The tree structure of a website is essential to build a fluid and ergonomic user experience. It also plays an important role in natural referencing.

If you are creating or redesigning a website, you will need to create a tree structure. This shows the hierarchy between the different pages of the site.

We also talk about site “structure”. Level 1, which is the base, is the home page; then come levels 2, 3, 4, which are the different sections.

This hierarchy is essential to build a fluid and ergonomic user experience. It also plays an important role in natural referencing.

The importance of the tree structure of your website

The tree structure serves on the one hand (and above all), to offer visitors a good experience on your site. No matter how beautiful your design is, if it is difficult to navigate the site, users will leave.

Do not limit the design of a tree structure to a simple classification of contents into headings and subheadings. This is only part of the job.
You will, in fact, have to plan the path of your visitors. If a visitor comes to your page via any channel, looking for a P product, will he or she be able to easily access the page in question? This is the kind of question you should ask yourself when creating your tree structure.

On the other hand, you should know that the user experience is very important to Google, if the internal mesh of your site allows a smooth navigation to the Internet users, it will make positive points and improve your ranking in the search results.

How to build an efficient tree structure?

The creation of the sitemap is an essential step for the success of your online visibility. It is advisable to delegate this task to a professional, to put all the chances on your side.

Nevertheless, if you prefer to take care of it or at least establish a first tree structure, here’s how to proceed.

1. Finding the right keywords

Use tools like SEMRush or Yooda Insight to search for keywords relevant to your business.

Start with a keyword that represents your business (its products or services), then the tool will suggest new ideas based on this term. These keywords will allow you to find sections and sub-sections in which to classify your pages.

Remember to look at the volume of monthly searches, as well as the level of competition. The must: expressions that generate many queries (at least 500 per month) and low competition.

2. Make an inventory of the content of your website

In the context of a site redesign (and therefore a tree structure redesign), make an inventory of existing content. Gather all this in a folder and classify it by category.

If necessary, you can then modify the content to better correspond to your headings, as well as your (new) keywords. Which brings us to the next point…

3. Organize your content

Now that you have all the existing content, think about which ones you want to integrate.

Is it done? Organize them into levels.

Level 1 should always be your home page. It is advisable not to have pages that are too deep: no more than 3 levels. However, this is only a piece of advice, if you still end up with a level 4 page, ask yourself why and, above all, if you really need it.

4. Take a look at your competitors

With your head in the handlebars, you can forget essential items or elements.

Consider taking a tour of your competitors’ sites. You’ll know if you haven’t overlooked or forgotten something important.

5. Creating the tree diagram

Paper or software? The choice is yours.

On a computer, however, your work will be easier to share with your colleagues or collaborators. Balsamiq or Cacoo are web modeling tools that can help you create your tree structure. Even with PowerPoint, you will get by very easily.

6. Confronting the tree structure with the realities of navigation and SEO

This step will allow you to make the last modifications to the structure of your site and to highlight the links between the different pages. Imagine scenarios and test them.

Here are a few points to consider:

• Profile of the Internet user: age, CSP, level of Web mastery
• Objective: real need for a product, medium interest, etc.
• Acquisition channel: how did it get on your website?
• Landing page: on which page did the internet user arrive? Product sheet? Blog ?
• For each case, you must ensure that the visitor finds what he is looking for on your page as quickly and simply as possible.

For SEO purposes, you must make sure that your key pages are at level 1 or 2 of your tree structure. The deeper a page is, the worse its ranking by search engines.

Building the tree structure of a site is sometimes a complex task. Don’t hesitate to post your ad on Codeur.com to benefit from the help of a professional.