4 Must-Haves for Your Website Navigation

by Jessica Wentworth, Graphic Designer

Insights / Website Design / 4 Must-Haves for Your Website Navigation

The navigation of your website can make or break your user experience.

It’s how people find what they’re looking for and move through your website. If your menu is overwhelming or confusing, they will quickly bounce.

So, what makes a good navigation? Let’s break it down.

Clear Titles and Labels

Having clear, straightforward language in your menu is essential. This is not the place to get creative or use jargon – doing so can quickly cause confusion.

For example, naming a page with five-star reviews “Client Shout Outs” may sound exciting, but something more straightforward – like “Testimonials” – is a better choice.

Stick to the basics when it comes to your menu labels:“Home,” “Services,” “Contact,” and “About” are generally safe. This is what people expect and can easily understand.

Search Functionality

To maximize the user experience of your website, you will want to make sure you have search functionality built into your navigation. When people are having trouble finding something, or don’t have the time to browse your menu, they’ll want to search for it.

Implementing usable website search (and a useful search results page) is a great way to save your users time and frustration. Make sure it is placed prominently and works efficiently.

Thoughtful Hierarchy

Not every page needs to be in your top-level navigation.

You’ll want to create a hierarchy by prioritizing your key pages, and creating drop-down menus of second and third-level pages (or even a mega menu) with related content. (Pro tip: when creating your menu hierarchy, start with a sitemap.)

Consider the flow of content and user journey when creating your navigation. For example, someone would likely want to learn about your organization’s mission before reading the bios of employees, so your “About” page should be a top level page, while your “Team” page should be a secondary page.

When people land on your website, they want to find what they are looking for quickly and easily. If your navigation is stuffed with unorganized links, it can become overwhelming. Remember: focus on highlighting the most important pages first, and keep the rest organized in the dropdowns.

Responsive Design

Last but certainly not least, you MUST consider different screen sizes when designing your menu. If your mobile visitors have to pinch, zoom, or scroll endlessly to find what they are looking for, you probably need to work on the responsiveness of your navigation.

With most users accessing the web through their phones, you could be losing visitors before they even have a chance to dive into your content.

A well-designed mobile menu should be simple to tap, quick to load, and easy to navigate. Implementing a hamburger menu, collapsible sections, and nested menu items are great ways to make sure your navigation is mobile-friendly. (Check out some of these great mobile menus if you need some inspiration.)

An effective website navigation is crucial when it comes to guiding users through your website. If you need some help to improve your navigation, reach out to us! We’re always here to help point you in the right direction.