Site Structure
The overall layout of your site has a
lot to do with SEO. This is also a fundamental
aspect of SEO, but one that is very often overlooked
even by pros. It is also the hardest thing to
change, if it was done badly to begin with.
Site layout is the way in which you
categorize the areas of your site, and the way you
layer those areas, how you link them, and where you
put the links. All of those things contribute to
good search engine optimization, or interfere with
it. I'll try to explain the elements of good site
structure in a way you can understand.
1. Good page layout. The
individual page should have some text as close to
the top of the code as possible that explains what
the site is about. It should use one or two
important keywords. You can see at the top of this
page how we have a teaser up in the blue bar. This
is not the only way to do that, but it is perhaps
the simplest way. The links should be logically
ordered as well, with them contained in groups that
make sense.
2. Good site layout. Consider
carefully before you start naming links. You want to
keep them easy for people to find what is behind
them. If people can easily understand it, then
search engines will too. Site layout has to do with
how many layers of links you have, and how they
connect to each other. This site uses a single level
navigation. Everything comes off the home page, and
every page links directly to every other page -
there are no site links that you cannot see from
every page in the site.
Other sites may use a multi-level
structure though, with sub-sections under the main
links. It is usually recommended that you do not go
any deeper than three layers of links, unless you
create a new directory to put the sections in, so
you can register the sections in their own right
with the search engines.
3. Choose your categories well.
When you have main categories, with topic pages
coming off of those, you need to group them into
logical groupings. The more related the subcategory
pages are to the other pages in the same
subcategory, the more relevant the pages will end up
appearing.
4. Break your topics up into
logical and reasonable groupings. Some people say,
"put articles of 500 words on each page, and if they
are longer than that, break them up." That is pure
hogwash. Divide them up into topics that make good
sense! Word limits DON'T make sense, to either
people, or to search engines!
If an article is too long, break
it up IF there is a natural way to do so. Pages that
are unequal lengths are NORMAL. If the page reads
well, and is understandable, fine, long or short.
Of course, you should have ENOUGH
content on each page to make it worth clicking the
link. That is important. But too long is not a
problem unless it really should be divided into
multiple topics. Because search engines like for a
single page to address a single topic. When you do
that, your site gets better interior site traffic.
That's a good thing.
SEO really starts when you begin
to plan the site. A site that is well thought out
for people to find their way around in easily, is
also going to index better with the search engines.
So plan your site structure well,
choose a functional page and site layout, that makes
it easy for people to find what they want. SEO falls
pretty naturally from that base, and very little
else needs to be done to tweak it into better
indexing.
Site layout is the way in which you categorize the areas of your site, and the way you layer those areas, how you link them, and where you put the links. All of those things contribute to good search engine optimization, or interfere with it. I'll try to explain the elements of good site structure in a way you can understand.
1. Good page layout. The individual page should have some text as close to the top of the code as possible that explains what the site is about. It should use one or two important keywords. You can see at the top of this page how we have a teaser up in the blue bar. This is not the only way to do that, but it is perhaps the simplest way. The links should be logically ordered as well, with them contained in groups that make sense.
2. Good site layout. Consider carefully before you start naming links. You want to keep them easy for people to find what is behind them. If people can easily understand it, then search engines will too. Site layout has to do with how many layers of links you have, and how they connect to each other. This site uses a single level navigation. Everything comes off the home page, and every page links directly to every other page - there are no site links that you cannot see from every page in the site.
Other sites may use a multi-level structure though, with sub-sections under the main links. It is usually recommended that you do not go any deeper than three layers of links, unless you create a new directory to put the sections in, so you can register the sections in their own right with the search engines.
3. Choose your categories well. When you have main categories, with topic pages coming off of those, you need to group them into logical groupings. The more related the subcategory pages are to the other pages in the same subcategory, the more relevant the pages will end up appearing.
4. Break your topics up into logical and reasonable groupings. Some people say, "put articles of 500 words on each page, and if they are longer than that, break them up." That is pure hogwash. Divide them up into topics that make good sense! Word limits DON'T make sense, to either people, or to search engines!
If an article is too long, break it up IF there is a natural way to do so. Pages that are unequal lengths are NORMAL. If the page reads well, and is understandable, fine, long or short.
Of course, you should have ENOUGH content on each page to make it worth clicking the link. That is important. But too long is not a problem unless it really should be divided into multiple topics. Because search engines like for a single page to address a single topic. When you do that, your site gets better interior site traffic. That's a good thing.
SEO really starts when you begin to plan the site. A site that is well thought out for people to find their way around in easily, is also going to index better with the search engines.
So plan your site structure well, choose a functional page and site layout, that makes it easy for people to find what they want. SEO falls pretty naturally from that base, and very little else needs to be done to tweak it into better indexing.
