Our process

Stage 1: Discover

Purpose. Understand what the website is for, who uses it and what they come to do.

What happens. A kick-off call with your main contact and anyone who needs to shape the plan. We agree the audiences, collect the top tasks, note known problems and constraints, and confirm who will approve the work. If you have analytics, search console or site search data, we ask for read-only access.

Your part. Share what you know: previous research, support enquiry themes, upcoming changes. Name one person who can make decisions.

At the end. A one-page summary of goals, audiences, tasks and constraints, which you confirm before we go further. The free information architecture worksheet asks the same questions, so filling it in beforehand shortens this stage.

Stage 2: Map

Purpose. See the content and structure as they really are.

What happens. For existing sites, a crawl and a content inventory: every reachable page with its address, title, depth, content type and incoming links. We map the real hierarchy, which may differ from the menu, and note duplicates, orphan pages and inconsistent labels. Short interviews with staff who answer public enquiries or publish content add the context a crawl cannot give.

Your part. Make two to four staff available for 30-minute interviews. Confirm which sections are in scope.

At the end. The inventory spreadsheet and a diagram of the current structure. For audit projects, this stage flows straight into the findings report.

Stage 3: Structure

Purpose. Draft the new structure.

What happens. We group content around the tasks from stage 1, name the groups in your visitors' words and arrange them into a hierarchy. Depending on the service, we add addresses, a taxonomy, linking rules or content models. Where the right grouping is unclear, we recommend an open card sort, in which participants sort topics into groups that make sense to them. Digital NSW suggests at least five to six participants for this.

Your part. A working session to test the draft against real scenarios. We read out tasks; your team says where they would go. Disagreements here are useful, because they show where the structure needs more thought.

At the end. A draft sitemap, labels and supporting documents, ready for testing or review.

Stage 4: Refine

Purpose. Check the draft works for people outside your organisation, then fix what does not.

What happens. If testing is included, we run a tree test: participants try to find answers to tasks using a text-only version of the structure. The European Commission's web guide describes tree testing as evaluating the structure with "tasks and scenarios taken from user research". We analyse where people succeeded, where they went instead and why, then revise. If testing is not included, refinement comes from your review and a second working session.

Your part. Help recruit participants from your real audience, if testing is included. Review the revised draft.

At the end. The final structure, with test results and the changes they led to.

Stage 5: Launch

Purpose. Hand over everything needed to build, migrate and maintain the structure.

What happens. We finalise the deliverables and walk your team through them. For restructures, that includes a redirect map following Google's site move guidance, which recommends permanent redirects such as 301 or 308 and mapping each old address to its best new equivalent. We also write a short set of rules for adding new pages, sections and terms after launch.

Your part. Pass the plan to your designers, developers and writers. Ask us anything that is unclear.

At the end. All deliverables in editable formats, a recorded or written walkthrough, and the maintenance rules.

How long each stage takes

Timing depends on the size of the site, the research involved and how quickly reviews come back, so we do not publish standard durations. Your written quote sets out the timeline for your project.

How we communicate

• One main contact on each side.
• Email for questions and decisions, so there is a written record.
• Scheduled calls at the start and end of each stage, and when a decision is needed.
• Drafts shared as soon as they are useful, so you can redirect early.

Working with public sector teams

Commonwealth agencies working to the Digital Transformation Agency's Digital Service Standard will recognise the research-led approach here: the standard's criteria include "Know your user" and "Leave no one behind". We fit our stages to your agency's governance and procurement process where those apply.

After launch

Structures need looking after. Every plan includes rules for adding new content without undoing the work. If you want a check-in after launch, such as a review of new sections six months on, we can quote for it separately. There is no retainer requirement.

Start with a conversation

Describe your website and what needs fixing on the contact page. The pricing page explains how we turn that into a fixed quote.

Sources checked 4 November 2026 for process

1. Card sorting, Digital NSW
2. Structure testing, European Commissionsecondary
3. Digital Service Standard, DTA
4. Site moves, Google