Analyze and Plan

Now that you have gathered your information, its time to analyze and plan your new site map.

– Remember, LESS IS MORE.  Web users want to find relevant information quickly and easily.

  • Evaluate Current Content

    • Relevance

      • Does the content support the site objectives?
      • Is it relevant to one of the target audiences?
      • Is the content current? How far back should relevant content be maintained?
      • Is the content being used by the target audience? Utilize your analytics.  

    • Presentation

      • Is content missing?
      • Does new content need to be developed or existing content need to be reworked to better support objectives/message?
      • Does the presentation of the content facilitate the objectives/message? Does the target audience(s) recognize the relevance of the information at a glance?
      • Is presentation of like content consistent?  e.g., Degrees, Departments, Alumni, Student Resources

External Web Services can help you analyze your site’s usability content.   Learn More.

  • Develop Site Map

    The site map is a list of all main topic areas of the site, as well as sub-topics, if applicable. This serves as a guide as to what content will be on the site, and is essential to developing a consistent, easy to understand navigational system.

    • Use the Main Navigation Menu to guide your site map development.
    • Use the Top Level options to highlight areas of interest to your audience — consider information gathered on User Experience and Analytics on your current site.
    • Within each Top Level area, identify topics or sub-areas most frequently accessed based on your audience.
    • Include areas for links to commonly used resources and/or required information in the Menu rather than cluttering your pages with links — Save your valuable real estate for your most compelling information.
    • Build out the Main Navigation Menu for your site in WordPress so you and others can visualize and refine the new site structure.  Learn more about Menus.

    Examples: