What Is a UX Site Map and Why Does Your Website Need One?

User experience (UX) should be the center of your web design. When every element of the site serves users’ needs, dwell times will increase and conversions will become more likely. An effective UX site map helps achieve that goal.

What Is a Site Map in UX?

A site map — sometimes spelled “sitemap” — is an outline of a website’s pages and how they relate to each other. As wireframes map a site’s visual layout, a sitemap helps organize content into different sections for an easier user experience.

It’s important to distinguish between a site map in UX and HTML and XML sitemaps. In a UX context, a site map is a visual aid, often resembling a tree or flow chart. It’s there to help web designers organize their sites for smoother experiences. 

An HTML sitemap is an actual section on a site that displays this information to visitors. It may look identical to a UX site map but is there for users, not developers. XML sitemaps are a specific file type related to website indexing.

Why Is a UX Site Map Important?

Site maps are crucial because they reveal two key factors in UX — the website’s flow and organization. If either of these categories falls short of user expectations, it could drive visitors away from the site.

Good website navigation reduces frustration and enhances satisfaction, encouraging users to stay longer and explore more content. A poorly organized site, by contrast, will cause irritation as users struggle to find what they’re looking for quickly. Even a few extra clicks can make a big difference. In today’s hyper-digital world, a few seconds difference can feel like a lifetime.

Aiding effective navigation is difficult without understanding where all the content is and how it relates to each other. Building a site map lets designers see how users may have to flow between pages and get a better idea of which elements to group together. Seeing the whole picture makes ensuring the website’s organization makes sense easier.

How to Create an Effective UX Site Map

Of course, some site maps are more effective than others. Here’s how designers can create the best UX site maps they can.

Gather All Your Content

The first step in planning a UX site map is gathering the content in one place. Because this map is just a visual representation, that doesn’t mean getting full pages and all accompanying data. Writing page titles on sticky notes or a digital alternative will suffice.

While each page’s representation can be minimal, teams must have all of them. Organization only works when everything is part of a cohesive whole, so any omissions will lead to an ineffective site map.

This stage is also a good opportunity to understand the site’s size and complexity. Users look at an average of 2.6 pages per session, so if they have to flip through more than that to find something, they’ll likely leave. If your site has many pages, it could indicate that complexity, suggesting it’s time to trim.

Organize Into Categories

Once designers have a representation of all their pages, they should categorize them. Group similar content, but remember you can define these similarities in several ways. Some pages will likely fit into multiple groups, so consider which makes the most sense.

Consider user intent, not just content similarities. Why would a visitor arrive at this page? Given their situation, what would they likely want to know next? Where would they expect certain information to be? Answers to questions like this help organize pages around the user experience, creating a more logical flow for site visitors.

Take inspiration from larger sites your target audience may frequent. While you shouldn’t strictly imitate others, usability largely hinges on users’ expectations. If they’ve gotten used to a certain organizational scheme at their most-visited sites, similar structures at others will feel more natural. Just don’t be afraid to be different if it’ll improve things.

Create a Hierarchy

The next step in UX site map design is to organize page categories into a hierarchy. Look at each group and assign a primary page for each. Then, create smaller sections under each of these larger headings.

Determining primary and secondary pages is mostly a matter of logic. A “Products” or “Services” section should include subsections containing different product or service types, each containing specific listings. “Company” tabs are a natural place to file “About Us” and “Contact” sections under.

The challenge here is striking a balance between organization and complexity. Hamburger menus remove clutter but add navigational steps, and the same goes for multi-tiered page hierarchies. There should be enough divisions to keep the site looking clean and to group related pages, but not so many that it takes five-plus menus to reach a specific page.

Consolidate Where Necessary

At this point, designers should have a functional UX site map, but the process shouldn’t end here. Because a smoother user experience is the ultimate goal, designers should always look for opportunities to streamline the site’s organization. 

Look at the number of pages and sections to find opportunities for consolidation. If there are more than five to seven primary categories, they may crowd the site visually, impairing navigation. If one section has subcategories in the double digits, there may be too many for users to find things quickly.

Once again, the user’s perspective should take center stage. Would it help visitors to have information that’s currently on two separate pages in one place? Does it take too long to sift through all the subcategories? Ask questions like this to consolidate pages or sections where necessary.

Review and Rethink

After consolidating some pages, review the site map again. Ensure the organization makes sense and facilitates easy navigation. Approach it from the perspective of users searching for different things and note how many steps it takes to get from one page to another.

Collaboration is crucial here. If a single designer created the site map, consult others. Once the design team agrees on the map, submit it to other stakeholders. Getting multiple perspectives will make it easier to spot inefficiencies and design the most convenient map possible.

Don’t be afraid to rethink the layout as a whole. Challenge opinions and question each choice to ensure the final design is as organized and easy to navigate as possible for a wide audience.

Monitor Visitor Behavior

Next, implement the site map, but don’t assume the process is over. The ultimate test of any UX design consideration is how real-world users react to it.

Monitor how visitors interact with the website, paying attention to how many pages they go through and how much time they spend navigating. Tools like Google Analytics let you track user behavior to gain this insight. Any trends that emerge are worth investigating.

Frequently visited pages reveal the most important content, sometimes suggesting a change in the hierarchy to highlight these areas to users. If visitors click through multiple pages to get to a specific place, consider redesigning the map to make that destination more easily reachable. 

Boost Your UX With a Site Map Today

Creating a site map for UX makes it easier to design the most convenient and informational website possible. Remember, the best organizational system is one that users don’t notice. Navigating to desired pages should be fast and intuitive.

Follow these six steps to design an effective site map. Once you have that, you can push your site to its full potential.