Site Navigation
Have you ever been to an incredible looking site that pulled you right in, only to find the navigation structure too weird for you to intuitively figure out? Sure, you may remember such sites, but more than likely you can’t recall their names since you know you’ll never be going back to them… With that said, here are two basics of good site navigation to keep in mind.
Make Your Navigation Obvious – Top, bottom, and side navigation structures should be consistent throughout your site and easy to find. Navigation buttons or links should look like navigation and be clearly described. The text of a navigation button or link should be very clear as to where it’s taking your visitors. Test drive your site’s navigation to ensure it meets the above and that it is truly ‘easy’ to use.
Keep Your Sense of Orientation – You don’t want your visitors to click a link on your site and all of a sudden feel like they’ve lost their way. Generously use headings, ‘next page’ and ‘previous page’ links, sub-headings, bread crumb trails and a good site map for those who need it.
Site navigation may not be a very exciting part of web design, but it can make the difference between success and failure. No one’s going to stick abound and explore a site that isn’t easy to navigate. So if your navigation isn’t up to snuff, get it fixed immediately. Poor navigation leads to shorter visits, less page views, lower conversion rates and less repeat visitors.
Check back next week for part 4 of Guidelines for Good Web Design.
[...] Site Navigation – Your site navigation should be obvious and provide your visitors with a clear sense of where they are on your site. [...]