How to structure a knowledge base people can navigate
Structure a knowledge base by ownership, not by subject. One space per team, at most three levels of nesting, titles phrased as the question people ask, and the answer in the first sixty words of every page. Cross-cutting relationships belong in backlinks, not in a tag system nobody maintains.
The method, step by step
- One space per owner. Spaces map to teams because teams maintain knowledge. A space nobody owns decays immediately, whatever it is called.
- Cap nesting at three levels. Space → area → page. If you need a fourth level, you probably need another top-level area. Depth is where findability goes to die.
- Title pages as questions. 'How do we deploy?' beats 'Deployment'. Search matches how people think, and question titles force the page to actually answer something.
- Answer in the first 60 words. Lead every page with a direct answer, then the detail. Readers scanning under pressure stop at the first paragraph, and so do answer engines.
- Use backlinks instead of tags. Tags need a taxonomy and constant maintenance. @mention chips create the same cross-cutting connections as a side effect of writing, and both directions are visible in the Links panel.
- Keep one index page per space. A short hand-written index at the space root, listing the eight pages that matter. Automatic trees show everything; humans need to be told what is important.
Frequently asked questions
Should I use tags or a folder hierarchy?
Hierarchy for ownership, backlinks for relationships. Tags sit awkwardly between the two and require maintenance discipline that most teams cannot sustain past the first quarter.
How deep should page nesting go?
Three levels is the practical ceiling — space, area, page. Beyond that people stop navigating and start searching, which means the hierarchy is no longer doing any work.
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