Google Recommends Pyramid Navigation Structure For Large Sites

A pair of months ago John Mueller of Google turned into as soon as requested a question about a location with a mega menu of about 1,000 links in it but these links would dynamically exchange in accordance to consumer action. John replied that it will likely be a problem for Google to be conscious a menu that has that many links and adjustments that in total.

As an different, John commended this location exchange from a spurious flat structure for navigation to a pyramid or deeper location navigation structure. The positioning turned into as soon as attempting to assemble Google to peek as many of its pages from its main pages as imaginable, adore we unprejudiced now not too long ago said page stage presentations importance to Google. But that would now not mean it is best to build 1,000 or more links on your main navigation.

As an different, assert Google the structure of the placement thru a pyramid adore navigation structure. He said going to a deeper location navigation structure can set apart sense on this recount. “And that is one thing the place typically, that could positively set apart sense. So it be one thing– we typically peek of us set apart of obsessing about limiting the breeze depth, as an illustration, and attempting to set apart it so that Googlebot can breeze to all pages in a truly like a flash time. And to some extent, I judge that is ideal,” he said. He added, “Alternatively, set apart of more the tip down methodology or pyramid structure helps us loads more to be conscious the context of individual pages interior the placement.”

Here is the video embed which starts at 56: 25 minutes in:

Here is the transcript:

RAYMOND BORHAN: Now we have a location with a mega menu that has over 1,000 links. It former to be that this mega menu, abet in 2018, would only load upon consumer action. So when a consumer hovered above the navbar, AJAX presumably load these links. At some level in 2018, we added these static links in. And I do know correlation is now not no doubt causation, but around that very same time, we observed a substantial fall in our search traffic. And now we at the second are contemplating removal these links from our navbar static links and going abet to links that only load upon consumer action with the AJAX call. We are, then all another time, affirming a transparent path to all of these links on relevant pages. So we will gathered have a transparent breeze path to these links, but only on the relevant pages, rather than having these links on every page. You know, these [INAUDIBLE] mega menu for every little thing. So we’re wondering, what could presumably be the affect or ramifications of removal these 1,000 mega menu links or static links, even supposing we’re gathered maintaining a breeze path to all of these links on relevant pages?

JOHN MUELLER: Yeah. I judge on the one hand, it be set apart of laborious to content, because I do now not know how the relaxation of your location is structured. So if, as an illustration, these 1,000 pages are all of your pages, then it shall be quite different when put next with, say, these 1,000 pages are your categories, and likewise you have a million set apart of subcategories or one thing adore that.

But in regular, what you are having a gape at from a exchange level of glimpse goes from a more of a flat location structure to more, I do now not know, deeper location structure. I do now not know what the official name is.

And that is one thing the place typically, that could positively set apart sense. So it be one thing– we typically peek of us set apart of obsessing about limiting the breeze depth, as an illustration, and attempting to set apart it so that Googlebot can breeze to all pages in a truly like a flash time. And to some extent, I judge that is ideal.

Alternatively, set apart of more the tip down methodology or pyramid structure helps us loads more to be conscious the context of individual pages interior the placement. So specifically, if all americans is conscious of this class is associated with these other subcategories, then that is a transparent connection that now we have between these ingredients. And that positively helps us to be conscious how these items are connected, how they work collectively, a limited bit bit better. Whereas if it be very flat, then we judge, oh, all of these are equally important, and we do now not no doubt know which of these are connected to every other. So from my level of glimpse, I judge for a bunch of net sites, it is ideal to have more of a pyramid structure. But at the the same time, you don’t desire it to be such that it be to find it irresistible be important to click thru a million times to no doubt gather to the true content. You are going to deserve to have, I do now not know, some reasonable option of clicks, if truth be told, to assemble to the content.

RAYMOND BORHAN: I peek. And we’re attempting to– we’re an e-commerce location, so there would possibly be a case to be made for us having mega menus. Alternatively, we factual desire to– that to now not assert up as static links that could gather crawled, but gathered set apart it available to the patron as to a consumer action, for a consumer-triggered action, rather than factual having them there as static links. But we gathered are all having a gape to have a siloed location with a more [? parameteral ?] structure, rather than one thing that has– the place we indiscriminately have 1,000 links on every page. So yeah, we’ve been– we’ve talked to a option of SEO companies and they also suggested us, properly, in the event you enact this, then it will assemble– negatively affect your location that each one among a sudden, these 1,000 links that you just had up to all these pages are gone. And it be now not no doubt factual, because we’re attempting to wait on these links, but only on relevant pages. But [INAUDIBLE] they suggested don’t enact it, because in the event you lose all these 1,000 links to all of the opposite issues, that is trot to have a negative gather. And I surprise if an empirical assertion adore that shall be made.

JOHN MUELLER: I don’t judge it would incessantly have a negative gather. I enact judge in the event you set apart it too deep, then that makes it tougher for us to breeze and tougher for us to pass the signals around. But it be now not the case that a superflat structure goes to be better than a set apart of reasonable pyramid structure. So for my piece, I’d strive to method for more of a pyramid structure factual to set apart it so that it be more easy for us to be conscious the context of the person pages and to forward the signals into set apart of connected areas more easy. But it be additionally one thing which is– it be a truly main exchange on a location adore that. So it be one thing the place I be conscious that it is ideal to set apart of gather more enter on the alternatives, presumably even to check issues out, adore you buy one class and say, I would possibly strive it right here and peek what happens with reference to crawling, with reference to indexing, with regard to ranking– all of these items. On account of it is rather a substantial step when you happen to change your location from set apart of a superflat layout to more of a pyramid layout.

Forum dialogue at YouTube Community.