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FREE
+45 XP
Information Architecture Basics
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Alex designs the structure
"The client wanted 500 product pages all at the top level โ everything next to the homepage. 'Flat structure is great!' he said. But search engines got lost. Hierarchy is necessary."
๐ Information Architecture (IA) โ organizing site content into a logical hierarchy understandable by both people and search engines.
Flat vs Deep Architecture
| Type | Structure | SEO effect |
|---|---|---|
| Flat | Home โ Page | Good for small sites (<100 pages) |
| Hierarchical | Home โ Category โ Subcategory โ Page | Right for large sites, passes link equity |
Principles of Good IA
- 3-click rule โ any page reachable within 3 clicks from the homepage
- Topical clusters โ related pages grouped into sections
- No orphan pages โ every page has at least one internal link
- Logical URLs โ /category/subcategory/page/ reflects the hierarchy
IA planning: paper first
1. Define main topics (top level)
2. Break each into subtopics
3. Draw the site tree
4. Check: any duplicate topics?
5. Only then create pages
1. Define main topics (top level)
2. Break each into subtopics
3. Draw the site tree
4. Check: any duplicate topics?
5. Only then create pages
๐ฏ Key rule: site structure = your knowledge structure on the topic. The more logical it is, the better Google understands your expertise.
๐ฎ Test yourself: what is information architecture?
Lesson Task
Test your knowledge and earn +20 XP