Operations Workflows Workflow Intermediate

AI Website Structure Workflow

Organize a site so people and crawlers find things — inventory the content, group it into a real hierarchy, design the sitemap and navigation, then document the information architecture for the build.

The problem

A website's structure is decided whether you plan it or not — and unplanned, it becomes a pile of pages bolted on as they were needed, with navigation no one can follow and content buried three clicks from where people look. Information architecture is the deliberate version: what pages exist, how they group, how they nest, and how someone (or a crawler) moves between them. It's not visual design and it's not copy — it's the structure underneath both. This workflow owns that layer: inventory the content, group it into a hierarchy that reflects real relationships, design the sitemap and navigation, and document it so the build inherits a map instead of inventing one.

Recommended workflow

Each step uses an existing NewPrompt tool, pre-filled by a matching resource. Open the resource to read it, or jump straight into the tool with the inputs ready.

  1. Anchor as an information architect

    Put the model in an architect's seat aimed at information, not code or visuals — reasoning about hierarchy, grouping, and findability. The job is the structure underneath the site, so the framing has to be structural.

    Goal The model reasoning about hierarchy and findability, not page design.

    Resource Software Architect Role Prompt
    Tool Role Prompt Generator
    Open this step in Role Prompt Generator

  2. Inventory and group the content

    List everything the site needs to hold, then group it by how the content actually relates — not by who owns it internally. Good grouping is what makes a site feel obvious; bad grouping is what buries pages.

    Goal All the site's content grouped into a logical hierarchy.

    Resource Break a Complex Task into Prompt Steps
    Tool Multi-Step Prompt Builder
    Open this step in Multi-Step Prompt Builder

  3. Lay out the sitemap and navigation

    Turn the groups into a sitemap — the pages, how they nest, and the relationships between them — and the navigation that lets people and crawlers reach any page without guessing. This is the structure the build will follow.

    Goal A sitemap with a navigation hierarchy and clear page relationships.

    Resource Structure Large Reference Documents — Every Section Addressable
    Tool Markdown Output Builder
    Open this step in Markdown Output Builder

  4. Document the IA for the build

    Capture the architecture — the page tree, the navigation, the rules for where new content goes — in a spec the build and content teams share, so the structure survives past the planning session.

    Goal An information-architecture spec the build and content teams work from.

    Resource Technical Documentation Prompt
    Tool Markdown Output Builder
    Open this step in Markdown Output Builder

Expected outcome

A website's information architecture designed before the build — content inventoried and grouped, a sitemap with navigation and page relationships, and an IA spec the team works from — so the site is something people and crawlers can navigate instead of a pile of pages bolted on over time.

Best for

  • Designing a website's sitemap and navigation before building
  • Organizing content into a hierarchy that reflects real relationships
  • Documenting information architecture for a build and content team

Not for

  • Deciding what content to publish and why — use the AI Content Strategy Workflow
  • Writing the conversion copy on a page — use the AI Landing Page Copywriting Workflow
  • Designing software architecture — use the AI Project Architecture Workflow

FAQ

Is this a UX or visual-design workflow?

No. This owns information architecture — what pages exist, how they group and nest, how navigation connects them. It's the structure underneath the site, decided before visual design and copy. Those layers build on this one; they don't replace it.

How is this different from the AI Content Strategy Workflow?

Content strategy decides what to publish and why; this decides how it's organized. Strategy gives you the topics and pieces; structure arranges them into a navigable site. You'd usually set the strategy first, then design the architecture that holds it.

How is this different from the AI Project Architecture Workflow?

That designs software architecture — services, data flow, boundaries. This designs information architecture — pages, hierarchy, navigation. Same architect mindset, completely different artifact: a system's internals versus a site's content structure.

Part of these blueprints

Complete build journeys that include this workflow as a stage.

Blueprint Build a Company Website with AI The full path to a business website that holds together — plan the content, structure the site, design the components, write the page copy, then ship it as one coherent whole. View Blueprint → Blueprint Build a Documentation Website with AI The full path to docs people can actually navigate — plan the doc set, structure the site, write the guides and the API reference, then ship it as a coherent documentation site. View Blueprint → Blueprint Build a Knowledge Base with AI The full path to knowledge that's findable by people and AI — plan the taxonomy, structure it for search, write the articles, tag the metadata, make it retrievable, then ship it maintainable. View Blueprint →

Where to go next

Recommended next workflow AI Landing Page Copywriting Workflow Write a landing page that converts, not one that just describes — sharpen the value proposition, draft the hero and benefits, answer objections at the CTA, then A/B the variants to pick the stronger. Use when You're writing a landing page and want conversion-focused copy — value proposition, hero, CTA — not a feature description. Start this workflow

Related workflows

Operations Workflows AI Content Strategy Workflow Decide what to publish and why before you write a word — set the business goals and audience, map needs to topics, brief the priority pieces, then turn it into a content plan you publish against. Use when You need a plan for what content to publish and why — tied to goals and audience — before writing individual pieces. View Playbook → Operations Workflows AI UI & Component Design Workflow Structure a UI so it stays consistent as it grows — inventory the screens, break them into reusable components, specify the component system and its rules, then review the structure for drift. Use when You're planning a UI and need its screens, components, and consistency rules structured before building — not its visuals. View Playbook →

Tip: Each step's resource opens its tool pre-filled — start at step one and carry the output forward.

All playbooks