Best Website Navigation Practices
Most web owners falsely believe that the mere getting to web surfers to their site are the goal. But the average user stays on a website for less than 20 seconds before moving on. Sometimes the short stay could be a result of a slow loading site or an unattractive landing page. Other times it is because the website doesn’t make its motive clear instantly.
But another cause and one that is easier to prevent is poor website navigation. If the web visitors struggle to find what they are looking for; they will stop searching. Instead, they will move on and start searching for other sites.
Be as Descriptive as Possible
Your navigation list shouldn’t be a mere vague list of headings. If your web visitor doesn’t understand what to expect from the options on your menu; they are unlikely to ever navigate beyond your landing page. You can prevent this by making each of your menu options to be as descriptive as possible without being too lengthy.
You Shouldn’t be Overly Creative
It is important that the navigation tools and symbols that you use on your site to be clear just like the words on your menu options. If you decide to use symbols to represent different pages on your website or options like the search function, make sure that you stick to the obvious ones. Getting too creative will only confuse your web visitors instead of impressing them.
Don’t Compromise Function for SEO
Sometimes it can get tempting to utilize your menu for SEO when trying to incorporate keywords and other SEO strategies into your site. While getting your site ranked on Google is crucial, it is important that you consider what will happen when your web surfers land on your page.
So as to avoid ending up with unnatural sounding headings and confusing menu choices, you can skip the SEO tactics when designing your menu, and use the best website navigation practices.
Take into Consideration the Needs of the Visitors
It can be tempting to organize your menu based on where you would like your visitors to go first. But one of the most crucial website navigation best practices to remember is to put the visitor first.
You should list your menu based on what you think the clients will be interested in knowing first, such as more info about your company, then follow it with your products or your contact details.
Mobile Navigation
Once you have put all the website navigation best practices into work, double check that everything on your sire is running as expected. Sometimes, menus and search functions get distorted on mobile devices. Double check your mobile website to avoid losing out on a large percentage of traffic.
