Website structure, also known as website architecture, refers to the hierarchy of a site. This architecture determines the placement of each page and how they all are interlinked. It also determines how the information on your website is organised and presented to visitors and search engine algorithms.
The architecture consists of several key elements:
Navigation
Design
Content
Technical aspects
The architecture is responsible for how well search engine algorithms can read the context of your website. Additionally, it influences how freely visitors can navigate your pages and how visually appealing your site generally looks to them, which directly impacts the user experience. As such, website architecture is a crucial element of search engine optimisation (SEO).
But how can you use it to your benefit? In this guide, we will cover everything you need to know about building a website structure that looks great for users and search engines!
What Is an SEO-Friendly Website Structure?
First of all, an SEO-friendly website structure refers to an organisation and layout that are designed to be easily indexed and understood by search engines, ensuring high positioning for your pages in search engine result pages (SERPs) and high organic traffic.
Apart from matching search engine algorithms, an SEO-friendly website structure should also contribute to a better user experience (UX). That is, it should make it easy for users to find the content they need, navigate seamlessly through pages, and have an overall positive interaction with the website.
All in all, there are three core elements that contribute to a perfect SEO website:
Focus on search: Pages should deliver high-quality, original, relevant, and valuable content that is optimised for search engines.
Delightful UX: The website should be easy to use and navigate, featuring a pleasant design and fast load times.
Technical soundness: The architecture and content must be optimised to be easily found, crawled, and indexed by search engines.
There are many ways to improve your website’s SEO. If you check the Top10seosoftware.com website, you will explore reviews on the best software and tools that can help you improve all three core elements of your website. But now, we will focus on how to build a website structure that will boost your SEO.
Why Is an SEO-Friendly Website Structure Important?
From the definition, you should already see that website architecture and its proper optimisation play a big role in SEO, ranking, and, respectively, the success of your business.
Summing up, there are three core reasons why you should care about building an SEO-friendly website:
Enhanced Crawlability: A well-optimised architecture allows search engine spiders to find and index all your pages correctly. Google uses your website’s navigation structure and interlinking to understand its content and context.
Improved Link Authority: By adding internal links to different website pages, you distribute link authority across your website. This can help improve the positioning of those pages in SERPs.
Better User Experience (UX): A logical, clear structure makes it easier for visitors to navigate through your website and find the content they need, ultimately improving the user experience.
How to Build an SEO-Friendly Website Structure
Now that you understand the definition and importance of website architecture, it’s time to focus on the most crucial part: building a website structure that is perfectly optimised for both users and search engines. Below are a few simple steps that will help you achieve this goal:
Use a Logical Directory Structure
A directory (aka hierarchy) is the most important element of your website’s overall architecture. Its purpose is to ensure that users can easily access any page without difficulty. To do this right, you should divide your website into clear categories, subcategories, and even sub-subcategories, where necessary.
For example, let’s say you are on your homepage. From this point, you want visitors to learn about your products/services, features, and prices. So, you create a separate category for each purpose and insert relevant subcategories into each for smoother navigation.
To connect these pages, use navigation bars. These help visitors quickly find the sections they need and prevent them from getting lost. A typical navigation bar might look like this:
Home > Services > SEO Audit > [Further subcategories]
Create Clear and Concise Titles for Your Pages
To help visitors and search engines understand the purpose of every page, there must be clear and concise titles. For example, if you have a section dedicated to introducing your products or services, name it accordingly so users know exactly where to find the information. Keep your titles short and straightforward for simpler crawling.
In addition to titles, make sure that all pages have relevant, descriptive URLs. A well-structured URL typically looks like this:
https://website.com/category/subcategory/
Use Relevant Keywords Throughout Your Website
To ensure your landing pages, sections, and subsections rank well and attract organic traffic, you must incorporate relevant keywords throughout your website structure. Optimising your pages for keywords not only helps improve your rankings but also increases visibility.
Research and analyse the most popular search queries for each section and incorporate them into your content. This way, you make your pages more relevant to specific user queries and expand your keyword coverage, allowing you to target a broader audience.
Create Internal Links Between Your Pages
Internal links serve several important purposes. Firstly, they are essential for search engine crawlers, helping them understand your website structure and navigate it more effectively.
Secondly, internal links improve user experience by making it easier for visitors to find relevant information quickly, such as tips on how to work from home.
Lastly, strategically placing internal links can give you an additional SEO boost to important sections of your website, helping to improve their visibility in search engine results.
Optimise Your Website for Mobile Devices
According to Statista, there were 7.41 billion mobile users globally in 2024, up from 7.33 billion in 2023. Projections indicate that number will rise to 7.49 billion by 2025. This growing number of mobile users underscores the importance of optimising your website for mobile devices.
