Taxonomy vs. Navigation
The typical response to content sprawl is to make room for it — a cure that’s often worse than the disease. You end up with web pages that look like Times Square and a CMS full of inaccessible and unusable content.
Navigation and taxonomy are both effective tools for tackling unruly content, but understanding the fundamental differences between the two is key.
Taxonomy is a system of classifications that allows you to organize content. It’s the logical layer between your content and the physical structure in the back end. Taxonomy is an abstract, semantic layer of meaning, rigid by nature, and driven by rules. For it to work, categories must be clearly defined, and labeling has to follow the right structure.
Navigation is the physical organization of content, and how you’re presenting it to the user. It is influenced by taxonomy, and can be changed any time without changing the taxonomy. Faceted navigation is a classic example of taxonomy-driven navigation.
adapted from “Managing Content Sprawl,” a Virtual Seminar by Stephanie Lemieux.