The Importance of Site Navigation
by Alyssa Gregory
When I first started out, I was working with another designer whose philosophy for every Web site he developed was "the less clicking the better." He was adamant about providing users with the quickest and cleanest form of navigation possible. He felt that if the navigation wasn't clear, visitors wouldn't stick around and the content that the client spent months perfecting would be wasted. His philosophy stuck with me, and since then I have designed quite a few sites, keeping his words in the back of my mind with each new design.
With so many Web sites available on the Internet, it is increasingly difficult to attract and retain the average surfer at any given site, even for several minutes. Aside from random pop-up windows, one of the most common Web turn-offs is unclear and confusing navigation. If it's easy to get lost after just a few clicks, it won't be long before most users become frustrated enough to leave the site.
So how do you make your navigation clear and easy for your users to figure out? The first step is to categorize the content of the site before the design is even started. To do this, make a list of all the pages you want to have on your Web site. Then make a list of all the possible categories you will need to house all the pages. The process may take some time, but the end result should be a streamlined site map where every page fits logically into it's category.
When you begin to create the navigation for your site, the key is to remain consistent by using the same navigation on every single page. Identify the main sections of your site (most sites have 4-10 main sections). The navigation for these sections should be simple and located in the same place on every page. An option for navigation that involves a number of links is to split it into two, one called footer navigation (links at the bottom of every page), and one more prominent on the page. Inside each main section, the content can be broken into sub-categories to assist the user in finding exactly the information they're looking for.
The main point to remember when creating the navigation for your site is to keep it simple, functional and most importantly, consistent. Your users should know where they are at all times, and be able to move easily from one section of your site to another. After all, the easier it is for your users to navigate through your site, the more time they will spend viewing your products and services!
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