Key Data to Review Before Optimizing Website Columns

Key Data to Review Before Optimizing Website Columns

Website column optimization is not about making adjustments based on intuition; it requires reviewing multi-dimensional data to avoid blind redesigns. The following five data categories must be collected and analyzed before optimization, as each directly guides column structure adjustments, content prioritization, and ordering.

1. User Search Behavior Data

Understanding what keywords users use to find your site and whether those keywords align with current columns is the primary basis for optimization. You can obtain the following data from search engine tools and website analytics tools:

• Core Search Terms: The top 20-30 search terms by volume. Analyze whether your site has corresponding columns or content for these terms. If a term has high search volume but no matching column, consider adding one. If a column exists but ranks poorly, there's room for optimization.
• Long-Tail Search Terms: Lower-volume but highly specific terms that often reveal niche user needs. For example, "examples of corporate websites" and "cost of website redesign" represent different needs, and column planning should address both.
• Click-Through Rate and Bounce Rate: After users click from a search result to a page, do they continue browsing other columns? A high bounce rate may indicate unclear navigation or irrelevant content.

Note: Use data from the past 3-6 months as a reference period to avoid short-term fluctuations affecting your judgment.

2. Existing Column Content Data

Assess the health of your current columns using data from your content management system and analytics tools:

• Number of Pages per Column and Update Frequency: Columns with no updates for over six months typically attract little user or search engine interest and may need merging or replacement.
• Page Viewing Time and Visit Depth: Columns with average viewing times under 30 seconds indicate poor content quality or relevance. Low visit depth (users viewing only one page before leaving) suggests a need for better internal linking.
• Content Type Distribution: The proportion of text, images, videos, documents, etc., and which types are more popular. For example, service introduction pages may benefit from a mix of text and images, while case study pages can leverage more images or videos.

Create a table listing each column's page count, average viewing time, bounce rate, and update frequency to quickly identify columns needing optimization.

3. Competitor Website Column Structure Data

Select 3-5 industry peers and analyze their column setups:

• Column Categorization Logic: Do competitors categorize by product/service or by industry/scenario? Which approach aligns better with user perception? For instance, a company specializing in website development might find users prefer categories like "template websites," "custom websites," and "responsive websites" rather than by "tech stack."
• Number of Primary and Secondary Columns: Too many primary columns (over 7) can confuse users, while too few (under 3) may fail to cover core content. Competitor column counts can serve as a reference range.
• Unique Columns: Do competitors have columns like "FAQs," "Case Studies," or "Industry Solutions"? These often address deeper user needs and increase time on site.

Note: Don't copy competitor structures directly. Instead, identify differences and worthwhile approaches, then assess whether to adopt them based on your resources.

4. Website Technical Data

Technical data affects whether columns can be effectively crawled by search engines and accessed by users:

• Page Load Speed: Key column pages (e.g., product or service pages) should load within 3 seconds. Slow speeds cause user abandonment and harm SEO.
• Indexing Status: Use webmaster tools to check the proportion of pages indexed by search engines. If many column pages aren't indexed, review your robots file, internal link structure, or content quality.
• Mobile Responsiveness: Ensure all column pages display correctly on mobile devices. Use Google's Mobile-Friendly Test tool or Baidu's mobile compatibility check to confirm that layouts, buttons, and images are functional on mobile.

Technical issues should be resolved before a site redesign or new column launch; otherwise, content optimization efforts may be ineffective.

5. Business Goal Data

Column optimization ultimately serves business goals, so clarify the following:

• Conversion Path: Map the user journey from entry to actions like inquiries, registrations, or purchases. Ensure each step has supporting column pages. For example, if the goal is to drive inquiries via case study pages, those pages must include contact information or call-to-action buttons.
• Traffic Source Distribution: Analyze the proportion of organic search, direct, and referral traffic for each column. If a column has high traffic but low conversions, optimize content or calls to action. If traffic is low but conversions are high, consider increasing visibility.
• User Feedback: Use live chat logs, contact form data, and user surveys to directly understand user confusion or needs regarding column content. For instance, if many users ask "Do you build e-commerce websites?" but your site doesn't address this clearly, emphasize it in column settings or content.

Reminder: Review business data regularly (e.g., monthly), as market changes affect user needs, and columns should be adjusted accordingly.

Comprehensive Evaluation and Optimization Plan

After collecting the five data categories, begin a comprehensive assessment:

1. List all columns needing optimization and assign priority levels (high/medium/low).
2. Identify data issues that can be addressed simultaneously. For example, adding an "FAQs" column can satisfy user search terms and reduce bounce rates.
3. Determine the optimization order: first resolve technical issues (e.g., slow page load), then adjust column structure, and finally refine content details.

For example, if a company's "Service Introduction" column has an 80% bounce rate, and search data shows high demand for "website maintenance content" without a dedicated page, the optimization plan could be: split the "Service Introduction" column into three sub-columns, add a "Website Maintenance" subpage, and improve internal links to guide users to other columns.

Column optimization is not a one-time task; data evolves continuously. It's recommended to review core data quarterly and gradually refine the column system. If you're unsure about interpreting your website data, consult professional website operators or technical teams to develop a plan tailored to your situation.