Website Content Organization Guideline

Marketing Guideline
Nov 17
12 min read

Updated: Dec 2

Structure Your Site for SEO and Engagement

You’ve created incredible content, and now it’s time to organize it in a way that gives your visitors a seamless, engaging experience that keeps them coming back for more. Whether you’re building a blog, podcast archive, video library, or educational resource hub, a clean and intuitive structure makes it easy for users to explore your site with confidence.

Content organization is essential for any content-based website. Without it, visitors can’t find what they’re looking for, which leads to higher bounce rates, fewer page views, and missed opportunities to build trust or convert.

Use this simple guideline to organize your content so it’s user-friendly, search-engine friendly, and conversion-focused.

How Strategic Content Organization Drives Results

Your website is like a library. If all the books were thrown into piles, even the best ones wouldn’t get read. Visitors want quick, easy access so they can instantly see whether your site has what they’re looking for. They won’t put in the extra effort to sort through clutter, and let’s be honest, they shouldn’t have to.

Your job as a website creator is to build clear, intuitive pathways, like well-labeled sections and aisles in a library, so users can effortlessly browse your content and discover what speaks to them.

Organized website content helps your audience:

Quickly find what they’re looking for
Build confidence and trust that your site has more to offer them
Stay on your site longer, engage with more content and make return visits to your site

Additional benefits of smart content organization include:

Enhances SEO by creating logical internal linking paths and structured navigation
Reduces bounce rates because your users aren’t getting overwhelmed or frustrated
Prepares your site to scale as you grow your content over time

It’s time to start organizing your website content.

Step 1: Start With a Content Inventory

Before we can organize anything, we need to know what we’re working with. Start by creating a master content database. Create a simple and sortable list that gives you a clear view of everything you’ve created. This will help you group content into categories and make it easy to update or expand as your site grows.

Action Steps:

Open a spreadsheet or use a project management tool - use one you are most comfortable with. This does not have to be fancy, just functional and easy for you to use.
Create a list of every piece of content. This includes articles, videos, podcasts, etc. Add a column to indicate pieces that are already created or if they are items you want to develop in the future.
Add details. On your spreadsheet add in columns that will aid in organizing your content. Here are some recommendations:
- Title
- Topic
- Content type (blog, video, podcast, review)
- URL (if published)
- Link to Content
  - URL if it is published on your website
  - Or to the draft content that you have saved
- Status
  - Published
  - Draft
  - Editing
  - Writing
  - Idea
- Publish date (if applicable)
- Notes

We are creating a bird’s-eye view of your entire content landscape, making it easier to group, restructure, and optimize effectively. This approach works for new websites and for those that are looking to grow or optimize your current websites. Use it to plan future content, track what’s already published, and flag anything that needs updating.

Content Inventory Spreadsheet Example

Here is a version of the content inventory spreadsheet that I use for this website. Use this as a reference as you go through the steps in this guideline. It's easy follow, and I can add columns and rows as I need them.

Step 2: Identify Your Core Content Categories

Now it’s time to group your content into clear, intentional categories.

Hopefully as you were creating your master list, different categories started to form. Focus on identifying 4–6 core categories for your site. What are the big-picture topics that align with your audience’s primary interests or search behaviors?

Think of nurturing your readers down through a content funnel. This is the top of that funnel - these categories are designed to catch your visitors’ attention, speak directly to their needs, and guide them toward deeper engagement. They should be broad and inviting, like the main sections or aisles in a library or bookstore, helping readers quickly find the topics that matter most to them.

Content Categories Examples:

A wellness site might use: “Nutrition,” “Fitness,” “Mental Health,” and “Lifestyle Tips”
A marketing blog (such as this one) might have: “Website Marketing,” “Email Marketing,” “Social Media,” and “Strategy”

Tips:

Use language your audience actually uses when searching online. This will:
- Enhance your SEO visibility
- Make a connection with your audience by using the terms they are already using
Don’t get too niche at this point in the process, keep these categories broad and welcoming

Develop Your Categories: Look at your content inventory. Write down 4-6 categories that 1. Cover your content topics, and 2. Speak to your target audience.

Step 3. Create Subcategories (If Needed)

Subcategories are helpful, but only when you have enough content to justify them. If you are just starting out with your content website or blog then you might be able to skip this step. When you have an extensive content library then subcategories can be used to guide your users down the funnel to specific content within your broader category.

