Sort the content before naming menus

List the pages you expect to publish and give each one a short purpose statement. Group pages that answer related questions, then check whether the groups make sense to someone outside the firm. A visitor looking for help with an employment issue may not recognise an internal team name. The task is to make the route understandable without flattening meaningful differences between services.

Use labels that describe the destination

Prefer language a reader can interpret without opening every item. Distinguish a guide about a legal subject from a page explaining the firm’s service. Avoid giving two different destinations nearly identical names. Ask a few people where they would expect to find specific information, and listen to their reasoning. Confident wrong guesses often reveal a naming problem that the design team has stopped noticing.

Give headings a logical structure

W3C’s page-structure tutorial explains how headings convey organisation and support navigation through assistive technology. Use heading levels to describe the relationship between sections, rather than choosing them only for visual size. A practice overview can introduce related topics beneath it, while a page title identifies the current subject. Clear structure also helps editors decide where a new paragraph actually belongs.

Keep the mobile route recognisable

On a narrow screen, retain the same useful labels and grouping wherever possible. Check whether long practice names wrap cleanly and whether nested items remain easy to understand. A menu should not require precise pointer movements to reveal essential destinations. Review the route from a deep article back to its parent topic, because many readers arrive directly from a search or shared link.

Plan for additions without growing a maze

Decide what qualifies for a place in primary navigation and who approves changes. A new article does not automatically need a top-level menu item. Maintain contextual links between genuinely related pages and retire obsolete destinations carefully. Periodically ask whether the structure still reflects the firm’s work. A manageable information architecture gives both visitors and editors a dependable map as the site develops.

From reading to doing

Put it into practice

  • Give each page a distinct purpose.
  • Test labels with people outside the firm.
  • Use headings to express structure.
  • Review mobile menus and deeper routes.

Reference point: W3C Web Accessibility Initiative, Page Structure Tutorial, “Headings.” Navigation planning examples are editorial recommendations. Reviewed September 30, 2026.

General editorial guidance. Assess technical and professional requirements for the actual website, audience, and jurisdiction.