Intuitive and straightforward navigation is vital to the success of your website as it is directly related to the users experience. A website’s navigation system is like a road map taking the site user to their desired location within the website. And just like reading a map, the quickest and least stressful route to the destination is the best. The process of creating a website structure is usually influenced by the development team as well as the client, so with input coming from many camps it’s important to keep this crucial element on track. Here are a few mistakes to avoid when planning site structure.
Make navigation descriptive, but avoid jargon.
Aim to name sections and pages in a non-generic manner, without adding in any unnecessary industry jargon. You cannot assume that site users have previously encountered your industry acronyms or complicated product names. Steer clear of giving pages generic names like ‘Products’ as there’s more opportunity to communicate with the visitor here. If your industry is organic skincare for example, name pages ‘face’, ‘body’, or ‘hair’ to instantly steer the visitor closer to the information they’re seeking.
Keep navigation style consistent
This applies to both the overall navigation style as well as the navigation scheme from page to page. The majority of visitors coming to your site will expect to find a horizontal navigation bar across the top of page, or a vertical style down the left hand side of page. This standardization not only makes the user more comfortable with the design, but means they’ll find the content they’re after quickly as they don’t need to learn a new navigation style. Whichever scheme you choose to use be sure to keep it consistent from page to page as changing the style on internal pages will only frustrate and confuse the visitor.
Limit items in navigation menu
It’s commonly thought that the optimal number of menu options to present a visitor with is six to eight, however don’t add extra items just because you’ve only got four and think this isn’t enough. Less is definitely more. Fewer items means the ones presented will be more prominent, and there’ll be less distraction for the site visitor. Remember, a visitor coming to a user-friendly site is less likely to bounce off elsewhere and may stick around longer, both factors which could improve SEO. Succinct navigation is also preferable for SEO as numerous links will water down the authority with search engines and affect overall ranking.
Avoid buried pages with extra navigational tools
A web page which takes more than three clicks to reach is commonly termed a ‘buried page’. With the rise in blogs, content marketing and constant page updating, old content which still has relevance can quickly become hidden within the site structure. It’s important to remember that there’s more navigational tools available than the site hierarchy and a good website provides the visitor with a variety of options to find the content they’re after. Provide easy navigation to these buried pages through search, archives, related links, body links or shortcuts. Getting navigation structure right is imperative to the overall success of a website and these are just a few of the common mistakes that can be easily avoided without too much extra effort. Lets us know your thoughts on site navigation best practices in the comments below.