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Understanding information architecture

Last updated on March 9, 2026

Information architecture (IA) focuses on how we organize, structure and label web content.

Think about the structure of content and take time to develop the IA. New content may be related to pages or websites that other areas of government have already created. It’s important to consider how the information may be linked to avoid duplication and create clear paths for the audience. 

Clear IAs also help reduce the risk of outdated or duplicated content being included in summaries by artificial intelligence (AI) tools or search engines.

On this page:

Before you start

  • Review what already exists, do an inventory and audit
  • Check site analytics
  • Research related websites and pages within gov.bc.ca
  • Find out what the business and project goals are
  • Identify the primary audience and their key goals

Use the data

To plan an effective IA you need to refer to the insights and analytics you have already gathered.

Design research

Design research will help you understand how people use the content. Include questions about:

  • How people search for the content
  • How people navigate to the content
  • What are the audience's goals? (why they come to these pages and what tasks they are trying to complete)
  • Any issues they’re running into trying to complete those tasks

Analytics

Review keywords people are using to arrive at the content. Think about whether any of these words could be used in the page title and headings. This helps improve your search engine optimization.

Use page analytics in addition to design research. Analytics alone do not tell us enough about audience behaviour. Consider:

  • Which pages have the highest number of visits
  • If pages with low visits are needed, or if they can be removed
  • How long people are staying on the page
  • Where they’re coming from and where they go when they leave

Collaborate with other teams

When you do an inventory and audit you may come across content that is similar or related to what you’re working on. Find out who owns it and see if there are ways you can work together to avoid duplication and improve the experience for your audiences. This may include sharing information about your:

  • Research
  • Analytics
  • Content Strategy

If you’re considering moving content it may impact other branches’. Contact the GDX Service Desk to find out more. Collaboration also helps reduce the risk of AI or search engines presenting conflicting or outdated information.

Link content

If another government team has already created the content do not duplicate it, link to it. Consider how your page relates to theirs, they may want to link to your content as well. Linking also helps AI tools present more accurate summaries.

Learn more about linking content.

Move, rewrite or remove content

Once you know what relevant content currently exists, it’s time to look at the quality of those pages:

  • Review the length of the pages. Would the information better serve people by being combined or separated?
  • Remove duplicate information and replace it with links
  • Is all the content useful? Reduce the clutter and stick to what people are trying to find
  • Are all the headings and page titles clear and descriptive?
  • Do the topics and subtopics make sense together as people navigate the page? If a subtopic doesn’t match its main topic, consider moving it

Clear organization also ensures that AI tools and search engines don’t pull together outdated or duplicated content and present it as current.

Taxonomy: grouping your content

Taxonomy refers to how the content is grouped and labeled within your IA. There is not one way to do this. The results of your design research will help you understand how your audience thinks about the content and expects it to be grouped. This will help you map where content will be easiest to find. For example, by:

  • Alphabetical order
  • Audience
  • Date
  • Process or steps
  • Services
  • Subject
  • Task

Clear labels and groupings make content easier for everyone to find, including people using assistive technology or AI-powered translation tools.

Once you have decided on the taxonomy, your next step is to build the IA.

Map the new IA

Review the information from your inventory and audit, taxonomy and design research to work out where the content should live.

Present the draft IA to all the content owners identified in the inventory. Include:

  • The old IA
  • The type of research used and the results
  • The changes and rationale behind them
  • The new draft IA

Mobile-first approach

More people are using mobile devices, such as mobile phones and tablets, to access gov.bc.ca. Simple IAs work best on mobile devices. Design the IA to work well by including different types of devices in your design research. You may also want to create prototypes to test.

For information on what types of devices your audiences uses to access the content, check your analytics.

Visualize the IA

Use a visual tool or site map to visualize your IA as you develop it. Visuals are a useful way to show people your work. Depending on what software you have access to, you can create visuals using tools such as:

  • Microsoft Word
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Microsoft Visio
  • Adobe XD
  • Mural
  • Miro
  • Xmind

Test it

Once you’ve built an IA you think will work, test it. Make sure your audience finds it useful and easy to follow. Testing is about continuous improvement. Consider testing your IA each time you make changes to it.

Some ways to test your IA: