Want to improve your site’s search engine rankings? A well designed website architecture is key. This post outlines the ‘website architecture SEO best practices’ you need to know: from designing a coherent hierarchy that pleases users and crawlers to deploying the right internal linking strategy. Ready to build an SEO foundation? Let’s map out a search optimised website together.
Building an SEO Friendly Website Hierarchy
Think of your website as a multi level building. The ground floor is your homepage, the floors above are categories and subcategories and each room on these floors is an individual web page. This logical hierarchy or seo friendly site structure is the key to an SEO friendly website with seo friendly site architecture. It helps faster information retrieval, user comfort and increases the chances of desired actions like purchases or signups. To better understand this concept, check out a website architecture example.
And a well structured website hierarchy makes it easier for search engine crawlers to find your website. Building a good hierarchical structure means setting clear navigation paths, defining content categories and subcategories and scalability.
Set Clear Navigation Paths
A well structured website is like a well marked trail. It guides users through the website, from general to specific, from homepage to destination. When users can find what they need without getting lost or confused they will stay, explore and engage with your site.
Simple navigation elements like hamburger menus and visible search bars can help with mobile user experience and content discovery. Sub navigation menus are also important to help visitors discover lower level categories and related content and provide a clear path through the website architecture.
Define Content Categories and Subcategories
Categories and subcategories are signposts within your website guiding users to their destination. They organize content more granularly within the main categories and help with user experience and search engine understanding of website structure.
Imagine walking into a department store with no signs to find clothing, home goods or electronics – it would be confusing wouldn’t it? The same applies to your website. Clearly defined categories and subcategories make your site more navigable and a smoother user experience.
Build a Scalable Hierarchical Model
A scalable website is like a growing tree. As new branches (pages) grow they are organized according to their relation to the existing structure. So even as your website grows its structure remains organized and manageable.
Having your site structured so users can select a category before applying search filters is a logical and user friendly way to scale. Using subfolders instead of subdomains helps to keep the overall domain authority and makes managing an expanding site structure easier.
URL Structure for Search Engines
URLs are the addresses of your web pages. They guide both users and search engines to your content. A well structured URL is not only user friendly but also SEO friendly. It should be short, keyword rich and free of unnecessary complexity. Descriptive URLs help your website to be more visible in search engines by letting search engines understand the content better.
Shorter URLs rank better in organic search. Do you know that? If not let’s look at the best practices for creating an SEO friendly URL structure.
Keep It Short and Sweet
In the world of URLs less is more. A short and simple URL is easier for users to remember and for search engines to crawl. For example yoursite.com/seo-tips is more accessible and memorable than yoursite.com/blog/2024/07/seo-tips-and-tricks-for-website-owners.
Also hyphens should be used to separate words in URLs for better readability and optimization as per Google. So when crafting your URLs remember: keep it short and sweet!
Consistency is King
Like a well designed logo or colour scheme consistency in URL structure helps with user engagement by making it easier for users to navigate and understand the website layout. For example if you are using hyphens to separate words in your URLs you should be consistent and use hyphens in all your URLs. This consistency helps user experience and search engines to understand your site structure better and hence better SEO performance.
Avoid Dynamic URL Parameters
In the world of URL structure static is the new dynamic. Static URLs that remain the same with each page load are better for consistency and readability. Dynamic URLs with parameters and identifiers can be confusing for users and cumbersome for search engines.
By having static URLs you are giving a smooth navigation experience to your users and a smooth crawl to search engines.
Internal Linking
Internal links are the glue that holds your website together. They connect pages, create a logical site structure and guide both users and search engines through your website. Good internal linking improves user navigation and helps search engines to understand the relationship between different pages on your site.
In the next sections we will see how to map out your link flow, optimize anchor text and prevent orphan pages in your website.
Map Out Your Link Flow
Mapping your link flow is like drawing a map of your website. It helps to distribute page authority within the site and reinforce core pages to search engines. By analysing your top performing pages and linking from them to priority pages you can direct traffic within your site.
For pages that need more visibility linking directly from the homepage can leverage its high authority to the benefit of those priority pages. By mapping out your internal link flow you can guide both users and search engines through your website seamlessly.
Anchor Text Optimisation
Anchor text – the clickable text in a hyperlink – is important in SEO. It tells search engines about the content of the linked page and how that page might rank in search engine results. But how do you optimise your anchor text for best results? By creating unique and descriptive anchor text for each page and varying it to not appear spammy.
