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Designing · Information architecture
A structure people can find their way around.
If visitors can’t find what they came for, it doesn’t matter how good the page is. Information architecture organises your content around how customers think, so they reach the right answer in fewer clicks, and search engines understand you too.
Information architecture
What a confusing structure costs you.
For the CEO
Our website mirrors our org chart.
Many sites are organised by department because that’s how the business is structured. Customers don’t think that way, so they get lost.
For the CMO
Good content is buried.
You’ve invested in content, but people never find it. Navigation labels are unclear and important pages sit four levels deep.
For growth and SEO
Search engines don’t understand what we do.
A messy structure weakens internal linking and splits relevance across similar pages, making it harder to rank for the topics that matter.
For product and support
Support keeps answering questions the website already answers.
When information is hard to find, customers call or email instead. That cost is often invisible until you look.
Your structure may need rework if…
Structural problems hide in plain sight because everyone internal already knows where things are.
- Visitors use search because navigation doesn’t help.
- Your menu has grown to include almost everything.
- Several pages cover the same topic.
- Teams can’t agree where new content should go.
- Customers ask questions answered somewhere on the site.
- You’re migrating to a new platform.
What Information architecture actually is.
Information architecture (IA) is the structure behind a website or product: how content is grouped, labelled, connected and navigated. It decides what goes where and what things are called, so people can predict where to find what they need.
Good IA is invisible. Users don’t notice it; they simply find things. It also creates a clear topical structure that helps search engines understand and rank your content.
What it isn’t
- Just a sitemap diagram
- Your internal org chart
- A menu redesign
- Something only for large websites
From a content inventory to a structure people can navigate.
We test the structure with real users before anything is designed or built, when changes are cheap.
01
Inventory content
We audit what exists, what performs and what’s duplicated or outdated.
You get: A clear picture of the content you actually have.
02
Understand mental models
We use card sorting, search data and interviews to learn how customers group and name things.
You get: Structure and labels based on your customers’ language.
03
Design the structure
We create the sitemap, navigation, URL structure and content relationships.
You get: A structure that scales as you add content.
04
Test it
We run tree tests to check people can find key information before anything is built.
You get: Evidence the structure works, early and cheaply.
05
Plan the migration
We map old content to new locations, with redirects that protect search rankings.
You get: A move that doesn’t cost you traffic.
Structural mistakes we see on almost every audit.
Mirroring the org chart
Customers don’t care how you’re structured internally. Organise around their tasks and questions.
Clever labels
Creative navigation labels feel distinctive but slow people down. Clear, familiar words help people find things.
Duplicating topics
Several pages covering the same subject confuse visitors and split search relevance. One strong page usually beats three weak ones.
Migrating without redirects
Moving content without a redirect plan is one of the fastest ways to lose search traffic built over years.
A structure ready for design and migration.
Everything a designer, developer and SEO specialist needs to implement the structure without guesswork.
- Content inventory and audit
- Card sort and search-term findings
- Sitemap and navigation model
- URL structure and naming conventions
- Tree test results
- Content migration and redirect map
Led by our Designing lead.
Our Designing lead leads the card sorts and tree tests, working with our Growth lead to make sure the structure also strengthens search visibility.
What we’ll need from you
- Admin access or an export of your current site
- Search Console and site-search data
- Customers or prospects for short remote tests
- Someone who knows your content well
Questions about site structure.
Will changing our structure hurt our search rankings?
Done carelessly, it can. Done properly, with a full redirect map and preserved or improved internal linking, it usually helps. Protecting existing rankings is part of our process.
What’s a tree test?
A simple test where people try to find things using only the navigation structure, with no visual design. It shows quickly whether labels and grouping make sense.
Do small websites need information architecture?
Every site has one, planned or not. For smaller sites it’s a lighter exercise, but the same principles decide whether visitors find what they need.
Can you work with our CMS?
Yes. We design the structure and content model to fit your platform, whether that’s WordPress, a headless CMS or something else.
Can a new visitor find your most important page in two clicks?
If you’re not sure, we can run a quick tree test and show you.
Or write to us at [email protected]