← DictionarySite Structure
also called site hierarchy
The hierarchy and relationships between pages on a site.
Which pages sit under which.
What It Is
Site Structure sits on the Website side of the work, in the Structure area. The working definition is simple: the hierarchy and relationships between pages on a site.
It is an idea you reason with rather than a deliverable you hand over, so two teams can both hold it correctly and still apply it differently. That is the version worth keeping, because it survives contact with a real project.
How It's Used
Site Structure comes up in site builds, page structure and the technical decisions underneath them. It is usually discussed together with Information Architecture and URL Structure. The practical test is whether a decision changes because of it.
Why It Matters
Getting Site Structure wrong is expensive in a quiet way. When it is unclear, the site still launches — it just quietly underperforms. It is worth pinning down before anyone builds on top of it.
It is a way of thinking, not a thing you can hold. Which pages sit under which.
Termshift™
How the meaning shifts depending on who is using it, and where.
Practitioners use Site Structure as shorthand and expect no explanation — the hierarchy and relationships between pages on a site.
Outside the industry, most people would just say: which pages sit under which.
The Bottom Line
Treat Site Structure as a decision, not a description. Which pages sit under which.