Also internal linking higher on the web pages can help in reducing bounce rate and increasing dwell time. Remember a strategic and well optimised anchor text is a powerful tool in your SEO arsenal.
Prevent Orphan Pages
Orphan pages are those that have no internal links pointing to them and are hence difficult for users and search engines to find. Think of them as rooms in a building that are not connected to the main hallway. Preventing orphan pages is important for a well structured site. This can be done by ensuring each page is linked to at least one other page on your website.
Also decreasing the crawl depth can speed up search engine navigation to webpages and hence increase the chances of them getting indexed. So keep your website interconnected and say no to orphan pages!
Breadcrumbs
Hansel and Gretel left a trail of breadcrumbs to find their way back home, breadcrumbs in website architecture provide a clear and easy way for users to navigate. They show a page’s parent pages all the way to the home page. But breadcrumbs don’t just benefit users. They also visualise the hierarchy between pages and the website’s folder structure and hence help search engines to crawl the site’s architecture.
Let’s see the placement and design of breadcrumbs and best practices for breadcrumb navigation.
Placement and Design
The placement and design of breadcrumbs can make a big difference. Breadcrumbs should be placed at the top of the page, just below the main navigation and above the page title. This way they are visible to the users. Also adding contrasting colours will make them stand out from the rest of the content on the page.
Also the last item in the breadcrumb trail should be in bold to indicate the current page and it should not be hyperlinked as it leads to the same page. Remember the goal is to make navigation as easy and intuitive as possible for users.
Breadcrumb Navigation Best Practices
Following breadcrumb navigation best practices can improve user experience. The breadcrumb trail should include the home page and should show the user’s navigational path. The ‘greater than’ (>) symbol is commonly used as a separator in breadcrumbs to help users to recognise.
Breadcrumbs should not be on the homepage as it’s the starting point of navigation. And finally consistency in breadcrumb design will align with user’s expectation and overall experience.
Sitemap
A sitemap is like a roadmap of your website. It lists all the pages of your site so that search engines can find and index your content. There are two types of sitemaps: HTML sitemaps which is a user viewable list of all the pages and XML sitemaps which is a plain text list of URLs for search engine crawlers.
In the following sections we’ll see how to create both types of sitemaps and why they are important for SEO.
HTML Sitemap for Users
An HTML sitemap is a public page that has links to all other pages of the site. Like an index page it lists all the pages in a structured way so that users can have a complete view of the content on the site. Creating an HTML sitemap can be done by using CMS exports or plugins which automates the process for website administrators.
By having an HTML sitemap you can ensure that users can navigate your site and find what they are looking for.
XML Sitemap for Search Engine Crawlers
An XML sitemap is a file that lists the important pages of a website so that Google can find and crawl all of them. When creating an XML sitemap a sitemap generator tool can be used to include all the URLs along with the metadata for each URL like last update time, frequency of changes and priority of the pages. It’s best to update the XML sitemap regularly to include new pages and remove old ones.
And finally to submit an XML sitemap to Google webmasters should use the Google Search Console where they can notify Google of the sitemap’s existence and monitor the indexing status.
Smart Category and Tag Usage
Categories and tags are like the folders and labels in a well organised filing system. They simplify navigation and organises content so that users can find what they are looking for. Categories organises content like a table of contents in a book, clearly defining the main topics of a website. Tags on the other hand are connectors between related content pieces so that content can be discovered across multiple categories.
In the following sections we’ll see how to simplify navigation with categories and use tags for detailed organisation.
Simplify Navigation with Categories
Categories is a tool to group related content, give visitors easy access to topics and maintain the site’s structure over time. Aligning categories with search terms can increase their visibility in search engine results and help the site’s SEO. Short and descriptive category names will mirror the content and make the user experience more straightforward.
Also having a limited number of categories will give a clear path for users and prevent the site from getting diluted. Remember a categorised website is a user friendly website.
Tags for Detailed Organisation
Tags allows users to find articles or blog posts by searching for related tags, makes content more searchable for specific topics. Clicking on tag links allows readers to see related articles and blog posts more easily, an interconnected archive of content and show the evolution of topics.
Tactically tags are detailed sub categories that organises content under main categories. Tags are useful for linking content to specific niche topics that doesn’t need a separate category. So by using tags wisely you can organises and discover your content.
Advanced SEO Techniques for Site Architecture
As with any discipline, mastering the basics of SEO is just the beginning. To get visibility in search engine results, you need to implement advanced techniques. Canonical tags and structured data markup are two such techniques that can improve your site architecture and search engine performance. By focusing on architecture for SEO you can have a solid foundation for your website’s success.
