevents structural conflicts.
To maintain an effective site structure, use the strategies and insights provided in this guide to review and refine your page structure for optimal performance and usability.
More Ways to Explore Us
Website Page Structure Types and Best Practices
Understanding Responsive Web Design and Its Working
How the Web Browser Renders the Pages with DOM CSSOM?