Subcategories Examples:

A wellness site might have a category of “Fitness.” Under here you may want to develop subcategories of “Strength Training” and “Cardio Workouts”
For this marketing blog, under “Website Marketing,” I’ve chosen subcategories for “eCommerce Websites” and “Content Websites”

Best Practices: Keep your subcategory structure to no more than 1–2 levels deep. If users have to click more than twice to find something they’re interested in, chances are they’ll exit your site. Remember, categories are just one tool for guiding readers through your content. You can also use callouts, suggested content, internal links, tags, and other navigational elements to keep visitors engaged and exploring more of what you have to offer.

Step 4: Use This Structure to Build Navigation

Your content categories form the backbone of your site’s main navigation menu, delivering two key benefits. First, they help visitors easily find the content they’re looking for, creating a smoother user experience. Second, they strengthen your SEO by helping search engines like Google crawl and understand your site structure—highlighting your most important topics and improving your visibility in search results.

Navigation Hierarchy:

Main categories: top-level navigation on the universal menu
Subcategories: menus on category specific pages

Universal Navigation Menu

There are two main ways of incorporating your content categories in your navigation menu:

Option 1: Standard Navigation

Home, About, Blog (or Videos/Podcasts), Contact

Under the Blog section you can opt to have a drop down menu of your top categories (typically 4-6 options).

Option 2: Content Category Focused Navigation

Home, Category 1, Category 2, Category 3, Category 4, Category 5

Choose the option that best supports the user experience and your website's goal. If conversions like sales or bookings come first, go with Option 1. If your site is content-driven, Option 2 will help guide users deeper into your articles or resources. Let your strategy shape the structure.

You can find more information about navigation structure in the Content Website Home Page Layout Guideline or eCommerce Website Home Page Guideline.

Step 5: Create Tag and Label System for Your Content

Using tags and labels is a smart way to stay organized and help your readers explore more of what they’re interested in without getting lost.

Website Tags

A tag is a keyword or phrase that helps group related content across different categories. Think of them as topics or ideas that might be covered in an article or piece of content. Incorporating tags makes it easier for users to find related content.

Let’s take a look at the marketing blog example. Some tags you might use are:

SEO
Content Website
eCommerce Website
Mobile
Blog
Instagram

When you are setting up content on your website you can assign tags to each of your content pieces. Many times these are searchable or appear as links on content pieces, allowing your users to find other pieces of content that cover those same tagged topics.

Benefits of Using Tags on Your Website:

Refines User Navigation - Tags help users discover related content by connecting pieces across different categories.
Increase Users Time on Site - When visitors can find related content that they are interested in by clicking on a tag, they’re likely to stick around longer.
Strengthens SEO - Search engines crawl tag pages (if indexed) and understand topical relationships between your content, which can help with long-tail keyword rankings.
Dynamic Filtering - Tags allow users to filter or sort content based on interest.
Content Planning Insights - Tags will give you insights into which topics you're writing about most and which topics your audience cares about (are clicking on) the most.

Website Labels (optional)

A label is a predefined classification that helps organize content by type, format, or audience level—like “Beginner,” “How-To,” or “Case Study.” Labels are more structured than tags and often used for internal organization or filtering.

How Tags and Labels Can Work Together:

Post Example:Title: “How to Write Email Subject Lines That Boost Open Rates”

Category: Email Marketing
Label: Beginner, How-To Guide
Tags: Open Rates, CTAs, A/B Testing, Audience Targeting

Pro Tip: Develop your list of tags and labels prior to adding your content to your website. This allows you to develop a strategy of how you want to lead your audience around your site.

Plan it Out: Take a look at your content inventory and create two lists - 1. Tags, and 2. Labels. If you have the urge to create a lot of subcategories, instead turn them into a strong tagging system for your website.

Can You Have Too Many Tags?

Yes, absolutely. Your tag system should be strategic, not a dumping ground for every possible topic on your site. Take the time to understand your audience: what they’re searching for, what resonates, and what will encourage them to explore more. Too many tags, especially ones that are not of interest to your audience, will just overwhelm them and cause them to exit your site. Focus on quality and relevance over quantity.

Step 6: Keep Readers Exploring with Internal Links & Suggested Content

One of the most powerful tools for keeping visitors engaged on your site is internal linking. Top navigation will get them started down a path, whereas thoughtful linking between related articles, videos, or resources helps guide users deeper through your content, boosts your SEO, and keeps people on your site longer.

Internal Links

These are links within your site that lead from one piece of content to another. For example, if you’re writing a blog post on email marketing, link to your related post about creating effective subject lines. For more examples look back through this article, and others, and find all the internal links. These are strategically placed in sections that allow the readers to explore more if they want to on a topic. The key is to pepper these in, but don’t overload the reader and try to pull them in too many directions.