In the following sections we’ll see how to use canonical tags to solve duplicates and how to use structured data markup for rich snippets.
Canonical Tags to Solve Duplicates
Duplicate content on a website can confuse search engines and drop the SEO performance. Canonical tags to the rescue by telling search engines which is the preferred version of a web page and solve content duplication issue. Using canonical tags will optimise search engines’ crawl efficiency by reducing the crawling of duplicate content and pointing crawlers to the main content version.
Always use canonical tags properly to avoid search engines wasting resources on non essential pages.
Structured Data Markup for Rich Snippets
Structured data or schema markup is a code that provides search engines with more information about the content of a page. By using structured data you can trigger rich snippets in search results. Rich snippets will display extra information to users which can increase your website’s CTR.
So by using structured data markup you can improve your search results and make them more user friendly.
Regular Audits and Updates
Just like a car needs regular maintenance to run smoothly, your website needs regular audits and updates to maintain SEO performance. These audits will help you identify architectural issues and optimise your site for search engine crawlers.
In the following sections we’ll see how to use site architecture tools for these audits and why site architecture is important when updating and refreshing your content.
Site Architecture Tools
To analyse and improve your website structure you need to use the right tools and study website architecture examples. There are many site architecture tools available like Netpeak Spider, SEMrush, Ahrefs which offers website analysis, crawlability assessment and on-page SEO diagnostics. Some tools even allows you to create visual sitemap quickly and help you plan your website architecture. By focusing on website architecture SEO you can optimise your site for better search engine performance.
By using these tools you can ensure your website is structured and SEO optimised according to website structure best practices.
Update and Refresh Content Regularly
Stale content is as unappealing to your website visitors as stale bread is to a diner. Update your content regularly so it remains fresh, relevant and appealing to your visitors. This includes checking all information is accurate and update supporting images, graphs and videos as needed.
Monitor the performance of updated content so you can determine the best time to refresh the content. So keep your content fresh and up to date and your visitors will come back for more.
Mobile Experience
In this digital age mobile devices generate a big chunk of web traffic. In fact 59.25 million people in the UK used a smartphone in 2023 and this number is expected to grow to 62.53 million by 2029. This means mobile friendly website architecture is a must. Mobile friendly design is important for SEO as Google’s mobile first indexing prioritises the mobile version of the content for indexing and ranking.
Responsive design will ensure your website provides a good user experience on all devices and adjusts to any screen size. Improving mobile user experience will give you better engagement metrics such as:
- lower bounce rate
- longer time on site
- higher conversion rate
- better SEO performance
Work with SEO Experts
Creating a well structured SEO friendly website is a complex task. It requires deep understanding of SEO principles, planning and consistency. Here’s where the expertise of SEO professionals comes in. Working with an enterprise SEO agency will give you expert advice on optimising website architecture for better SEO performance.
Our SEO Agency Perth has expertise in strategic planning, project management and technical implementation which is required for site changes that can improve SEO. So if you want to take your website’s SEO to new heights consider working with SEO professionals.
Conclusion
Building an SEO friendly website architecture is like building a well designed building. It involves planning the layout, building a solid foundation and constructing a logical and user friendly structure. From creating a clear hierarchy, optimising URL structure and implementing smart internal linking to using categories and tags, advanced SEO techniques and mobile experience – every part plays a big role in improving your website’s SEO. By following these strategies you can create a website that ranks high in search engines and provides great user experience. So are you ready to build an SEO friendly website architecture that leads to your online success?
FAQs
What is website architecture SEO and why is it important?
Website architecture SEO is about structuring a website to improve its search engine visibility and user experience, so search engines can crawl and index content and users can find information quickly. It’s important because it increases visibility in search results and user experience.
How do breadcrumbs help user experience and search engine understand site hierarchy?
Breadcrumbs help user experience by providing clear navigation and visualise the hierarchy between pages which helps search engines understand the site architecture.
What do canonical tags do to resolve duplicate content issues?
Canonical tags resolve duplicate content issues by telling search engines which version of a web page is the preferred one and directing crawlers to the main content version, optimising search engine crawl efficiency.
How do categories and tags help in content organisation?
Categories help in content organisation by grouping similar topics together, acting as a table of contents for the website. Tags connect related content pieces and help content discoverability across different categories.
Why mobile friendly website architecture is important?
Mobile friendly website architecture is important because most of the web traffic is from mobile and Google’s mobile first indexing prioritises mobile content. This means good SEO and smooth user experience across all devices.
