Today, we’re going to talk about some website navigation best practices. Have you ever found yourself landing on a website and feeling like, Which one do I click to find the page or content that I’m looking for?
Or feeling overwhelmed by stacks of links in the footer? Or worse, experiencing some issues navigating the site on your phone?
That confusion likely stemmed from a mix of communication, design, and site hierarchy problems. That opinion is going to take about 50 milliseconds-just 0.05 seconds-to be formed.
In that split second, they are going to like your site or click to leave it immediately.
The whole ‘don’t judge a book by the cover thing’ simply doesn’t apply here, and websites suffer from snap judgments that end up having a huge effect on the perceptions of credibility.
The only way you can fight that is by honing in on making your home page navigation better. Before we get into our tips, let’s talk about why it matters.
Even if you’re some kind of web designer Kuala Lumpur rock star, you don’t necessarily remember each and every best practice for website navigation. But you can definitely tell when these practices aren’t followed.
An intuitive, well-laid-out navigation structure promotes better search rankings, more traffic, longer on-site times, more page views, ease for your users, and more conversions.
In short, good web navigation helps your visitors, the search engines, and your business.
So here are our best practices to improve your site structure or create a solid plan for a new site.
Keep in mind that these are guidelines-adjust them for your audience and industry.
More: Look at what makes a best above the fold website design too!
1. Sitemap
First, start with a sitemap. A sitemap is just a listing of pages on your website, outlining your pages by starting with primary categories and themes, then defining the sub-pages within those main ideas.
Based on your sitemap, using your sitemap decide what main navigational items you will need in your main navigation and footer, and what “children” pages fall under those.
Related: Discover some common website navigation mistakes to avoid.
2. Satisfy User Intent
Second, feed the visitor’s desires. Allow users to easily find what they want on your website. Keep the most useful and relevant pages front and center. Use short, yet descriptive menu titles.
Long titles can make your navigation look messy, especially on mobile. When possible describe a page in one or two words so users and search engines know what to expect when they click.
3. Limit Navigation Menu Items
Limit the number of items in your top nav menu. Too many choices overload the visitor. People are visually scanning a site to find what they’re looking for quickly, so fewer options help.
4. Two-tier Is Best
Fifth, avoid having more than two tiers to your top navigation. Drop-downs that drop down to more drop-downs create a maddening user experience.
Alternatively, lean on a “mega menu” that clearly displays numerous options when one hovers over any menu item. Use menu headings in “fat footers” and mega menus.
The fat footer is a navigation at the bottom of the website that contains menus and links. If one already uses a fat footer or a mega menu with a lot of links on it, add headers within it to group them.
This will create ease for the user in scanning and finding what they need. Each column or section should group related links together for clarity.
5. CTA on Menu
One strong tip included here is placing calls-to-action within the top navigation. Using a sticky header means the CTA-to “shop,” “contact,” or whatever that key action is-will be there, waiting for them, as they scroll.
It simply becomes much easier to take that action when they’re ready, no matter where they are on the site.
6. Sticky Headers
Speaking of sticky headers, experiment with sticky top navigation menus.
These menus remain at the top of the webpage while users scroll down. It is a design plus since it keeps the navigation accessible as users make their way through your site.
7. Consider Mobile View
Next, consider the mobile view of your menus. By nature, responsive web design automatically changes layout based on screen size with the intention of optimizing a user’s experience on both phones and desktops.
Put your menus to the test through various devices to ensure they are not taking up too much real estate, and that hamburger menus are visible and accessible.
Actually, some designers create separate navigation for mobile, just to make sure it acts just right.
8. Apply Analytics
Finally, apply analytics to improve. What works for one brand will not work for another.
Use tools like Google Analytics to monitor user behavior.
Heatmap tracking can show you where users are spending the most time and where they click, helping you optimize the experience even further. Keep in mind that your website is never finished.
Don’t just set and forget; use these best practices to improve website navigation, boost SEO, and drive more conversions.
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