A site architecture is a blueprint for how your website is structured, including the different types of content and what pages they’re on. A good site architecture helps visitors find what they’re looking for—and gives them an easy way to buy it.
The right site architecture makes it easier for people to find what they want by organizing the content of your website into groups that can be accessed through a menu or through search engine results. It also makes it easier for people to navigate back through your website when they want more information or need to contact you directly.
Content Types and Pages
Content types are the different types of content on your website. Pages are the individual instances of content types. For example, a page might be an individual blog post or product listing.
Content types can be organized into hierarchies (e.g., “Blog Posts” > “Product Reviews”) and have properties (e.g., title) that are used across all instances of a given type of content.
Websites are made up of a variety of types of content, each with its own mission.
Content types are the different types of content you’d find in a magazine. For example, if you’re writing about gardening and have an article about composting, that would be one content type. If you then had an article on how to grow tomatoes, that would be another content type.
Content categories are groups of similar content types–they can be organized into subcategories as well as broader categories. A subcategory might be “gardening” while a broader category could be “home improvement.”
Each type of content is made up of one or more pages.
Each type of content is made up of one or more pages. Pages can be made up of text, images and videos.
Pages can also be grouped into sections, which are grouped together into categories and then topics (see below).
To organize pages into a site architecture, we’ll create an outline that organizes those pages into groups, each with its own purpose.
To organize pages into a site architecture, we’ll create an outline that organizes those pages into groups, each with its own purpose.
To start, we’ll create three content types: page (the main text), image (images), and video (videos). Then we’ll use those content types to build out the rest of our site structure.
A good site architecture makes it easier for people to find what they’re looking for on your website
A good site architecture makes it easier for people to find what they’re looking for on your website.
Organize content into logical groups. A logical group is one that has a consistent theme or topic, like “product information” or “careers.” Put related items together in a single section, such as all of the information about how to buy our products under one heading called “Ordering.” If you have several different products with similar features, include them all under one general category (for example, “Products”). Use consistent names for pages within groups of pages; don’t call them “Hoverboards” and then call another page with similar content something else like “Electric Skateboards”.
Use a consistent navigation pattern throughout each section (or subsection) in order to make it easy for people who are familiar with our site’s structure and know where they want to go next while also helping those who aren’t familiar with us yet get oriented quickly so they can find what they need without having too much difficulty searching through pages after page after page looking for what interests them most first thing when visiting any given section/subsection online before moving onto another set of links which may not be relevant at first glance but might become more interesting later down the road once someone clicks through several times already knowing where everything goes!
Anatomy of a Website
A website is a collection of pages that provides information to users.
A website’s purpose is to provide useful content in an easily accessible, user-friendly way.
A website’s mission is to help people accomplish their goals and/or fulfill their needs. It accomplishes this by providing relevant information and services in a clear and concise manner that meets the expectations of its target audience(s). A well-designed site will not only guide visitors through the steps they need to take in order to achieve their goal, but it also makes sure they understand how much time they’ll spend doing so–and how much money it will cost them if they choose not to purchase products/services from your company!
The most important part of any successful website is its content: what do users want? What kind of questions do those users have? How can we best answer those questions without overwhelming them with too much information? How can we make sure our message resonates with these people who might buy our products or services someday soon?”
Page and Site Sizes
- Page size: The number of bytes in a single HTML page
- Site size: The total number of bytes in all of your pages combined
You can calculate the site size by adding up all your page sizes, then dividing by 1024 (because 1 kilobyte is 1024 bytes). This gives you an estimate of how much bandwidth each page uses, and thus how many users can be supported before the server starts slowing down or crashing.
Main Content Area
The main content area is the most important part of your site, so it’s a good idea to put the most important information there. This is where you want to put calls to action and links that will help your user accomplish their goals.
You should also use this space for any other content that helps support or explain those calls-to-action and links (e.g., additional images).
You can also estimate the site size by adding up all your page sizes, then dividing by 1024 (because 1 kilobyte is 1024 bytes). This gives you an estimate of how much bandwidth each page uses, and thus how many users can be supported before the server starts slowing down or crashingAs with the other sections, you’ll want to keep your content brief and to the point. Try not to include more than three paragraphs of text in any one section..
Navigation Menu
- Navigation menu
The navigation menu is a list of links to pages on your website. It’s the primary way people will navigate through your site and should be displayed at the top of every page, in a consistent location. The navigation menu should be easy for visitors to understand and use, so it’s important that you create one that works well for both humans and search engines (more on this below).
- Menus are usually made up of different categories or sections within your site, such as “Home,” “About,” “Contact.” These categories could also include subcategories like “About Us” or “Services Offered.”
Footer Navigation
The footer is one of the most overlooked parts of a website, but it’s also one of the most important. It’s the last thing people see before they leave your site, so it should provide useful information and links that help them navigate around your site.
You can use this space to display legal disclaimers or other legal information that might be relevant to your audience (like contact details). You could also add more navigation links here if you have too many in other places on the page–it’s unlikely anyone will notice if they’re not looking for them!
Mobile Site Conversion Checkpoints
- Checkpoint 1: Mobile Site Should Be Easy To Use And Navigate
Mobile users are often in a hurry and have little patience for websites that are difficult to navigate on their mobile devices. Make sure your mobile site is easy to use by keeping the number of clicks needed to find what you’re looking for at a minimum and using simple language in your navigation bar titles. The goal is for users to be able to access all of the content on your website through their phone without being distracted by unnecessary links or ads.
- Checkpoint 2: Mobile Site Should Be Easy To Access
You want people who visit your website from their phones or tablets (and other devices) to have instant access, so make sure they don’t have any trouble finding it when they type in its URL into their web browser’s address bar or click on an advertisement banner ad that directs them there directly.*
A good site architecture is key to improving your site’s chance at converting visitors from browsers into buyers.
A good site architecture is key to improving your site’s chance at converting visitors from browsers into buyers. The way you organize your website content, including the navigation and page hierarchy, can have a significant impact on how easily users find what they’re looking for on your website.
A well-designed site architecture will help people find what they are looking for as quickly as possible, while also providing them with other opportunities to explore related products or services that may interest them even more than what initially drew them into the site in the first place.
Conclusion
We hope that this guide has helped you to understand how websites are built, and how you can use this knowledge to create a site architecture that will help your visitors find what they’re looking for on your website. As always, if there’s anything we can do to help, please reach out!
