Websites
How should I structure a website?
Start with the user's tasks
Before choosing a navigation menu, list the questions and tasks your visitors have. A business visitor may need to understand what you offer, see proof, learn how the process works, and know how to contact you.
Group related information into pages that each have a clear purpose. Do not create a page just because a competitor has one.
A common business structure
A small business site often needs a homepage, service or product pages, an about or trust page, useful resources or answers, and a contact or conversion page. The exact structure depends on the business.
For BuildSkills, learning pages and service pages have different jobs. Learning pages answer and teach. Service pages explain how work can be delivered. Linking them should help a visitor move between those purposes without creating duplicate copies of the same answer.
Make navigation predictable
Use descriptive link text and keep important pages reachable from other findable pages. A visitor should be able to tell where a link leads before clicking it.
Search engines also use links to discover pages and understand relationships between pages, so internal linking is part of both usability and SEO.
One topic, one authoritative page
If two URLs answer the same question in substantially the same way, you create maintenance and indexing problems. Choose one canonical learning page for the topic and let question indexes, category pages, and related links point to it.
Sources and further reading
Frequently asked questions
How should I structure a website?
Group pages by the jobs a visitor has. Name them in plain language. Link each page to the next one they need.
How many pages is too many?
More than you can keep accurate. Start small. Add a page when it has its own question.
What belongs in the menu?
The main sections only. A long menu makes people miss the important pages.
Should the URL match the page title?
Close enough that a person can guess the topic. Short, readable paths are better than random codes.
Where does the contact page go?
Somewhere people can find without hunting. A link in the header or footer is the usual place.
How do I stop the site becoming a mess?
One topic per page, and a link back to the section it belongs to. Do not paste the same essay on every URL.