What it includes
The site's main sections, the pages inside each one, menu labels, how pages link to each other and how search and filters work. It is usually mapped out in a sitemap diagram before design starts.
How to plan it
Start with what visitors come to do, then group content the way they think about it, not the way your company is organized. Card sorting and simple tests with real users help check that labels make sense.
Why it matters for SEO
A clear structure helps search engines understand which pages matter and how topics relate. Important pages should be a few clicks from the homepage and well linked from related content.
Why Information Architecture matters
If people can't find a page, it might as well not exist. Good information architecture makes sites easier to use, improves conversions and gives SEO a solid foundation.
Menus organized around customers
A university department's site was organized by internal office names, so students couldn't find course information. Regrouping pages around student tasks, like applying, registering and finding advisors, cut down the questions the front desk received.
Common mistakes
Organizing by internal teams
Visitors don't know your org chart. Group content by what they want to do.
Clever menu labels
Vague or branded labels confuse people. Use plain words they would search for.
Burying key pages
Important pages hidden deep in menus get fewer visits and less search visibility.
Where we work on this