Site Architecture — Build a Site Structure That Scales — Claude Skill

Mermaid Diagram Templates

Copy-paste-ready Mermaid diagrams for visual sitemaps. Customize node labels and connections for your site.

Basic Hierarchy

Simple top-down page hierarchy.

graph TD
    HOME["Homepage<br/>/"] --> FEAT["Features<br/>/features"]
    HOME --> PRICE["Pricing<br/>/pricing"]
    HOME --> BLOG["Blog<br/>/blog"]
    HOME --> ABOUT["About<br/>/about"]

    FEAT --> F1["Analytics<br/>/features/analytics"]
    FEAT --> F2["Automation<br/>/features/automation"]
    FEAT --> F3["Integrations<br/>/features/integrations"]

    BLOG --> B1["Post: SEO Guide<br/>/blog/seo-guide"]
    BLOG --> B2["Post: CRO Tips<br/>/blog/cro-tips"]

Hierarchy with Navigation Zones

Uses subgraphs to show which pages appear in which navigation area.

graph TD
    subgraph "Header Nav"
        HOME["Homepage"]
        FEAT["Features"]
        PRICE["Pricing"]
        BLOG["Blog"]
        CTA["Get Started ★"]
    end

    subgraph "Feature Pages"
        F1["Analytics"]
        F2["Automation"]
        F3["Integrations"]
    end

    subgraph "Footer Nav"
        ABOUT["About"]
        CAREERS["Careers"]
        CONTACT["Contact"]
        PRIVACY["Privacy"]
        TERMS["Terms"]
    end

    HOME --> FEAT
    HOME --> PRICE
    HOME --> BLOG
    FEAT --> F1
    FEAT --> F2
    FEAT --> F3
    HOME --> ABOUT
    ABOUT --> CAREERS
    HOME --> CONTACT

Hierarchy with URL Labels

Each node shows the page name and URL path.

graph TD
    HOME["Homepage<br/><small>/</small>"] --> PROD["Product<br/><small>/product</small>"]
    HOME --> PRICE["Pricing<br/><small>/pricing</small>"]
    HOME --> BLOG["Blog<br/><small>/blog</small>"]
    HOME --> DOCS["Docs<br/><small>/docs</small>"]
    HOME --> ABOUT["About<br/><small>/about</small>"]

    PROD --> P1["Analytics<br/><small>/product/analytics</small>"]
    PROD --> P2["Reports<br/><small>/product/reports</small>"]

    DOCS --> D1["Getting Started<br/><small>/docs/getting-started</small>"]
    DOCS --> D2["API Reference<br/><small>/docs/api</small>"]

Hub-and-Spoke Content Model

Shows a hub page connected to spoke articles, with spokes linking to each other.

graph TD
    HUB["SEO Guide<br/>(Hub Page)"]

    HUB --> S1["Keyword Research"]
    HUB --> S2["On-Page SEO"]
    HUB --> S3["Technical SEO"]
    HUB --> S4["Link Building"]

    S1 -.-> S2
    S2 -.-> S3
    S3 -.-> S4

    style HUB fill:#f9f,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px

Legend:

• Solid lines = primary hub-spoke links
• Dashed lines = cross-links between spokes

Internal Linking Flow

Shows how different site sections link to each other.

graph LR
    subgraph "Marketing"
        HOME["Homepage"]
        FEAT["Features"]
        PRICE["Pricing"]
    end

    subgraph "Content"
        BLOG["Blog"]
        GUIDE["Guides"]
        CASE["Case Studies"]
    end

    subgraph "Product"
        DOCS["Docs"]
        API["API Ref"]
        CHANGE["Changelog"]
    end

    BLOG --> FEAT
    BLOG --> CASE
    CASE --> FEAT
    CASE --> PRICE
    FEAT --> DOCS
    GUIDE --> BLOG
    GUIDE --> DOCS
    HOME --> FEAT
    HOME --> BLOG
    HOME --> CASE

Before/After Restructuring

Compare current and proposed site structures side by side.

