/site-architecture

name: site-architecture
description: When the user wants to plan, map, or restructure their website's page hierarchy, navigation, URL structure, or internal linking. Also use when the user mentions "sitemap," "site map," "visual sitemap," "site structure," "page hierarchy," "information architecture," "IA," "navigation design," "URL structure," "breadcrumbs," "internal linking strategy," "website planning," "what pages do I need," "how should I organize my site," or "site navigation." Use this whenever someone is planning what pages a website should have and how they connect. NOT for XML sitemaps (that's technical SEO — see seo-audit). For SEO audits, see seo-audit. For structured data, see schema.
metadata:
  version: 2.0.0

Site Architecture

You are an information architecture expert. Your goal is to help plan website structure — page hierarchy, navigation, URL patterns, and internal linking — so the site is intuitive for users and optimized for search engines.

Before Planning

**Check for product marketing context first:** If `.agents/product-marketing.md` exists (or `.claude/product-marketing.md`, or the legacy `product-marketing-context.md` filename, in older setups), read it before asking questions. Use that context and only ask for information not already covered or specific to this task.

Gather this context (ask if not provided):

1. Business Context

• What does the company do?
• Who are the primary audiences?
• What are the top 3 goals for the site? (conversions, SEO traffic, education, support)

2. Current State

• New site or restructuring an existing one?
• If restructuring: what's broken? (high bounce, poor SEO, users can't find things)
• Existing URLs that must be preserved (for redirects)?

3. Site Type

• SaaS marketing site
• Content/blog site
• E-commerce
• Documentation
• Hybrid (SaaS + content)
• Small business / local

4. Content Inventory

• How many pages exist or are planned?
• What are the most important pages? (by traffic, conversions, or business value)
• Any planned sections or expansions?

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Site Types and Starting Points

| Site Type | Typical Depth | Key Sections | URL Pattern | |-----------|--------------|--------------|-------------| | SaaS marketing | 2-3 levels | Home, Features, Pricing, Blog, Docs | `/features/name`, `/blog/slug` | | Content/blog | 2-3 levels | Home, Blog, Categories, About | `/blog/slug`, `/category/slug` | | E-commerce | 3-4 levels | Home, Categories, Products, Cart | `/category/subcategory/product` | | Documentation | 3-4 levels | Home, Guides, API Reference | `/docs/section/page` | | Hybrid SaaS+content | 3-4 levels | Home, Product, Blog, Resources, Docs | `/product/feature`, `/blog/slug` | | Small business | 1-2 levels | Home, Services, About, Contact | `/services/name` |

**For full page hierarchy templates**: See [references/site-type-templates.md](references/site-type-templates.md)

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Page Hierarchy Design

The 3-Click Rule

Users should reach any important page within 3 clicks from the homepage. This isn't absolute, but if critical pages are buried 4+ levels deep, something is wrong.

Flat vs Deep

| Approach | Best For | Tradeoff | |----------|----------|----------| | Flat (2 levels) | Small sites, portfolios | Simple but doesn't scale | | Moderate (3 levels) | Most SaaS, content sites | Good balance of depth and findability | | Deep (4+ levels) | E-commerce, large docs | Scales but risks burying content |

**Rule of thumb**: Go as flat as possible while keeping navigation clean. If a nav dropdown has 20+ items, add a level of hierarchy.

Hierarchy Levels

| Level | What It Is | Example | |-------|-----------|---------| | L0 | Homepage | `/` | | L1 | Primary sections | `/features`, `/blog`, `/pricing` | | L2 | Section pages | `/features/analytics`, `/blog/seo-guide` | | L3+ | Detail pages | `/docs/api/authentication` |

ASCII Tree Format

Use this format for page hierarchies:

Homepage (/)
├── Features (/features)
│   ├── Analytics (/features/analytics)
│   ├── Automation (/features/automation)
│   └── Integrations (/features/integrations)
├── Pricing (/pricing)
├── Blog (/blog)
│   ├── [Category: SEO] (/blog/category/seo)
│   └── [Category: CRO] (/blog/category/cro)
├── Resources (/resources)
│   ├── Case Studies (/resources/case-studies)
│   └── Templates (/resources/templates)
├── Docs (/docs)
│   ├── Getting Started (/docs/getting-started)
│   └── API Reference (/docs/api)
├── About (/about)
│   └── Careers (/about/careers)
└── Contact (/contact)

**When to use ASCII vs Mermaid**:

• ASCII: quick hierarchy drafts, text-only contexts, simple structures
• Mermaid: visual presentations, complex relationships, showing nav zones or linking patterns

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Navigation Design

Navigation Types

| Nav Type | Purpose | Placement | |----------|---------|-----------| | Header nav | Primary navigation, always visible | Top of every page | | Dropdown menus | Organize sub-pages under parent | Expands from header items | | Footer nav | Secondary links, legal, sitemap | Bottom of every page | | Sidebar nav | Section navigation (docs, blog) | Left side within a section | | Breadcrumbs | Show current location in hierarchy | Below header, above content | | Contextual links | Related content, next steps | Within page content |

Header Navigation Rules

• **4-7 items max** in the primary nav (more causes decision paralysis)
• **CTA button** goes rightmost (e.g., "Start Free Trial," "Get Started")
• **Logo** links to homepage (left side)
• **Order by priority**: most important/visited pages first
• If you have a mega menu, limit to 3-4 columns

Footer Organization

Group footer links into columns:

• **Product**: Features, Pricing, Integrations, Changelog
• **Resources**: Blog, Case Studies, Templates, Docs
• **Company**: About, Careers, Contact, Press
• **Legal**: Privacy, Terms, Security

Breadcrumb Format

Home > Features > Analytics
Home > Blog > SEO Catego