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The arrangement of web pages in a hierarchical structure is known as website architecture. Internal linking mirrors this arrangement. The layout of your website should facilitate users in effortlessly locating information and aid search engine crawlers in comprehending the connections among various pages. Organizing your website logically helps users easily find the information they need. Web development company in Sweden offers excellent solutions for businesses seeking to deliver a strong online presence and enhance their digital capabilities.
Website Architecture Best Practices
1. Develop a straightforward main navigation menu
Initially, Limit the number of main menu items. Ensure that the content matches the menu item name. When visitors click on the email marketing tab on your blog’s homepage, they expect to be taken to a page dedicated to posts about email marketing.
2. Ensure that your URLs are Direct and User- friendly
Generating user-friendly URLs is crucial. Content management systems like CMS Hub and WordPress can automatically create user-friendly URLs based on your page's title.
"example.com/page-title"
You have the option to establish subdirectories that are straightforward to navigate.
"example.com/topic/subtopic/page-title"
3. Design your website structure based on the leading players in your industry
Given that your customers are accustomed to the website layout of leading brands within your industry, particularly in the realm of e-commerce, it's advisable to study the structure of platforms like Amazon. By modeling your website after theirs, you can create a more familiar and user-friendly navigation experience for your visitors
4. Maintain uniformity across your website.
Ensure that your website maintains a uniform pattern in its navigation format, design principles, and link displays. Consistency in these elements enhances user experience, facilitating quicker navigation to new pages and ease of clicking on links, ultimately keeping users engaged on your site for a longer duration.
5. Implement the internal linking model utilizing the pillar cluster
In the pillar-cluster model, a main page (pillar) links to smaller pages (cluster), and these smaller pages also link to each other, forming a cluster.
This model simplifies your internal linking, making it clear and guiding users to other helpful content. Ensure that users can promptly discern the destination and relevance of an internal link on your website in relation to the current page.
6. Ensure that the majority of your website's pages are accessible within 3-4 clicks.
Users should be able to access any page on a sizable website within three to four clicks starting from the homepage. Create a clear top-level navigation guiding users to your main website categories.
7. Use breadcrumbs
After incorporating internal linking, breadcrumbs become the primary means of visualizing the structure of your website. These links reveal a page's hierarchical lineage, starting from the parent pages and leading back to the home page. Usually located above the page title, they use arrows to show the way to the current page.
8. Create an HTML and XML sitemap.
A sitemap is a file that enumerates all the pages on your website that can be crawled. It holds significant importance for website architecture as it presents your structure in a readable and crawlable format.
A user-facing HTML sitemap maintains the consistent design of your website and is created for individuals having difficulty locating specific pages. This feature proves especially helpful as it presents a comprehensive list of all your pages for users seeking a quick overview.
9. Use Category Pages
Category pages resemble pillar pages but lack the extensive content that makes pillar pages effective link targets. They are commonly found on e-commerce sites and blogs. Category pages ensure your site remains well-organized as it grows, regardless of its size. Category pages make adding new content easy. Just pick the most fitting category, and you're good to go no need to stress about fitting new pages into your current structure.
10. Use Canonical Tags
When you have several versions of the same page on your site, canonical tags are a simple way to inform Google and other search engines about the version that is most important. Canonical tags greatly decrease the risk of duplicate content and prevent search bots from spending time crawling identical pages that don't need to be indexed. Without them, your indexed site might contain numerous identical pages, possibly leading to a duplicate content penalty.
Explore the dynamic world of web development in Stockholm, where skilled professionals create exceptional online experiences. Users stay longer on your site and share links to your pages, showing that your brand produces high-quality content. So, your website's structure is crucial for keeping users and improving conversion rates.