Website navigation is an important part of every website. If optimized properly, it affects both user satisfaction and the position of the page in search results. In today’s post, you’ll learn some tips worth following. Let’s start!
What is Website Navigation?
Browsing is navigating through pages, applications, and websites on the Internet. The underlying technology is called hypertext or hypermedia.
Hypertext or media are text-based web pages that use hyperlinks to connect them to other pages on the Internet. A hyperlink is a link that directs your web browser to a URL.
The URL indicates which file the browser will access from the server, and the browser will download and display the data for the user to view. Internal links lead to different pages on the same domain. External links lead to different pages on a different domain, a completely separate website, and a server.
Navigating the site using menus with internal links makes it easy for visitors to find the page they’re looking for. Good navigation is an essential part of a user-friendly website.
How To Improve Your Website Navigation?
1. Keep it Consistent
Consistent navigation – both how and where it appears on your site – promotes ease of use and increases the chances of your visitors finding relevant information faster. If your navigation is constantly changing from page to page (unless absolutely necessary), visitors will lose direction on the site and have to constantly reorient themselves.
2. Divide Categories Clearly
If your navigation contains several sections, categories, or subcategories, these categories should be clearly and visually defined. In other words, category titles should be visually separate from subcategories, even if the categories themselves are links.
3. Make all Navigation Elements Clickable Links
All header elements should be clickable links when using multiple category splits in your navigation. This is true even for drop-down menus where clicking on a subcategory link might be a natural preference for the visitor.
4. Use Accurate Navigation Titles
Visitors should have a general idea of what to look for on a page even before they click on a navigation link. This is true whether it is a main navigation link or an internal text link. Use specific text to describe the linked page so visitors know what they are getting. Confusing or misleading navigation text confuses and upsets visitors, which can lead to the site abandonment. Ensure that all link content, whether text or images, accurately describes the respective pages.
5. Ensure Every Clickable Image has ALT Text
This is true for all images, but even more important for images that link to other pages. Be sure to include the ALT attribute with the description text. This ensures that everyone knows what a link is, no matter how they view your site.
6. Ensure Your Search Feature Works
When using the on-site search function, the search results page should always produce relevant results. It will compensate for typos, display related items, and even generate results for products you don’t have while showing similar products you offer. Never produce search results like “product not found”.
Designing Your Website Navigation
Designing your website navigation requires careful consideration of your visitors and website goals. You want to make sure that humans and search engine crawlers can find the content or functionality they’re looking for and understand the relationship between your pages. This way, they will continue to browse and perform the desired actions on your website.
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