| name | site-architecture-plan |
| description | Plans website information architecture with URL structure, internal linking strategy, and content hierarchy. Use when building or restructuring a website for SEO. |
| allowed-tools | Read Write Glob |
| metadata | {"author":"matthewhitcham","version":"1.0"} |
Site Architecture Plan
When to Use This Skill
Use this skill when you need to:
- Plan a website's URL structure and page hierarchy from scratch
- Restructure an existing site for better SEO and user experience
- Design an internal linking strategy that distributes page authority
- Create a content hierarchy that supports topic clusters and pillar pages
DO NOT use this skill for visual web design, wireframing, or technical performance optimization. This is for information architecture and SEO-focused site structure.
Core Principle
EVERY PAGE SHOULD BE REACHABLE IN 3 CLICKS OR FEWER FROM THE HOMEPAGE — FLAT, LOGICAL ARCHITECTURE HELPS BOTH USERS AND SEARCH ENGINES FIND WHAT THEY NEED.
Phase 1: Brief
Required Inputs
| Input | What to Ask | Default |
|---|
| Business type | "What does your business do?" | No default — must be provided |
| Core pages needed | "What pages must your site have?" | Homepage, About, Services, Blog, Contact |
| Products/services | "List your products or service categories." | No default — must be provided |
| Content volume | "How many blog posts or content pages do you have/plan?" | Under 50 |
| Target keywords | "What are your top 5-10 keywords?" | Derived from business type |
| Current site | "Is this a new site or a redesign?" | New site |
GATE: Confirm inputs before designing the architecture.
Phase 2: Site Structure
URL Hierarchy
## Site Map
/ ← Homepage
├── /about ← About page
├── /services ← Services overview
│ ├── /services/[service-1] ← Service detail page
│ ├── /services/[service-2]
│ └── /services/[service-3]
├── /products ← Products overview (if applicable)
│ ├── /products/[category]
│ └── /products/[category]/[product]
├── /blog ← Blog index
│ ├── /blog/[category] ← Blog category pages
│ └── /blog/[post-slug] ← Individual posts
├── /resources ← Guides, tools, downloads
│ └── /resources/[resource-slug]
├── /contact ← Contact page
└── /[landing-pages] ← Campaign-specific landing pages
URL Rules
- Lowercase, hyphenated, no special characters
- Include target keyword in the URL slug
- Keep URLs short (under 60 characters ideally)
- No dates in blog URLs (allows evergreen updates)
- Category pages use /blog/category/ not /category/blog/
Page Type Definitions
## Page Types
| Page Type | Purpose | Keyword Target | Template |
|-----------|---------|---------------|----------|
| Homepage | Overview + trust | Brand + primary keyword | Unique |
| Service pages | Convert visitors | Service-specific keywords | Repeated |
| Pillar pages | Comprehensive guides | Head/body keywords | Guide layout |
| Blog posts | Answer specific questions | Long-tail keywords | Post layout |
| Category pages | Organize content | Category keywords | Index layout |
| Landing pages | Campaign conversion | Campaign keywords | Minimal |
GATE: Approve the site structure before designing internal linking.
Phase 3: Internal Linking Strategy
Link Architecture
## Internal Linking Rules
**Homepage:**
- Links to all main sections (services, blog, resources)
- Links to top 3-5 most important pages
- Receives links from every page (via nav and footer)
**Pillar Pages:**
- Link to every cluster blog post related to the topic
- Receive links from all cluster posts
- Link to relevant service/product pages
**Blog Posts:**
- Link to the parent pillar page
- Link to 2-3 related blog posts
- Link to 1 relevant service/product page
- Use descriptive anchor text (not "click here")
**Service Pages:**
- Link to relevant blog content for depth
- Link to related services for cross-discovery
- Link to testimonial/case study pages
Topic Cluster Map
## Topic Clusters
**Cluster 1: [Topic]**
Pillar: /resources/[comprehensive-guide]
├── /blog/[subtopic-1]
├── /blog/[subtopic-2]
├── /blog/[subtopic-3]
└── /blog/[subtopic-4]
**Cluster 2: [Topic]**
Pillar: /resources/[comprehensive-guide]
├── /blog/[subtopic-1]
├── /blog/[subtopic-2]
└── /blog/[subtopic-3]
Phase 4: Polish
1. Navigation Structure
Define the main navigation menu and footer links:
- Main nav: 5-7 top-level items maximum
- Footer: secondary pages, legal, social links
- Breadcrumbs: enable on all pages below the homepage
2. Technical Checklist
3. Growth Plan
How the architecture scales as content grows:
- New blog posts slot into existing clusters
- New services get pages under /services/
- New clusters are planned around keyword research
- Site map reviewed quarterly for structural issues
Anti-Patterns
- Deep nesting — /services/category/subcategory/sub-subcategory/page is too deep. Keep to 3 levels maximum.
- Orphan pages — pages with no internal links pointing to them are invisible to search engines and users.
- Flat blog with no categories — hundreds of blog posts at /blog/[slug] with no topical organization wastes cluster potential.
- Changing URLs without redirects — every changed URL needs a 301 redirect. Broken links lose all accumulated SEO value.
- Keyword cannibalization — two pages targeting the same keyword compete against each other. One page per primary keyword.
Recovery
- Existing site with no structure: Audit current pages, group by topic, create category pages, and add internal links. Do not change URLs unless necessary.
- Too many pages for manual linking: Prioritize the top 20 pages by traffic and link those manually. Use breadcrumbs and category pages for automatic linking.
- URL restructure needed: Create a complete redirect map before changing anything. Test redirects thoroughly after implementation.
- No blog content yet: Build the architecture now with placeholder categories. Fill in content based on the topic cluster plan.
