how do i structure my website: pages, menu, hierarchy

web · 2026-10-29 · 3 min

the map comes before the layout

most sites are built backwards. someone opens a template, likes the hero, and only then asks where the other pages go. by then the structure is whatever the template allows. it looks fine for a week, then becomes a maze.

do it the other way. write one line for every thing a visitor might want to do, then group the lines: see what you do, see what it costs, check that you exist, write to you, read the last article. that list is your information architecture, and it costs an afternoon.

three levels, no more

home, section, page. that is enough for almost every small site. a fourth level usually means a section is doing two jobs, or that a page is hiding its own subsections.

if you have a page that answers what you do, one that lists projects and one per project, you already have three levels. deeper than that, visitors stop knowing where they are.

one page, one intent. if your services page explains the offer, lists prices, answers objections and collects requests, it is four pages wearing one url. split it, and each part can be written properly.

the menu is a promise

five to seven items. a menu promises that everything in it matters. twelve items force the visitor to read all twelve to find the one.

put in the menu only what a first-time visitor needs to decide whether to stay: what you do, proof, prices or process, contact. legal notes, old projects, the archive and the newsletter belong in the footer, where people look once they trust you.

urls and breadcrumbs

an url should say what is inside before the click. /blog/internal-linking is readable; /pagina-2 is a filing error. lowercase, hyphens, no dates unless the date matters, no ids. if you change an url, redirect the old one.

breadcrumbs are not decoration. on a site with three levels they tell the visitor where the page sits, and they give search engines a second path to the same content.

then link pages where the reader would ask the next question. a price page should point to contact. that is what internal linking means in practice, and it is more useful than any trick with keywords.

faq

how many pages should my website have?

as many as you have distinct intents, and no more. if two pages answer the same question, merge them; if one page answers four, split it. the count follows from the map, not the other way around (a longer answer).

should the menu be the same on every page?

yes, with one exception: the current section can be marked, not removed. a menu that changes from page to page takes away the only map people have.

do i need a breadcrumb on a small site?

usually not. with two levels the menu already says where you are. add breadcrumbs when a section has children of its own.