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Improve your IA

Use your information architecture (IA) to help users know where they are on a website, or where to go to find what they need.

Why improve your IA?

You may need to improve or change the structure of your existing website, or create a new one from scratch:

  • to introduce a new service
  • when there is a Machinery of Government change
  • to accommodate a change in user needs
  • when external factors impact, such as industry changes
  • to standardise your content
  • in response to new governance over your existing website

Review analytics, research, engage

Review content analytics, research other websites, engage with users and stakeholders.

Plan your IA

Plan your information architecture's taxonomy, group your content and visualize and map your IA.

Define your IA

Use methods such as card sorting and scenario testing to map and validate your information architecture labels as you go.

Test and improve

Test and improve your information architecture with users at each stage of development.

Map content

Map content to your new information architecture. This shows where content will sit, plus any content gaps you may have.

IA checklist

Things to think about when you're developing your information architecture.

Content strategy output

What you'll get

  • Clear website structure
  • Content that is easy to find
  • Pages that are easy to navigate

What to do

Add to Part 9 in the Content Strategy Template

← Do before: Remove content

    Clean up phase

Do next: Define your search engine optimisation (SEO) strategy →

Set the foundations  

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