A business knows its range from the inside. A customer usually starts with a task, a question or a rough idea of what they need. The website has to help those two views meet.
Understand the decisions people are making.
Some customers know the exact product name. Others need to understand a material, a size, a capability or what will fit their situation. Those are different starting points, even when they lead to the same range.
Discovery should look at the questions the business answers repeatedly. They can reveal gaps that a standard product spreadsheet will not.
Give categories a purpose.
A category should help someone narrow the range in a useful way. That might be by product type, application, size or another distinction that makes sense to the buyer.
The names, navigation and page content need to agree. If the menu promises a category, the page should explain what belongs there and help someone take the next step.
Separate shared information from product detail.
A consistent product structure makes it easier to compare relevant facts. It also gives the team a clearer way to add or update information.
Keep the distinctions that matter. Reusable layouts should make useful detail easier to publish, without forcing different products into misleadingly identical descriptions.
Plan for the next update.
Products change. Images arrive later. A supplier replaces a specification sheet. Decide how those changes will reach the website and who checks them.
The right structure supports the customer exploring the range and the person maintaining it. Both are part of the brief.
Put it to use
A useful check for your business.
- Use a real buying question to test category names.
- Check that useful product facts can be compared.
- Agree how changed specifications reach the website.
The thinking behind this guide
Sources & further reading.
Our practical interpretation, with the references below for the specific principles and further detail.
- How to work with user needs
Frame the specific task before deciding the content.
- SEO Starter Guide
Understandable site organisation and links help people and search systems discover content.
