For SMEs undergoing a website redesign, page structure planning directly impacts the efficiency and cost of future maintenance. A well-designed structure simplifies daily updates, column adjustments, and content expansion, while poor planning often leads to frequent rework. From a maintenance perspective, here are some practical structural planning tips.
Define Core Columns and Content Categories First
The first step in planning page structure is to determine the core information your website needs to display. Common SME website columns include: Company Profile, Products/Services, News & Updates, Case Studies, Contact Us, etc. Based on business priorities, categorize content into fixed sections (e.g., Company Profile) and dynamic sections (e.g., News, Case Studies). Fixed sections have relatively stable page structures, while dynamic sections require flexible update entry points.
For a redesigned website, it's advisable to first clean up old content, merge duplicate columns, and remove outdated information to avoid a bloated structure. Clearly define the content scope for each retained column—for example, "Product Center" should only contain product information, and "News" should only include company updates. Avoid mixing different types of content together.
Adopt Modular Page Design
Modular design involves breaking down pages into independent functional blocks (e.g., banners, image-text lists, cards, tables, FAQs), each of which can be individually edited, replaced, or reused. The advantage is that when partial content needs updating, you don't have to modify the entire page, reducing maintenance complexity.
For instance, a product listing page can use a uniform card module, with each product as an independent data entry. When adding or removing products, simply update the corresponding entry in the backend, and the frontend adjusts automatically. For service introduction pages, separate modules for service processes, FAQs, and case studies allow flexible reordering later.
Reserve Space for Content Expansion
As businesses evolve, their focus and display priorities may shift. Therefore, page structure planning should allow for some expansion. It's recommended to set up secondary columns under the main navigation, but avoid filling all of them immediately. Reserve a few "uncategorized" columns for future content. Additionally, leave recommendation slots or "More" entry points on the homepage and key inner pages for adding new sections later.
Furthermore, the Content Management System (CMS) should support custom fields and tag-based categorization. This way, even if new content types (e.g., videos, downloadable documents) are needed later, they can be implemented without altering the page structure.
Standardize Templates and Style Management
Use consistent page templates and style rules across the entire website to avoid different layouts on each page. For example, all article pages should use the same detail page template, and all category listing pages should use the same list template. This way, when adjusting the overall style (e.g., fonts, colors, spacing), you only need to modify the CSS or template files, rather than adjusting each page individually.
Special pages (e.g., homepage, login page) can be designed separately, but keep their number limited. A general rule: over 80% of pages should use standard templates, with the remaining 20% customizable.
Consider SEO Friendliness and User Experience
Structure planning should also balance search engine optimization and visitor experience. Use short, keyword-inclusive URL paths, such as /products/product-name/, to facilitate search engine crawling and understanding. Keep navigation depth shallow—ideally, users should reach any content page within three clicks.
Also, ensure a reasonable internal linking structure: link important pages to each other, and include breadcrumb navigation on every page for easy backtracking. While these details don't directly affect backend maintenance, they help minimize SEO fluctuations during redesign, indirectly reducing maintenance effort.
In summary, structural planning during a redesign should aim for "ease of use, flexibility, and scalability." Investing a bit more time upfront in organizing columns, designing modules, and standardizing templates will save significant time and effort in later maintenance.
