What Structured Data Should A Website Use

Illustration by Tridib Das

Designers by nature are focused on creating products and experiences that create delight. Beyond and in pursuit of that goal, there are other considerations to be made, particularly if you're designing a website or landing page. One matter to consider is the structure of your site, both the information architecture and design layout.

A website's construction can be defined as the structural projection of an informational infinite that provides intuitive content access. In particular, a website's structure is of import when designing a systematic approach to the procedure of developing proper navigation.

For instance, presume that you run a shop that sells books and albums, but they're all piled together in one place. In order to find something to buy, your customers take to go through every book or album to find what they need. More likely, your customer is going to exit your store and never come back. Customers (and your users) prefer stores (and websites) that are properly organized. One tool you can use to organize information on your site is a proper structure.

A properly designed web structure helps users navigate with ease and achieve their goals through easy navigation and categorization. — A properly designed web construction helps users navigate with ease and reach their goals through like shooting fish in a barrel navigation and categorization. Prototype credit Adobe Stock.

What is a website construction, and why is it needed?

A website's structure helps to class understandable, discoverable, and anticipated patterns. A proper website structure helps the site's visitors find information easily though consistency. Users feel satisfied when they discover information quickly, and a solid and relatable structure is essential to the usability of the website. In fact, UX designers can solve broader issues in UI design and usability through practiced website structuring.

Good website construction is necessary for grouping and cataloging content. When because potential architectures, designers can typically choose from either a top-downward or bottom-up arroyo based on their users' needs and business organization goals.

Top-down approach – A summit-down approach focuses first on general categories of the content. Designers can logically divide the content past gradually breaking information technology up into categories. This can assist inform the taxonomy or hierarchical structure of the website.

Bottom-up approach – The lesser-upwardly approach is, as y'all can probably tell, the reverse of the superlative-downward approach. Where the top-down arroyo focuses on cataloging content into categories, the lesser-up approach focuses first on creating a construction based on the content that is bachelor for the website by grouping the elements into categories of the everyman level first and in turn grouping these categories into higher level ones.

Is there an ideal site structure?

Equally UX designers, we wait for the most platonic site structure when designing a new site based on the needs and business goals of our users. The ideal website structure can be looked at like a pyramid. It consists of a home page, categories, subcategories, and individual posts and pages.

The ideal website structure looks like a pyramid, starting with the home page at the top, then categories, subcategories, and individual posts and pages. — The ideal website structure looks similar a pyramid, starting with the home folio at the top, then categories, subcategories, and individual posts and pages. Epitome credit Yoast.

Home page – The home folio is at the height of the pyramid. It acts equally a hub for the visitors of your site. Designers should link to critical or popular pages from the home page. In doing so, designers volition be able to more easily guide users to the almost important pages.
Categories – Categorization is a valuable office of a website's structure. Designers can help users make decisions faster and easier with good categorization. Designers can use categories to reduce the corporeality of time spent considering a decision
Subcategories – These play a major role in defining a website's structure. For instance, online marketplaces like eBay and Amazon accept a nearly unfathomable number of pages. Information technology would be easy for a user to go lost in the information provided. Subcategories provide a structured methodology for browsing and categorizing information in a meaningful manner, especially for websites with complex data.
Individual posts and pages – Individual posts and pages are the basic elements of a website. Designers should focus on how to create a meaningful information hierarchy within every page, so the user has less to consider when information technology comes to consuming content.

Types of website structures

At that place are four chief types of website structures. Having a proper agreement of website structures makes it easier for designers to create a meaningful website information architecture. Let's await into them one by one.

Hierarchical model

The hierarchical model is one of the most mutual types of site architecture. The hierarchical model is often used in web applications that contain a large corporeality of data. The hierarchical model is similar to a tree in that it has a body (similar a homepage) that branches out into categories and pages. Sites like CNN.com and BBC.co.uk are great examples of the hierarchical model.

Sequential model

Sequential models are popular when leading users through a sequence similar onboarding or new account creation when the user is taken through the process step-by-step. UX designers can use this model to create flows for a process. Individual pages on wikiHow.com are stiff examples of pages designed with sequence in mind.

Matrix model

The matrix model is one of the oldest site structure types on the internet. This model is unique and non-traditional in its behavior. A matrix-type construction gives users options to cull where they want to go next. These types of sites are best navigated via search or internal links. Wikipedia is a great case of the matrix model.

Database model

A database model is a dynamic approach to the website structure. To build a website structure like this, designers should call up most the bottom-upwardly approach past because a page'south metadata and adhering to strong data architecture and taxonomic all-time practices. Medium.com and its posts and pages are a great example of a database model.

Why you should start with the site structure

By considering the user's needs first when beginning a blueprint, UX designers tin create a website structure that helps the user rather than standing in their manner. A good structure adds to usability and can assistance improve the site's overall user experience. Patently put, a website's structure helps the designer create delightful user experiences through improved discoverability and intuitiveness.

Words by
Will Fanguy

Will Fanguy is a content designer at an enterprise engineering science company. He lives in Austin, Texas, with his married woman, two small dogs, and a general sense of optimism. He appreciates a skillful GIF, a great cup of coffee, and proper utilize of the Oxford comma.