Unlock Infinite Possibilities with a Solid Foundation for your WordPress Site
When it comes to building a successful WordPress site, having a solid structure is crucial. A well-structured website not only enhances user experience but also improves search engine optimization (SEO) and overall performance. With millions of websites competing for attention, standing out from the crowd requires careful planning and implementation of an effective site structure. In this article, we will explore various strategies and best practices to help you improve the structure of your WordPress site, ensuring that it is organized, user-friendly, and optimized for success. Whether you are starting from scratch or looking to revamp your existing website, these tips will empower you to create a cohesive and intuitive web presence that engages visitors and drives conversions.
One of the most interesting topics addressed during the event From Zero to SEO? Difficult to make a ranking, the speakers have dealt with topics transversal to the subject and have studied aspects that can not be compared. One point, however, hit my attention: you have to improve the structure of a site. Sometimes efforts are concentrated […]
The importance of a good site structure
Few dwell on the structure of the site? Strange situation because this step is on one of the basic documents for those who start working in this world, namely the Google SEO guide . A free document that provides everyone with an essential starting point: it focuses on simplicity of navigation . How do you have to move?
Here are the words of Mountain View taken from the text just linked: ” Browsing a website is essential to help visitors quickly find the content. It can also help search engines understand what content is considered important by the webmaster. (…) Google also prefers to have an idea of the role of a page in the larger context of the site “.
This means that you have to improve the structure of a site if you want to get two great results: people can move easily on the site. And suggest to Google the most important pages for you. So, what are the solutions to improve the navigation of a WordPress site ? Go ahead, read on.
To learn more: how to improve the HTML page for SEO
Start from a tree site structure
The first point to underline, often expressed by the SEO experts who took turns on the stage of the event: works with a tree structure . When you organize your blog, you start from a home page, from a root, and create the various branches. From the main page go to the static page, or to the category and finally to the article.
The idea is to make a resource a maximum of 3 clicks from the home page in terms of navigation. From category to article. Or from category to sub-category, finally to article. This has a threefold purpose : to facilitate the user who wants to reach the single page, to help the search engine to discover all your resources and to better distribute the strength of the incoming links (backlinks) that point towards the home page.
It seems clear at this point that the optimization of the categories becomes a decisive step for your editorial project. Optimize pages as any web resource – considering title tags , meta description and all on-page elements – but above all carefully choose the articles to be included in these macro-containers. Do you still have doubts? Read this article: 7 answers to solve taxonomy problems .
Create an intuitive navigation menu
The navigation menu is one of the points to let the two actors (user and search engine) discover, browse and appreciate the work. It is one of the first elements in hierarchical order, it dominates the above the fold and invites navigation. What are the rules for having a good menu? The Google advice:
“Controlling most of the browsing from one page to another via text links simplifies the search engine’s crawling and understanding of the site.”
This means that navigation should be based above all on anchor text with words able to make people understand what you do, look for and offer. Do you need to use the term “Work” or “What can I do for you”? Better your nickname or the term “Who am I”? Always focus on clarity and simplicity. You do not have to make the user think, Steve Krug’s word: you have to make sure that it acts in minimum time. Without doubts.
Manage internal links with care certosina
Do you want to improve the structure of a site? Use internal links. These elements allow you to work, as often happens, on two essential levels : user satisfaction and on-page SEO optimization. For Google, it is important to know that a resource has obtained a number of internal links with a certain anchor text. On the other hand you do not have to enter them randomly, without a reflection at the base. A reflection that focuses on the user: does that link serve who is reading to deepen?
Eliminate what you do not need from the header and footer
Advice for the navigation menu: you do not have to put everything. Not necessarily, this is not the goal. Of course, having pages not reachable with clicks , as a rule, is not one of the best solutions. This is why they invented the categories and archives. Do not overdo the links in your navigation bar, remove what you do not need from this area. Without forgetting that there is the footer to be lightened: does it make sense to insert a tide of links?
I am assuming that simplicity always wins, but these decisions must be taken with the data in hand. Two tools: use the Google Analytics add-onto locate clicks on the various links on a web page, or you can bet on a more advanced tool like Hotjar which is free for 30 days.
Optimize the sidebar of posts
This is one of the pillars to improve the structure of a site. Not everything has to be on the home page, you can use the post sidebar to show what matters for your business. Avoid those obsolete widgets to show the latest published articles , cloud tags and content lists without any link to the main theme. Instead, use the sidebar to push the audience to landing pages and conversion modules , perhaps using the Q2W3 Fixed Widget plugin to make sure that the reader always has the banner on the eye.
Add breadcrumb for browsing
A contribution that can make the difference, but at the same time a simple step to implement on any WordPress blog: make sure that the pages of your website present the breadcrumbs . That is the internal links that show the path taken by the user to reach that resource.
These solutions describe the structure of the site and help people move. The presence of these elements is recognized by Google thanks to the structured data for the rich snippet and shown in the serp through the evolution of the URL that shows the various steps made by the content.
How to improve the structure of a site
Perhaps you have noticed, I have addressed some basic themes of optimization that can be put into practice in these cases. The reason is simple: not always the risky choices bring positive results. My opinion? Focus on simplicity , make sure that important content is highlighted and make your pages easy to reach. Do you agree? Do you have something to add to improve the structure of a site?
In conclusion, improving the structure of your WordPress site is crucial for enhancing user experience and optimizing your website’s performance. By following the tips mentioned in this article, such as organizing your content with categories and tags, using a clean and responsive theme, implementing a clear navigation menu, optimizing your site’s speed, and regularly updating and maintaining your plugins and themes, you can significantly improve the overall structure of your WordPress site.
Remember that a well-structured website not only helps visitors find what they are looking for easily but also improves search engine rankings. So take the time to evaluate and enhance the structure of your WordPress site today to ensure its success in the long run.
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