Mobile optimisation ensures that your site is easy to navigate on any device, which is crucial for providing a positive user experience. Additionally, it plays a significant role in your search rankings, as Google uses mobile-first indexing.
Keep Your Website Up-to-Date
Regularly updating your website and ensuring that it only contains accurate, current information is essential for maintaining credibility. Keeping your content fresh not only enhances trust with visitors but also signals to search engines that your website is reliable and relevant.
The Importance of Website Architecture for SEO
Website architecture, also known as information architecture, refers to how the content on the website is structured and organised. An SEO-friendly website architecture offers several key benefits:
Easier Crawling for Search Engine Bots
Search engines use crawlers (or spiders) to index websites. A clear, logical structure with easy-to-navigate elements makes it simpler for these bots to discover and index all of your website’s pages, ensuring that your entire website is indexed.
Helping Search Engines Understand Your Content
A well-organised hierarchy and internal linking structure provide context to search engines, helping them better understand both the overall content of your website and the specific topics of individual pages.
Optimisation for Multiple Keywords
With a well-planned architecture, you can optimise different sections or categories of your website for specific keywords. This enables you to target and rank for a wide range of relevant search queries.
Elements of an SEO-Friendly Website Architecture
To build a website architecture optimised for search engines, focus on these key elements:
Information Architecture: Organise your content in a logical hierarchy that makes sense to users and search engines. Group related content together to improve discoverability.
Internal Linking Structure: Search engines follow links between pages on your website to understand its structure. Use contextual internal links to highlight connections between pages, helping both users and search engines navigate your website.
URL Structure: Create descriptive, keyword-rich URLs using hyphens instead of underscores. Keep URLs short but meaningful to improve both user experience and SEO.
Navigation Design: Make it easy for users and search engine bots to navigate through all sections of your website. Use text links and clear menu structures to guide users and crawlers.
Mobile Optimisation: With the increasing number of mobile users, ensure your website is mobile-friendly and responsive across different devices. Also, prioritise page speed for a better user experience.
Optimising Individual Pages for SEO
Beyond optimising your website’s overall architecture, it’s essential to optimise individual pages for the best SEO results:
Optimise Page Titles and Meta Descriptions: Include your target keywords naturally and make the titles and descriptions compelling to encourage clicks from search results.
Incorporate Target Keywords in Titles, Headers, and Content: Naturally use your target keywords throughout the page’s title, headers, and content to help search engines understand the page’s relevance to specific queries.
Make Sure Each Page Has a Unique Value Proposition: Differentiate each page by offering unique content that makes it a valuable destination for users.
Provide High-Quality Content That Answers Search Queries: Offer engaging, useful content that addresses the specific questions or needs of users. This benefits both visitors and search engines by delivering valuable information.
Linking Strategy for Improved Rankings
A strong internal linking strategy can significantly enhance your rankings:
Link Relevant Pages Together for Better Crawlability: Cross-link related content to help search engine bots discover more pages across your website.
Use Anchor Text with Keywords for Internal Links: Choose descriptive anchor text that includes relevant keywords, rather than generic phrases like “click here”, to improve context and SEO.
Gain Quality External Links to Improve Domain Authority: Earn backlinks from reputable external websites to boost your website’s authority and rankings.
Analysing and Improving Your Website Architecture
Regularly review your website architecture to identify SEO opportunities:
Use Site Mapping Tools to Visualise Your Structure: Visual maps help you see the connections between pages and identify any potential issues in your architecture.
Check Crawlability with Site Audits and Bot Crawlers: Use site audits and crawlers to identify accessibility issues that may prevent search engine spiders from properly indexing your website.
Monitor Keyword Rankings for Important Pages: Track which pages are performing well in search results and identify areas where your website could improve its keyword rankings.
Continuously Refine Structure and Links for Better SEO: Regularly update your website structure and internal links to ensure ongoing optimisation and maximum performance.
Conclusion
An SEO-friendly website structure is a crucial element of any successful online marketing strategy. It not only enhances the UX but also helps search engines crawl and index your pages, which can improve your rankings in SERPs.
Now that you know how to implement these strategies, you’re ready to create a website that is both easy for search engines to navigate and enjoyable for visitors to use. Follow the tips outlined in this article to build a site that excels in both usability and SEO.
Ready to optimise your website structure and boost your SEO? Get in touch with ProfileTree for a free website audit or consultation. Our digital marketing experts will help you create a website that ranks higher, delivers a better user experience, and drives organic growth. Contact us today to get started!