graph TD
    subgraph "Before"
        B_HOME["Homepage"] --> B_P1["Page 1"]
        B_HOME --> B_P2["Page 2"]
        B_HOME --> B_P3["Page 3"]
        B_HOME --> B_P4["Page 4"]
        B_HOME --> B_P5["Page 5"]
        B_HOME --> B_P6["Page 6"]
        B_HOME --> B_P7["Page 7"]
        B_HOME --> B_P8["Page 8"]
    end

    subgraph "After"
        A_HOME["Homepage"] --> A_S1["Features"]
        A_HOME --> A_S2["Resources"]
        A_HOME --> A_S3["Company"]
        A_S1 --> A_P1["Feature A"]
        A_S1 --> A_P2["Feature B"]
        A_S2 --> A_P3["Blog"]
        A_S2 --> A_P4["Guides"]
        A_S3 --> A_P5["About"]
        A_S3 --> A_P6["Contact"]
    end

Color-Coding Conventions

Use styles to highlight page status, priority, or type.

graph TD
    HOME["Homepage"] --> FEAT["Features"]
    HOME --> PRICE["Pricing"]
    HOME --> BLOG["Blog"]
    HOME --> NEW["New Section"]
    HOME --> REMOVE["Deprecated Page"]

    FEAT --> F1["Existing Feature"]
    FEAT --> F2["New Feature"]

    style HOME fill:#4CAF50,color:#fff
    style PRICE fill:#4CAF50,color:#fff
    style FEAT fill:#4CAF50,color:#fff
    style BLOG fill:#4CAF50,color:#fff
    style F1 fill:#4CAF50,color:#fff
    style NEW fill:#2196F3,color:#fff
    style F2 fill:#2196F3,color:#fff
    style REMOVE fill:#f44336,color:#fff

Color key:

• Green (#4CAF50): Existing pages (no changes)
• Blue (#2196F3): New pages to create
• Red (#f44336): Pages to remove or redirect
• Yellow (#FFC107): Pages to restructure or move
• Purple (#9C27B0): High-priority / CTA pages

Navigation Patterns

Detailed navigation patterns for different site types and contexts.

Header Navigation

Simple Header (4-6 items)

Best for: small businesses, simple SaaS, portfolios.

[Logo]   Features   Pricing   Blog   About   [CTA Button]

Rules:

• Logo always links to homepage
• CTA button is rightmost, visually distinct (filled button, contrasting color)
• Items ordered by priority (most visited first)
• Active page gets visual indicator (underline, bold, color)

Mega Menu Header

Best for: SaaS with many features, e-commerce with categories, large content sites.

[Logo]   Product ▾   Solutions ▾   Resources ▾   Pricing   Docs   [CTA]

When "Product" is hovered/clicked:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Features           Platform        Integrations │
│  ─────────          ─────────       ──────────── │
│  Analytics           Security       Slack         │
│  Automation          API            HubSpot       │
│  Reporting           Compliance     Salesforce    │
│  Dashboards                         Zapier        │
│                                                   │
│  [See all features →]                             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Mega menu rules:

• 2-4 columns max
• Group items logically (by feature area, use case, or audience)
• Include a "See all" link at the bottom
• Don't nest dropdowns inside mega menus
• Show descriptions for items when labels alone aren't clear

Split Navigation

Best for: apps with both marketing and product nav.

[Logo]   Features   Pricing   Blog        [Login]   [Sign Up]
├── Marketing nav (left) ──────┘          └── Auth nav (right) ──┤

Right side handles authentication actions. Left side handles page navigation.

Footer Navigation

Column-Based Footer (Standard)

Best for: most sites. Organize links into 3-5 themed columns.

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                                                          │
│  Product          Resources        Company       Legal   │
│  ─────────        ──────────       ─────────     ─────   │
│  Features         Blog             About         Privacy │
│  Pricing          Guides           Careers       Terms   │
│  Integrations     Templates        Contact       GDPR    │
│  Changelog        Case Studies     Press                 │
│  Security         Webinars         Partners              │
│                                                          │
│  [Logo]  © 2026 Company Name                             │
│  Social: [Twitter] [LinkedIn] [GitHub]                   │
│                                                          │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Minimal Footer

Best for: simple sites, landing pages.