Step 7: Format Your Site for Mobile

Content organization must work on mobile just as much, if not more, as on desktop. We are living in a mobile world where content is consumed anywhere and everywhere. When creating for your mobile users you need to keep in mind the size of the screen and the fact that they will have additional distractions. Here are essential best practices to keep your mobile experience smooth and engaging:

Everything Looks Longer on Mobile

When writing your content keep this in mind. Break up paragraphs into shorter segments, utilize image placement to keep the readers engaged and flowing through the article.

Keep Navigation Simple and Tappable

Use a clean hamburger menu for navigation
Make buttons and links large enough to tap easily
Ensure links and dropdowns look clean and professional
Limit dropdown levels to 1–2 tiers for quick access
Have a sticky or scrolling navigation menu so it’s always accessible for your online user

Prioritize Your Most Important Content First

Most people won’t scroll all the way down on the page, so ensure what needs to be seen is seen.

Put the most valuable or actionable information at the top.
Use a clear content hierarchy that is tailored to your website’s audience so users find what they are looking for quickly.

Use a Single-Column Layout

When you are designing the layout for your site, ensure to design for all breakpoints (desktop, tablet and mobile). Some preset sections will automatically resize for mobile, but you will want to ensure these look right on your site.

Ensure the layout enhances the readers flow
Stack blocks and text for a better design experience
Consider breaking up large paragraphs into smaller sections
Utilize image placement to boost the flow

Break Up Long Text Blocks

Create and layout your content with mobile layouts in mind
Use headings, bullets, short paragraphs, and visuals to avoid the “wall of text”
Mobile readers skim (and most desktop users probably do too), so format with scannability in mind.
Utilize image placement to keep the readers engaged and flowing through articles

Text hack: If you want some content to only show up on your desktop view, place it in a different text block. Most sites will allow you to hide content pieces on mobile. This way you can shorten a content block for your mobile experience.

Resize and Use Responsive Friendly Images

Selecting images for your website can be tricky. In order for an image to actually work it needs to pass the responsive test. Check how the image appears at every break point (desktop, tablet, mobile). Is it centered on what you want it to focus on and does it fit the space?

Use mobile-optimized images that load fast
Ensure all visuals scale properly to screen size
If your website platform allows, choose a focal point centered on the most important part of your image. This will ensure it is always in view when your photo automatically resizes.

Utilize Video and Podcast Tools that are optimized for mobile

It’s all about the load time and usability. Ensure that your tools aren’t slowing you down and causing users to bounce over a poor experience.

Verify that the video displays maximize the user experience
Decrease bounce rates by ensuring load times do not slow down the website

Test Across Devices

Preview your site on various screen sizes
Ask a few people that have a variety of devices to test your site and give feedback on mobile usability

Pro Tip: Know your analytics. Look to see what percentage of your website visitors are mobile users. This way you will know if you should go with a mobile-first or desktop-first design for your website.

Pro Tips for Staying Organized

Having a content management system that you are comfortable with is key to staying organized. From a spreadsheet to smartsheets to content tools, there are so many options out there. Pick the one that works for you best and that it is easy for you to keep updated.

Once you have your system, keep it going. For me, the same spreadsheet that I started out with in the first step is what I use today. I’ve added a few new column headers that keep everything organized for me, and you will learn how to customize your own system as you go along. This system becomes even more important as you grow your site and gain valuable analytics.

Utilizing Your Analytics

Your audience is going to let you know which topics and pieces of content are most interesting to them. As time goes on you will be able to get to know your core audience better and be able to develop content that is meaningful to them.

Metrics to Watch Out For:

Top pages - Page Views
Average Time on Page
Top videos - Video Views
Average video watch time
Video watch over 50%, 75%, 90%

If you are building your audience through SEO, remember it takes time for your content to get traction. After 3-6 months you will be able to see beneficial data on your pieces.

Use what you are seeing from your analytics to help plan what content to create in the future. It will help you keep honest with your audience’s needs and guide you on how to make a customized and valuable website that builds loyal users.

Great Content Organizing Habits

Create and update your master content library
Use a content calendar to plan what content to create and when to publish it on your site
Review your categories and topics quarterly, along with your analytics, to ensure they are still relevant and helpful to your audience
Use internal links and suggested content tools throughout your website to keep your users engaging with new content

Staying organized isn’t a one-time task, it’s an ongoing habit.

Putting Your Content Plan Into Action

Now that you have your content organized for the present as well as the future, you can start to put it into action on your website. We’ve gone over how to keep everything organized, how to generate navigation, developing categories (that will inform your website’s landing pages) and also how to use internal linking.

Next step is mapping out where your content will go throughout your site. You will find it is easy to assign where pieces of content should go on which pages now that everything is organized.

Up Next

Check out our Content-focused Website Guidelines on how to develop the different pages on your site:

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