On the one hand, being found in a search engine is not easy and, on the other hand, it is something that everyone who runs a website, store or blog is dedicated to. You can not only have an SEO strategy for content and content, but also design the structure of the site so that the architecture makes its contribution to findability. What this is, what you can do and much more, follows in this article from us for you. 

What does SEO-friendly web architecture mean?

Let's start with what exactly a web architecture or website architecture is. Well, actually exactly what the name says: the structure that organizes and provides the content of a website. In other words, hierarchies and much more.

SEO-friendly web architecture refers to the structure and organization of a website that helps search engine crawlers to efficiently crawl and index the content. A well-designed architecture not only improves the ranking in search engine results, but also provides a better user experience. So the architecture of the website needs to be considered from two points of view before you start tinkering: the future user (or the target audience you want to offer an experience to) and the search engine.

Creating an SEO-friendly web architecture 

We now know what it is and what it brings, but of course it is now important to know what to consider and how to set up such an architecture. So here are the most important aspects to consider. 

A clearly defined URL structure 
⁠Ideally, you should use short, easy-to-understand yet concise URLs. The URLs should be “speaking”. This means that the “/” should not be followed by a wild combination of numbers and letters, but by a “statement” such as: www.seofreundliche-architektur.de/ein-leitfaden 

Page hierarchy 
⁠One thing is particularly important here: logic! There needs to be a clear structure that is comprehensible to others and important pages should be easily accessible - i.e. no more than three clicks away from the homepage. 

Internal links 
⁠Crawlers move across your entire website. If you link relevant content to each other, this will make navigation easier for the crawlers. However, it is important to only link aspects that really have a connection. 

Sitemap 
⁠A sitemap should be behind every good website. You want to know what it is? Sure, we used the words of Google: “A sitemap is a file that you use to provide information about the pages, videos and other files on your website and to show the relationships between these page elements.” 

Here you need an XML sitemap for the purpose of crawling.

Mobile-first or mobile-friendly 
⁠This is not a new topic, everyone knows this by now: websites must load and look good on different devices. This also means that there can be different screen sizes within a device category. Your website should be responsive and “mobile-first indexing” is now the standard for Google. 

Page speed optimization 
⁠Fast loading pages are crucial for a good user experience and SEO. This is also well known, but no less important. You can do this via JamStack, for example. 

Tidy, even under the hood 
⁠Build the HTML neatly and cleanly and use semantic tags such as <header>, <nav>, <article> and <footer> to structure the content clearly.

Breadcrumb navigation
⁠This form of navigation within a website shows the user which branch they are currently at and also which path they have already taken from the start page. This not only helps visitors to the site, but also helps search engines to recognize a clear structure. 

So much for the aspects that need to be considered and which all have their importance.  Taken together, the “package” is what makes a page better than others. 

The advantages 

What do I get out of all this work? - A legitimate question. 

Websites are crawled by the search engine in which they are found. Having a good structure makes the crawlers' work easier, which can lead to better search engine rankings. 

Clear navigation and fast loading times improve the user experience and reduce bounce rates. And that's what we all want to achieve, because websites and stores are still the central point of contact for online sales. 

In addition, a well thought-out architecture makes website maintenance and scalability easier, as new content can be added more easily and the website as a whole is easier to maintain. So it also helps you in your own work to make this effort. 

Finally, search engines can also crawl and index the pages more efficiently, which increases the visibility of the website. And we all know that visibility is the be-all and end-all in search engines.

A few tips for SEO-friendly web architecture

Finally, a few tips from us on what you can do and what you should do regularly. 

Carry out regular SEO audits to identify and rectify errors. Because crawling doesn't just happen once and for all, but at regular intervals. 

Develop a content strategy that focuses on relevant keywords and high-quality content. “Relevance is key” - that's all we can say. 

Use tools such as Google Analytics and Search Console to monitor user behavior and the performance of your website. The better you know your visitors, the better you can tailor your offering to them. 

Keep up to date with the latest SEO trends and search engine updates to stay on top of your game. Of course, this is super important, because things can change quickly, especially when it comes to legal aspects, or Google changes its crawling procedure, for example. 

Sounds like a feasible plan, doesn't it? 

You haven't had enough yet? Then we have another OMT article for you on the subject, where you can read on.

Summary 

Quite a lot at once? Yes, that's probably true, but unfortunately it's also very important. No matter how good a design is, no matter how well written a text is, ultimately it's the overall package that counts for your visibility. 

You can also think of a website as a city and the search engines are tourists. An SEO-friendly web architecture ensures that these tourists love the city and keep coming back. Clear URL structures are like well-signposted streets, logical page hierarchies like a well thought-out city map and internal links like smart signposts to the best attractions. Optimized loading times are fast public transport and mobile friendliness is barrier-free accessibility.

When everything works together perfectly, not only do the search engines feel good, but so do your visitors. The result? Higher rankings, easier maintenance and increased crawling efficiency. And, of course, a city needs to be maintained so that tourists will still want to visit next season. 

Until the next season, you can pass the time with our blog articles.