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5 Tips To Structure A Website That Works

A lot of emphasis has been put on website layout recently including whether to use tables or CSS, flash or javascript which has left the the basics of website structure in the dark a little bit. It seems with all the hype of CSS and other new technologies people have stopped talking about the best way to structure their site. Now I believe that there is no single rule to website structure, but there are a few basic principles to follow if you want your site to work. Using these rules will help you to have a solid, usable structure to your site whilst being free enough to express your creativeness.

Rule number 1 - always start with the user in mind.

This has to be the most important rule. It sounds simple but once you get your head stuck into the design process, you can lose your focus on the structure. Websites are so much different to traditional methods of communication. With a book, a leaflet or a newspaper, the reader is used to navigating through them because they can physically see the pages in front of them and move from page to page by flicking through a tangible product. Websites aren't so and need to have very obvious structure if they are to succeed with the user. I recommend that the main elements of your site are extremely visible on every page of your site. Now every site is different and these elements will change from site to site, but the home page, about us page and contact us page are usually included in this area.

Try imagine your site as a series of underground tunnels with a visible entrance on the ground. At the entrance, you can see a number of different tunnels that lead into the ground. The entrance is your home page and the visible tunnels are your links to the main pages listed above. Try and visualise this scene and relate it to your site as it will help you understand its structure. The easier it is for you to get from one tunnel to another, the easier it will be for your users.

Rule number 2 - make your site scalable.

If your site needs to become larger or smaller, can you do this with the structure you have in mind? Sometimes the way in which your navigation is structured can have a negative effect on the growth of your site. Make sure that you have room to grow your site as your users increase.

Rule number 3 - always give your uses a way back to the home page.

It still amazes me that you can find lots of sites out there that don't offer you a link back to the home page and can cause so much frustration for the user that they simply go to another site. I recommend that you use your sites logo in the mast head to link back to your home page on all pages. Then, if a user gets into your site too deep, they always have a lifeline. If your site is well laid out, they probably won't need it although it is worth remembering that not every looks or uses websites in the same way.

Rule number 4 - include a sitemap.

I'm not talking about a google sitemap, although they are recommended to help google find your pages. Give your users a visual map of your sites pages. This can be done in a list of page titles that link through to their respective pages. With one of these in place in an accessible area on your site, your users have no reason to get lost.

Rule number 5 - check and then double check your links.

This has to be one of the main reasons that sites lose a users trust. It is all well and good having a finely structured website, but if the links don't work then your users are going no where but off your site. Check all the links carefully.