SEO 101: The Importance of Website Structure

In the SEO world, we don't talk about the "best" content. We talk about relevant content. Relevance speaks to the quality of the information.

As we've noted before: Good writing feels necessary--writing that stays with the reader. Good writing makes an impression. Good writing is meaningful.

Read: "How to Build an Optimized Website: Content"

However, relevant content is useless (and irrelevant) if no one can find it. Google and its users must be guided to your content.

This is the function of website taxonomy--or website structure.

Website Taxonomy = Website Structure

The word taxonomy is often associated with biology. Taxonomy is also often used to describe website structure. Like a biological taxonomy, a good website is not merely a series of pages. A good website is a carefully-crafted structure that describes, identifies, and classifies pages by topics and sub-topics.

Applied to any collection of information, a taxonomy is a simple yet powerful tool for guiding people to relevant information. SEO works with search engine algorithms to achieve the same purpose.

When a website structure follows a logical taxonomy, the description, identification, and classification of content is seamless. From a search engine's perspective, a seamless structure means speedy and efficient indexing. (In case you're unfamiliar with indexing, here's an overview from Kissmetrics).

A seamless structure also means your content can be easily shared.

Read: "Content Marketing: How to Create Sharable Content"

Finally, a seamless structure also guarantees a website's ease of use. As you might know, usability is a major component of Google's ranking. Creating an engaging user experience (UX) means your browsers will view your website positively, inspiring return visits.

Your structure should be developed before you even begin building your website. As a practice, too, developing a website structure can help you refine your business offering.

You can create a structure in any number of ways, but SEO Sparta often tells its clients to think about a new website in terms of a home page, category page, and product pages.

Website Structure: Your Home Page

A home page is the first page of your website, which contains links to all relevant categories. A home page should include the most basic information about your business or website.

On your home page, you want to be specific but general about your offering. Describe your offering clearly. Just remember: You will go into detail later, with your category and product pages.

If you're a hair salon in Bucks County, PA, for example, your home page will promote this simple fact.

Website Structure: Category Pages

A category page is a place to use longer-tail keywords (instead of single words, phrases and/or sentences). A category page refines your offering into more nuanced subsections.

As Hallam notes in its article on creating a website taxonomy:

These pages should be the main focus for link building and should regularly have internal links pointing towards them whenever the topic is mentioned on a new page or post, this way they will be the most likely page to be picked and promoted by search engines for the topic they cover. Being an ideal place for people to enter the website on they act as key landing pages and can be used for paid advertising.

If you're a hair salon in Bucks County, your category pages might detail your services: Women's Styling or Men's Styling, for example.

Website Structure: Product Pages

Your most specific pages, your product pages, should focus on a sole product or service. You want to describe your products, one-page-per-product. Product pages will not necessarily rank high in search engines for general queries but they will be helpful in the context of your website, and for more specific queries.

If you're a hair salon in Bucks County, your product pages will detail the specific services you offer under your category pages: Keratin treatments, for example, under the category Women's styling.

An SEO Company That Understands Website Structure: SEO Sparta

Much of the work of structuring a website falls upon your website designer and developer. However, the more input you have in the process, the better. And, of course, you want to make sure your developer understands the basics of website structure and how a good structure influences a site's SEO.

To build an effective, fully-optimized website, you need a web development company that understands SEO. SEO Sparta is a rare company that offers a host of SEO and marketing professionals to optimize your website.

We are currently working with our clients to emerge from the current pandemic stronger and more resilient. Check out our limited-time website design special for one current offering. And if you have any questions about applying digital marketing strategies, including SEO, to your website, please do not hesitate to contact us today.

Cover Photo Source:Hierarchy Structure

If you are interested in transforming your website into a money-making tool or are interested in exploring opportunities to outperform your competition, we encourage you to contact SEO SPARTA.

We combine traditional marketing methods and organic SEO--emphasizing natural website optimization--to design thoughtful, inspiring, and effective marketing campaigns.

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