Planning Guidelines

As soon as a website is loaded, it should show what’s available and how to get it without having to jump through unusual hoops. Planning can help with that. In fact, designing a website is much easier with a plan in mind, and a good plan will turn the entire process into a series of simple 1-2-3 steps.

The Flat Plan

The simplest plan for a website entails a series of web pages linked together from a single webpage. This basic “flat plan” is sufficient for websites with no more than a couple of pages, but it’s not an appropriate plan for websites with hundreds or thousands of web pages.

The Multi-Level Plan

A different kind of “multi-leveled” plan links to web pages stored in multiple folders or directories within directories. But when these hierarchies are built too deep, finding information is more difficult than it has to be. No one wants to click though more than three to five links just to access a webpage, and that’s exactly what happens on websites that bury content.

The Perfect Plan

The best structure is a combination of the simple plan and the multi-leveled plan in which information can be accessed within three clicks or less. A search tool can help visitors find information that must be organized in deeper levels.

Each row of web pages represents a level, and this website’s older archives are located on the 5th level. Instead of having to click through four pages or levels (home page => information resource page => website design services page => static website design) page to access this website’s related contents, visitors could search for it through a form or drop down menu provided on the website’s home page.

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