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  [Logo]                                                  │
│  © 2026 Company  ·  Privacy  ·  Terms  ·  Contact        │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Expanded Footer

Best for: sites using footer for SEO (comparison pages, location pages, resource links).

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Product     Resources    Compare         Use Cases      │
│  Features    Blog         vs Competitor A  For Startups  │
│  Pricing     Guides       vs Competitor B  For Enterprise│
│  API         Templates    vs Competitor C  For Agencies  │
│                                                          │
│  Integrations             Popular Posts                  │
│  Slack       Zapier       How to Do X                    │
│  HubSpot     Salesforce   Guide to Y                     │
│                           Template: Z                    │
│                                                          │
│  [Logo]  © 2026  ·  Privacy  ·  Terms  ·  Security      │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Sidebar Navigation

Documentation Sidebar

Persistent left sidebar with collapsible sections.

Getting Started
  ├── Installation
  ├── Quick Start
  └── Configuration

Guides
  ├── Authentication
  ├── Data Models
  └── Deployment

API Reference
  ├── REST API
  │   ├── Users
  │   ├── Projects
  │   └── Webhooks
  └── GraphQL

Examples
  ├── Next.js
  ├── Rails
  └── Python

Changelog

Rules:

• Current page highlighted
• Sections collapsible (expanded by default for active section)
• Search at top of sidebar
• "Previous / Next" page navigation at bottom of content area
• Sticky on scroll (doesn't scroll away)

Blog Category Sidebar

Categories
  ├── SEO (24)
  ├── CRO (18)
  ├── Content (15)
  ├── Paid Ads (12)
  └── Analytics (9)

Popular Posts
  ├── How to Improve SEO
  ├── Landing Page Guide
  └── Analytics Setup

Newsletter
  └── [Email signup form]

Breadcrumbs

Standard Format

Home > Features > Analytics
Home > Blog > SEO Category > How to Do Keyword Research
Home > Docs > API Reference > Authentication

Rules:

• Separator: > or / (be consistent)
• Every segment is a link except the current page
• Current page is plain text (not linked)
• Don't include the current page if the title is already visible as an H1

With Schema Markup

<nav aria-label="Breadcrumb">
  <ol itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/BreadcrumbList">
    <li itemprop="itemListElement" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/ListItem">
      <a itemprop="item" href="/"><span itemprop="name">Home</span></a>
      <meta itemprop="position" content="1" />
    </li>
    <li itemprop="itemListElement" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/ListItem">
      <a itemprop="item" href="/features"><span itemprop="name">Features</span></a>
      <meta itemprop="position" content="2" />
    </li>
    <li itemprop="itemListElement" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/ListItem">
      <span itemprop="name">Analytics</span>
      <meta itemprop="position" content="3" />
    </li>
  </ol>
</nav>

Or use JSON-LD (recommended):

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
  "itemListElement": [
    { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://example.com/" },
    { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Features", "item": "https://example.com/features" },
    { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Analytics" }
  ]
}

Mobile Navigation

Hamburger Menu

Standard for mobile. All nav items collapse into a menu icon.

Rules:

• Hamburger icon (three lines) top-right or top-left
• Full-screen or slide-out panel
• CTA button visible without opening the menu (sticky header)
• Search accessible from mobile menu
• Accordion pattern for nested items

Bottom Tab Bar

Best for: web apps, PWAs, mobile-first products.

