How do you build a site structure? Pages, menu and sitemap (2026)

A site structure is the plan that shows which pages a site will have, in what order they are arranged and how they are linked to each other. Just as a floor plan is drawn before a house is built, a site starts with its structure before the design. If the structure is right, the visitor finds what they are looking for in two or three clicks, and Google understands what each page is about.

Key takeaways:

• The structure consists of three things: the list of pages, their levels (hierarchy) and the links between them.
• Each page should have one topic and one goal; a separate page for each service works better for both the customer and Google.
• A menu usually has 5–7 items; the names should be clear, like "Services" and "Prices", not generic, like "Solutions".
• Page URLs are short and readable, with words separated by hyphens; when a URL changes on a live site, the old one is redirected to the new one.
• The structure is agreed before the design: changing things on paper is free, but on a finished site it is expensive.

What is a site structure and why does it matter?

A site's structure is the "family tree" of its pages: the home page at the top, sections below it, and individual pages below the sections. This tree matters to three parties.

• For the visitor. A person comes to a site with a question: "how much does it cost?", "is this service right for me?", "how do I get in touch?". The structure should show the shortest route to these answers.
• For Google. A search engine finds pages through links and judges which page is more important by how many links point to it. Google may not find a page that receives no links.
• For the team. With a clear structure it is easy to add a new service, a new language or a blog; on a messy site, every addition starts with the question "where do we put this?".

A site started without a structure usually looks like this: everything is in one place on the home page, services are crammed into a single long page, and prices and contact details are hidden in the menu. Such a site can be beautiful, but it does not sell. We explain in plain language how a website works in general in the article what is a website.

Which pages should a site have?

The pages of a business site are chosen according to its goal, but the core set is the same for most companies:

The most common mistake is cramming all services into one page. A person searching for "dental implants" does not want to land on a general page called "Our services" but on a page about implants. Google also selects the single most relevant page for each query, so when each service has its own page, the site appears for more queries. We explain how this works in the what is SEO guide.

How do you build a site structure?

You can build the structure in six steps. No software is needed: paper, a whiteboard or an ordinary spreadsheet is enough.

1. Write the site's goal in one sentence. "The site must bring online bookings to the clinic" or "the site must collect enquiries from wholesale buyers". Every page must serve this goal.
2. Collect the customer's questions. Gather what people ask from the sales team, WhatsApp conversations and Google's search suggestions. Every important question will later become a page or a section.
3. Group the questions. Similar questions merge into one page, different topics are split into separate pages. The rule is simple: one page, one topic, one goal.
4. Define the levels. The home page is level one, the sections are level two, and the pages inside a section are level three. Three levels are enough for most business sites.
5. Write out the menu and the URLs. Decide in advance each page's name in the menu and its URL.
6. Test it on a prototype. Draw a simple wireframe of the pages and ask someone who has not seen the site to complete the task "find the price" or "place an order". If they struggle, it is the structure, not the design, that will solve the problem.

The result of these steps is part of the document used in the order; we show how it is written in the article ordering a website: a sample technical brief.

Structure example for a corporate website and an online store

The examples below are a starting point; adapt them to your own services and products.

Corporate website of a service company:

Online store:

The main rule in a store: the buyer should reach any product from the home page in three or four steps at most, and filters and search should work in every category. We show the other parts of a store in detail in the creating an online store guide, and what a corporate website contains in the article what is a corporate website. A single page for one offer is a separate format; we explain it in the landing page guide.

How should the menu be built?

The menu is the most-viewed part of a site, so only the most important sections should stay in it. A good menu follows five rules:

• 5–7 items. When there are too many items, the visitor does not read, scans with their eyes and does not find. The remaining pages are moved to a submenu and to the bottom part of the site (the footer).
• Clear names. Names such as "Solutions", "Capabilities" and "Our world" say nothing. "Services", "Prices", "Projects" and "Contact" are clear to everyone.
• The most important action is a button. "Get a quote", "Sign up" or "Request a call" sits on the right of the menu in a different colour.
• The mobile menu is designed separately. On a phone the menu opens behind a button; the phone and WhatsApp buttons, however, should always be visible on the screen.
• The footer is the second menu. The address, working hours, social networks, legal pages and the list of all services are placed there.

The rule "any page should be reachable in three clicks" is repeated often but is not confirmed by research: as Nielsen Norman Group writes, what matters is not the number of clicks but that at every click the person feels they are on the right path (NN/g). In other words, four clear steps are better than two confusing ones.

How should page URLs be written?

A page's URL should consist of short words that both a person and Google can read. Google's documentation recommends using readable words in URLs and separating words with hyphens rather than underscores (Google Search Central).

Three more practical rules:

• Azerbaijani letters are written with their Latin equivalents: ə → e, ö → o, ü → u, ş → s, ç → c, ğ → g, ı → i. "Ofis təmiri" (office renovation) becomes "ofis-temiri" in the URL. Such a URL does not break in messages and ads.
• Do not put a year or a price in the URL. A URL containing "2026" or "50-azn" goes out of date next year, and changing it is risky.
• If you change a URL on a live site, set up a redirect. The old URL should be permanently redirected (301) to the new one; otherwise that page's position in Google and the links pointing to it are lost.

We explain how to choose the domain name, the first part of the URL, in the article what is a domain and how to buy one.

What are internal links and "breadcrumbs" for?

