How do you know if your information architecture and SEO are working?

2 Conduct user research and testing

One of the best ways to know if your IA and SEO are working is to ask your users. User research and testing can help you understand how your users perceive, use, and interact with your site. You can use various methods, such as surveys, interviews, card sorting, tree testing, usability testing, and analytics, to gather feedback and insights from your users. You can then use this data to identify user needs, preferences, behaviors, pain points, and satisfaction levels with your site.

3 Analyze your site structure and navigation

Another way to know if your IA and SEO are working is to analyze your site structure and navigation. Your site structure and navigation should be clear, consistent, logical, and intuitive, so that users can easily find and access your content. You can use tools, such as sitemaps, wireframes, and diagrams, to visualize and evaluate your site structure and navigation. You can also use SEO tools, such as crawlers, audits, and reports, to check your site health, performance, and issues.

4 Evaluate your content quality and relevance

Your content is the core of your IA and SEO. Your content should be relevant, useful, engaging, and trustworthy for your users and search engines. You can evaluate your content quality and relevance by using metrics, such as bounce rate, dwell time, conversion rate, and social shares, to measure how your users interact with your content. You can also use SEO metrics, such as keywords, rankings, impressions, clicks, and traffic, to measure how your content performs in search results.

5 Monitor your site speed and security

Your site speed and security are also important factors for your IA and SEO. Your site speed affects your user experience and your SEO ranking, as users and search engines prefer fast-loading sites. Your site security affects your user trust and your SEO reputation, as users and search engines avoid unsafe sites. You can monitor your site speed and security by using tools, such as PageSpeed Insights, Lighthouse, and SSL Checker, to test and improve your site performance and protection.

6 Review your competitors and industry trends

Finally, you can know if your IA and SEO are working by comparing your site with your competitors and industry trends. You can review your competitors and industry trends by using tools, such as SWOT analysis, competitor analysis, and market research, to identify your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. You can also use tools, such as Google Trends, Google Search Console, and Google Analytics, to track and analyze your market demand, user behavior, and site performance.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?