How to Improve Your Website's Navigation

How many times have you visited a website for specific information, then quickly left in a huff because no matter how many links you click on, you just can’t seem to find the information you need. The reason behind this is poor navigation, and unless tweaked, can discourage visitors from your website.

But, how do you come up with a solid navigation strategy? The good news is, a web design specialist can take the guesswork out of deciphering what works and what doesn’t, addressing your unique needs so you can connect effortlessly with your online client base. Here are 4 tips to push you in the direction of seamless website navigation.

Transparency is a must...

1. A visitor clicks to your website and as soon as the landing page loads, navigation needs to be crystal clear immediately.
2. Focus on the terminology that a visitor would use to find information on your website. For example, instead of labeling a page “Videos” try something that guides towards content that could potentially answer the visitor’s question, such as a “how to” section.

Keep it Consistent...

1. You want website navigation to be bold, tasteful, yet to-the-point and easy to understand. Remember- the less confusion the better. Take time to consider the colors and fonts used for links; if your content is light gray, coloring a link dark gray may look nice, but can be too subtle when differentiating content from a link.
2. It can be confusing and frustrating to click a website menu item that does nothing at all. Remove links from the menu that actually aren’t links- just titles. The menu is meant to find what you’re looking for in the first place, so it doesn’t make sense to have non-clickable links displayed.

Visitors want simplicity…

1. Meaning, a visitor to your website should be able to find what they desire in one to two clicks of the mouse. When you’re organizing the information architecture (IA) of your website, it’s best to keep it flat with as few levels as possible.
2. Consider the order used within the navigation. The human brain is actually wired to remember relevant information based on what’s presented first (primacy) and last (recency). When designing your website menu, study analytics to determine which pages of your website get the most traffic, then place the most important links first and last on the menu to improve the ease of navigation.