An internal link is a link that leads from one page of a site to another. However correct the structure is on paper, it is these links that make it real: Google finds pages through links, and for this it requires a link to be an ordinary, clickable link (Google Search Central).

• Every important page should receive at least a few links: from the menu, the home page and related pages.
• The link text should name the topic. Not "click here" but "office renovation prices".
• Blog articles should link to service pages. A person reading a guide should be able to reach the service in one click.
• Breadcrumbs are a trail at the top of a page that looks like "Home › Services › Office renovation". It shows the visitor where they are and makes it easy to go back up one level.

A page that receives no links is called an "orphan page". Such pages are one of the common reasons why sites do not show up in Google; we have collected the other reasons in the article why my site does not appear in Google.

What is a sitemap?

A sitemap has two meanings, and they should not be confused:

An XML sitemap tells Google which pages exist and when they were updated. A single sitemap file can contain at most 50,000 URLs, and the file size must not exceed 50 MB; larger sites use several files (Google Search Central). On modern sites this file is not written by hand; the system creates and updates it itself. We show step by step how to submit the file to Google in the what is Google Search Console guide.

What should the structure of a multilingual site look like?

On a multilingual site each language needs its own URL: for example, Azerbaijani at numune.az, Russian at numune.az/ru and English at numune.az/en. In Baku this is not a theoretical matter: part of the audience searches in Russian and English.

• Every page has its own URL in every language. Swapping the text at the same URL with a language button does not work for Google: it sees only one language.
• Language versions are linked to each other. This uses an annotation called hreflang; it tells Google "the Russian version of this page is here" (Google Search Central).
• Do not translate halfway. A page with a Russian menu and Azerbaijani text confuses both the reader and Google. It is better not to show an untranslated page in that language.
• Do not choose the language for the visitor. The language button should always be in a visible place.

The number of languages directly increases the structure and the budget: on a three-language site, every page is written, checked and updated three times. We show the effect of this on the price in the article website development prices.

What are the most common mistakes when building a structure?

1. Starting from the design. Colours and images are chosen first, and the structure is left with "we'll look at it later". As a result, pages have to be squeezed into a finished design.
2. Cramming all services into one page. Such a page does not look strong for any query.
3. Copying the company's internal structure onto the site. The customer is looking for their problem, not your departments: "Services", not "Departments".
4. Stuffing the menu. In a menu with twelve items, none stands out.
5. Hiding prices and contact details. These are the two things visitors look for most.
6. Creating several pages on the same topic. When two pages are written for the same query, they compete with each other and both get weaker.
7. Changing URLs without redirects. This is the main reason why redesigned sites lose their positions.

How does Advertol build a site structure?

In Advertol's website projects, the structure and the prototype are prepared before the design and agreed with the client: first the business process, then the design, then the code. This sequence is also visible in the published projects.

• Assistance Group. The group works in construction, tourism, agriculture and manufacturing. The four directions are presented on one site with separate pages, a separate site has been built for the tourism brand, and both sites are updated from a single admin panel.
• Padel 77. The club's site works in three languages; courts, prices, club rules and frequently asked questions are in separate sections, and the main action is online court booking.

Advertol is an agency based in Baku: website and mobile app development, Meta and Google advertising, SMM, CRM and AI automation are handled by one team. If you are planning a new site, see how the website and app development service works.

Frequently asked questions

How many pages should a site have?

There is no fixed number: the number of pages is determined by the number of services, products and customer questions. 8–15 pages are usually enough for a small service company: a home page, a separate page for each service, about us, projects, contact and legal pages. What matters is not the number but that each page has one clear topic.

Is a one-page site enough?

For one product, one event or one ad campaign, yes: this is called a landing page and serves one goal. For a company with several services, one page is too little, because Google looks for a separate page for each query.

Can the site structure be changed later?

It can, but carefully. Adding a new page is easy; changing the URL and position of existing pages requires redirects. So it is safer to choose the main sections and the URL scheme correctly in advance and later only expand.

If there is no sitemap, won't Google find the site?

It can: Google mainly finds pages through links. According to Google's documentation, small sites of up to about 500 pages whose pages are well linked to each other may do without a sitemap, but most sites benefit from one. A sitemap is especially useful on new sites, large sites and sites with pages that receive few links.

Does structure affect a site's position in Google?

Yes. Google understands a page's topic and importance from its URL, headings and the internal links pointing to it. A site where each service has its own page and the pages are linked to each other appears for more queries. Structure alone does not put you in first place, but without it the rest of the work gives weak results.

Who should prepare the structure: the client or the agency?

Together. The client knows the business, the services and the customer's questions; the agency turns this information into pages, a menu and URLs. When only one side prepares the structure, either the business's real process or the site's technical requirements get forgotten.

Conclusion

A site's structure is the cheapest and most important decision made before the design and the code. Write the goal in one sentence, collect the customer's questions, give each topic one page, build the menu from 5–7 clear items and write URLs short and readable. Once the site goes live, do not break the structure; expand it.

If you want to check your site's structure or build a page plan for a new site together, book a free strategy meeting or write to the Advertol team.

Sources

• Google Search Central — URL structure best practices
• Google Search Central — Make your links crawlable
• Google Search Central — Build and submit a sitemap
• Google Search Central — Learn about sitemaps
• Google Search Central — Tell Google about localized versions of your page
• Nielsen Norman Group — The 3-Click Rule for Navigation Is False