A website’s structure can be defined as the structural projection of an informational and data elements space that provides intuitive content access.

A website’s structure is important when designing a systematic approach to the process of developing proper navigation.

For example, assume that you run a store that sells grocery and vegetables/fruits, but they’re all piled together in one place. In order to find something to purchase, your customers have to go through every packet of grocery items or vegetables/fruits to find what they need.

More than likely, your customer is going to leave your store and never come back. Customers (and your users) prefer stores (and websites) that are properly organized. One tool you can use to organize information on your site is a proper structure.

Web designing has direct link to visual aspect of a web site. Effective web structure is necessary to communicate ideas effectively.

Wireframe

Wireframe refers to a visual guide to appearance of web pages.

It helps to define and give structure of web site, linking between web pages and layout of visual elements.

Following things are included in a wireframe:

·       Boxes of primary graphical elements

·       Placement of headlines and sub headings

·       Simple layout structure

·       Calls to action

·       Text blocks

Web Page Anatomy

A web site includes the following components:

Containing Block

Container can be in the form of page’s body tag, an all containing div tag. Without container there would be no place to put the contents of a web page.

Logo

Logo refers to the identity of a website and is used across a company’s various forms of marketing such as business cards, letterhead, broacher's and so on.

Navigation

The site’s navigation system should be easy to find and use. Often the navigation is placed at the top right of the page.

Content

The content on a web site should be relevant to the purpose of the web site.

Footer

Footer is located at the bottom of the page. It usually contains copyright, contract and legal information as well as few links to the main sections of the site.

Whitespace

It is also called as negative space and refers to any area of page that is not covered by type or illustrations.

The ideal website structure can be looked at like a pyramid. It consists of a home page, categories, subcategories, and individual posts and pages.

Home page – The home page is at the top of the pyramid. It acts as a hub for the visitors of your site. 

Categories – Categorization is a valuable part of a website’s structure. Designers can help users make decisions faster and easier with good categorization

Subcategories – These play a major role in defining a website’s structure. Subcategories provide a structured methodology for browsing and categorizing information in a meaningful manner, especially for websites with complex data. 

Individual posts and pages – Individual posts and pages are the basic elements of a website.