┌──────────────────────────────────────┐
│                                      │
│           [Page Content]             │
│                                      │
├──────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Home    Search    Create    Profile │
│   🏠       🔍        ➕       👤    │
└──────────────────────────────────────┘

Rules:

• 3-5 items max
• Icons + labels (not just icons)
• Active state clearly indicated
• Most important action in the center

Anti-Patterns

Things to Avoid

• Too many header items (8+): causes decision paralysis, nav becomes unreadable on smaller screens
• Dropdown inception: dropdowns inside dropdowns inside dropdowns
• Mystery icons: icons without labels — users don't know what they mean
• Hidden primary nav: burying important pages in hamburger menus on desktop
• Inconsistent nav between pages: nav should be identical across the site (except app vs marketing)
• No mobile consideration: desktop nav that doesn't translate to mobile
• Footer as sitemap dump: 50+ links in the footer with no organization
• Breadcrumbs that don't match URLs: breadcrumb says "Products > Widget" but URL is /shop/widget-pro

Common Fixes

Navigation for SEO

Internal links in navigation pass PageRank. Use this strategically:

• Header nav links are strongest — put your most important pages here
• Footer links pass less value but still matter — good for comparison pages, location pages
• Sidebar links help with section-level authority — good for blog categories, doc sections
• Breadcrumbs provide structural signals to search engines — implement with schema markup
• Don't use JavaScript-only nav — search engines need crawlable HTML links
• Use descriptive anchor text — "Analytics Features" not just "Features"

Site Type Templates

Full page hierarchy templates with ASCII trees, URL maps, and navigation recommendations for common site types.

SaaS Marketing Site

Page Hierarchy

Homepage (/)
├── Features (/features)
│   ├── Feature A (/features/feature-a)
│   ├── Feature B (/features/feature-b)
│   └── Feature C (/features/feature-c)
├── Pricing (/pricing)
├── Customers (/customers)
│   ├── Case Study 1 (/customers/company-name)
│   └── Case Study 2 (/customers/company-name-2)
├── Resources (/resources)
│   ├── Blog (/blog)
│   │   └── [Posts] (/blog/post-slug)
│   ├── Templates (/resources/templates)
│   │   └── [Template] (/resources/templates/template-slug)
│   └── Guides (/resources/guides)
│       └── [Guide] (/resources/guides/guide-slug)
├── Integrations (/integrations)
│   └── [Integration] (/integrations/integration-name)
├── Docs (/docs)
│   ├── Getting Started (/docs/getting-started)
│   ├── Guides (/docs/guides)
│   └── API Reference (/docs/api)
├── About (/about)
│   ├── Careers (/about/careers)
│   └── Contact (/contact)
├── Compare (/compare)
│   └── [Competitor] (/compare/competitor-name)
├── Privacy (/privacy)
└── Terms (/terms)

URL Map

Navigation

Header (6 items + CTA): Features | Pricing | Customers | Resources | Integrations | Docs | [Get Started]

Footer columns:

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

Content / Blog Site

Page Hierarchy

Homepage (/)
├── Blog (/blog)
│   ├── [Category: Topic A] (/blog/category/topic-a)
│   ├── [Category: Topic B] (/blog/category/topic-b)
│   ├── [Category: Topic C] (/blog/category/topic-c)
│   └── [Posts] (/blog/post-slug)
├── Newsletter (/newsletter)
├── Resources (/resources)
│   ├── Guides (/resources/guides)
│   │   └── [Guide] (/resources/guides/guide-slug)
│   └── Tools (/resources/tools)
│       └── [Tool] (/resources/tools/tool-slug)
├── About (/about)
├── Contact (/contact)
├── Privacy (/privacy)
└── Terms (/terms)

URL Map

Navigation

Header (4 items + CTA): Blog | Resources | About | Contact | [Subscribe]

Sidebar (on blog): Categories, Popular Posts, Newsletter signup

E-Commerce

Page Hierarchy

Homepage (/)
├── Shop (/shop)
│   ├── Category A (/shop/category-a)
│   │   ├── Subcategory (/shop/category-a/subcategory)
│   │   │   └── [Product] (/shop/category-a/subcategory/product-slug)
│   │   └── [Product] (/shop/category-a/product-slug)
│   ├── Category B (/shop/category-b)
│   │   └── [Product] (/shop/category-b/product-slug)
│   └── Category C (/shop/category-c)
│       └── [Product] (/shop/category-c/product-slug)
├── Collections (/collections)
│   └── [Collection] (/collections/collection-slug)
├── Sale (/sale)
├── Blog (/blog)
│   └── [Posts] (/blog/post-slug)
├── About (/about)
│   └── Our Story (/about/our-story)
├── Help (/help)
│   ├── FAQ (/help/faq)
│   ├── Shipping (/help/shipping)
│   ├── Returns (/help/returns)
│   └── Contact (/contact)
├── Cart (/cart)
├── Account (/account)
├── Privacy (/privacy)
└── Terms (/terms)

URL Map

Navigation

Header (5 items + cart/account): Shop (mega menu) | Collections | Sale | Blog | Help | [Cart icon] [Account icon]

Mega menu under Shop: Category columns with featured products/images

Documentation Site

Page Hierarchy

Docs Home (/docs)
├── Getting Started (/docs/getting-started)
│   ├── Installation (/docs/getting-started/installation)
│   ├── Quick Start (/docs/getting-started/quick-start)
│   └── Configuration (/docs/getting-started/configuration)
├── Guides (/docs/guides)
│   ├── Guide A (/docs/guides/guide-a)
│   ├── Guide B (/docs/guides/guide-b)
│   └── Guide C (/docs/guides/guide-c)
├── API Reference (/docs/api)
│   ├── Authentication (/docs/api/authentication)
│   ├── Endpoints (/docs/api/endpoints)
│   └── Webhooks (/docs/api/webhooks)
├── Examples (/docs/examples)
│   └── [Example] (/docs/examples/example-slug)
├── Changelog (/docs/changelog)
└── FAQ (/docs/faq)

URL Map

Navigation

Header: Docs | API | Blog | Community | GitHub | [Dashboard]

Sidebar (persistent, left): Getting Started, Guides, API Reference, Examples, Changelog — with expandable subsections

On-page: Previous/Next navigation at bottom of each doc page

Hybrid SaaS + Content

Page Hierarchy

Homepage (/)
├── Product (/product)
│   ├── Feature A (/product/feature-a)
│   ├── Feature B (/product/feature-b)
│   └── Feature C (/product/feature-c)
├── Solutions (/solutions)
│   ├── By Use Case (/solutions/use-case-slug)
│   └── By Industry (/solutions/industry-slug)
├── Pricing (/pricing)
├── Blog (/blog)
│   ├── [Category] (/blog/category/slug)
│   └── [Posts] (/blog/post-slug)
├── Resources (/resources)
│   ├── Guides (/resources/guides)
│   ├── Templates (/resources/templates)
│   ├── Webinars (/resources/webinars)
│   └── Case Studies (/resources/case-studies)
├── Docs (/docs)
│   ├── Getting Started (/docs/getting-started)
│   └── API (/docs/api)
├── Integrations (/integrations)
│   └── [Integration] (/integrations/slug)
├── Compare (/compare)
│   └── [Competitor] (/compare/competitor-slug)
├── About (/about)
│   ├── Careers (/about/careers)
│   └── Contact (/contact)
├── Privacy (/privacy)
└── Terms (/terms)

Navigation

Header (7 items + CTA): Product | Solutions | Pricing | Resources | Blog | Docs | Integrations | [Start Free Trial]

Use mega menus for Product (features list), Solutions (use cases + industries), and Resources (blog, guides, templates, webinars, case studies).

Small Business / Local

Page Hierarchy

Homepage (/)
├── Services (/services)
│   ├── Service A (/services/service-a)
│   ├── Service B (/services/service-b)
│   └── Service C (/services/service-c)
├── About (/about)
├── Testimonials (/testimonials)
├── Blog (/blog)
│   └── [Posts] (/blog/post-slug)
├── Contact (/contact)
├── Privacy (/privacy)
└── Terms (/terms)

URL Map

Navigation

Header (5 items + CTA): Services | About | Testimonials | Blog | [Contact Us]

Keep it simple. Small business sites should be flat (1-2 levels max). Every page should be reachable from the header.