Your website navigation menu is absolutely the key to success in digital marketing. It’s one of the most important elements on your website because it affects the most important outcomes: Navigation impacts traffic through search rankings. Navigation impacts lead generation through conversion rates and usability.
Navigation is necessary in ensuring that your website is accessible and usable. Good navigation will allow visitors to search your site for longer, giving them confidence in where they are and what they can receive from your website. Navigation allows visitors to search with ease.
Better navigation increases the amount of time visitors spend on your website – because it increases the likelihood they will be able to find what they’re looking for. At the same time, it encourages users to work their way through your site and visit more pages.
It may be in your nature to break the mold, but website navigation is not the place to be avant-garde. After all, you want your users to easily find what they’re looking for. In addition, a site with solid navigation helps search engines index your content while greatly improving the user experience:
Link your logo to the homepage: This website design tip is a common practice that your visitors will be expecting, saving them some precious clicks. If you don’t already have one, it’s highly recommended to create your own logo as part of your branding efforts. Contact us for help creating your logo we have a promo via this blog that will get you 50% off your logo design.
Mind your menu: Whether opting for a classical horizontal list, hamburger menu, or anything else, your website menu should be prominent and easy to find. In addition, be sure that it’s structured according to the importance of each section.
Offer some vertical navigation: If your site is of the long-scrolling variety, such as a one-page website, use an anchor menu. With one click, viewers will be able to quickly jump to any section of the site. Another option to consider is the ‘Back to Top’ button, which leads visitors to the top of the page wherever they are on your site.
Work on your footer: Your website footer is probably the last thing to be seen on your site, and it’s a good idea to place all of your important links there. This may include your contact information, social media icons and a shortened version of your menu, or any other relevant links that visitors may need.
- Make hypertext obvious.
- Streamline your navigation bar.
- Keep sidebars separate.
- Put your navigation in a standard place.
- Make everything clear and simple for the user.
- Don’t forget the footer.
- Connect the navigation with the business’s priorities.
Website navigation is one of the most overlooked aspects of user experience and website design. We often take it for granted.
Instead of mirroring other websites because they look good, figure out what navigational elements are most important to your business and your audience. Add links that appeal to both interests.
Do you have any rules you follow that helps you create awesome experiences or can you think of any I did not already mention in the blog? We love to hear what you think, about this blog, the 10 steps or just website designing in general. Maybe you have a question or two…let us know in the comment box below and don’t forget to subscribe to receive our next blog straight to your inbox.
