The current easyriders.com navigation architecture annotated with structural problems, alongside the proposed simplified information architecture for the redesign.
The current site exposes 11 primary navigation items to every visitor, with no clear hierarchy between high-value actions (subscribe, shop) and operational links (manage subscription, bulk orders). The proposed structure collapses this to 5 primary destinations with logical sub-navigation.
11 primary navigation items is too many for any visitor to process. Research consistently shows 5-7 items as the cognitive maximum. Every additional item reduces click-through on all items - including the most important ones like Subscribe.
| # | Problem | Current | Fix | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Subscribe is fractured | Subscribe, Digital Editions, Team Easyriders are three separate nav items competing with each other | Single "Magazine" parent with all subscription paths as children | High - reduces subscription funnel confusion |
| 2 | Operational links in primary nav | "Manage Subscription" and "Bulk Orders" appear at the top level alongside discovery content | Move to account dropdown (Manage Sub) and Shop sub-nav (Bulk Orders) | Medium - cleans nav, keeps feature accessible |
| 3 | No community section | Blog exists but events, rallies, and builder spotlights have no dedicated home | New "Community" section as peer to Magazine and Shop | High - community is a core brand value |
| 4 | Archive buried inside Digital Editions | The 55-year archive - Easyriders' strongest competitive asset - has low discoverability | Prominently feature Archive as standalone CTA on homepage and in Magazine section | High - archive is a major conversion driver |
| 5 | Donate lacks context | "Donate" appears in footer with no explanation - causes confusion about the business model | Either remove or add clear context: "Support Independent Moto Journalism" | Low - removes brand confusion |
| 6 | No authenticated nav state | Logged-in users see the same nav as anonymous visitors | Account dropdown when logged in: My Issues, Manage Sub, Profile | Medium - improves subscriber retention experience |
| Current Page | URL | Action | Maps To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home | / | Keep | / |
| Subscribe | /subscribe | Merge | /magazine/subscribe |
| Digital Editions | /digital-edition | Merge | /magazine/digital |
| Archives | /archives | Keep | /magazine/archive |
| Team Easyriders | /team-easyriders | Merge | /magazine/team |
| Manage Subscription | /manage | Merge | Account dropdown |
| Shop (all categories) | /shop/* | Keep | /shop/* (restructured) |
| Bulk Orders | /bulk-orders | Merge | /shop/bulk |
| Blog | /blog | Keep | /community/blog |
| Advertise | /advertise | Keep | /connect/advertise |
| Contact | /contact | Keep | /connect |
| FAQs | /faqs | Keep | /connect/faq |
| Donate | /donate | Evaluate | TBD - needs decision |
| Events / Rallies | (none) | New | /community/events |
| Builder Spotlight | (none) | New | /community/builders |
All existing URLs must 301 redirect to their new equivalents. No page should return a 404 - the archive pages especially carry significant SEO equity from 55+ years of search indexing.
Easyriders.com has accumulated significant domain authority over decades. A poorly executed redirect plan during a redesign can erase years of organic search value. Every existing indexed URL must redirect correctly before launch. Run a full crawl with Screaming Frog or similar before and after go-live.