The correct website structure is a crucial factor for any project. Depending on the complexity and correctness of the structure, it determines how search engine robots will process your site, the site's ranking, and the user experience.
The need for developing a new structure can vary: creating a new website, making changes to the current project, or expanding the structure. Regardless of the need, this article is suitable for all of them.
Content:
- Proper Website Structure for SEO Optimization
- What is Website Structure?
- The Importance of Structure in SEO Promotion
- Main Types of Website Structures
- Requirements for Website Structure
- Requirements for URL Construction
- Navigation Requirements
- Conclusion
What is Website Structure?
Technically, the structure of a website is the nested sequence of each individual URL of your site. In other words, it's the representation of your site as a single hierarchy of pages interconnected with each other.
It's important not to confuse the structure with site navigation, the latter, like menus or breadcrumbs, may differ from the actual structure of the site.
The importance of structure in SEO promotion
When scanning a website, search engine bots rely on the nesting of links and navigation to accurately determine the site's structure. Google recommends keeping the URL structure as simple as possible. Doing so will not only provide additional domain relevance to your project but also simplify the site's scanning process (optimizing the crawl budget) and allow for the effective distribution of the semantic core across relevant pages.
The primary advantage of a proper site structure is the even distribution of internal linking weight among pages. A hierarchical structure enables the distribution of this weight from the main page down to individual product pages.
The main types of site structures
- A linear website structure represents the simplest chain, similar to breadcrumbs. Pages are arranged horizontally and transition into each other. An example of such a structure could be a business card website.
- A block website structure means all pages are interconnected through links, allowing navigation from any page to any other. However, this organization of structure is not recommended as it is highly outdated.
- A hierarchical website structure is the most common on the internet. It consists of thematically related levels of nesting. For example, you can open any online store and see how their menu is organized. Each product is "placed" within its subcategory, and each subcategory is within its category.
- It's also worth discussing the SILO structure, or silo organization of a website, which is a subtype of the hierarchical structure. This organization is considered a benchmark for website promotion in search engines. The SILO structure involves grouping website pages according to clusters of the semantic core. Essentially, a SILO organization is a fully clustered semantic core, expressed in the form of website organization.
Website structure requirements for SEO
Now that you have an understanding of the structure you need, it's important to consider the technical, navigational, and behavioral requirements for forming the website's structure:
URL building requirements
| Requirement | Example |
| All links on the site that are open to scanning and indexing must be SEO-Friendly URL | https://www.example.com/blog/struktura-sayta/ |
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The consistency in forming URLs is important. For instance, if categories have the .html extension, then the rest of the URLs on the website should have the same extension. |
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| Generating random URLs with different filter sequences is not acceptable. Such implementation will create a vast number of duplicates. One URL should be generated regardless of whether the product type or property was initially chosen. |
https://www.example.com/filter-1/filter-2/
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| SEO-Friendly URL URL addresses should contain only a certain set of characters: |
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| Try to avoid overly nested URLs. Search engines prefer shorter links. |
https://www.example.com/product/tovar-1/
https://www.example.com/catalog/list/kategriya/pod-kategory/product/tovar-1/ |
| Clearly indicate the autonomy of your pages. For example, group all filters under /filter/ and products under /product/. This approach will facilitate search engine robots in understanding the nature of the page, and it will also help you manage site scanning and indexing more effectively. |
https://www.example.com/product/tovar-1/ |
Navigation requirements
The three-click rule. Aim to structure the website navigation so that users can reach their goal within three clicks. In reality, most websites on the internet follow this rule without even realizing it. All you need for this is a clear navigation menu and a bit of logic.
Content breakdown. This refers to pagination on a website. To avoid overloading a category with a large amount of content, the page is divided into sequentially linked numbered parts. Another option is a "Load More" button, but keep in mind that with this implementation, search engine robots may not be able to process content hidden behind the button. I recommend implementing the button only in conjunction with classic pagination.
There's also the "infinite scroll," but I strongly advise against using this option. It has a negative impact on both users and search engine robots.
Breadcrumbs. Navigational breadcrumbs allow for effective management of link weight distribution, organizing the SEO structure, and ultimately are convenient for every user without exception. It's important to remember that breadcrumbs should display the full path, including the final page.
Conclusion
The website structure, like semantics, is the foundation on which SEO promotion stands. By applying the above-mentioned advice during the website development stage, you will create a strong foundation for subsequent promotion.
