Implementing These Website Navigation Best Practices Will Improve User Experience.

You know that the navigation you have on your website is important. However, when was the last time you used it?

I have found that the best way to see how well your navigation works is by visiting your site and using it. If there are glitches or things seem confusing, your visitors don’t have a quality user experience (UX).

While this can be disappointing, you can take steps to improve the existing navigation on your site. Here are some best practices that I have used for years that will provide quality results.

Most people who land on your page will be impatient. They won’t have much tolerance for websites with complicated usability. The same is true if it is unclear or hard to find. Most people go to a website for a reason, such as finding information, reading your content, or making a purchase. Make sure your navigation bar is in a location that users will expect – vertically on the left or right or horizontally on the top.

Be sure your navigation is in the same location on each website page. Using the same design, colors, and font will help visitors become more familiar with the site and feel at ease when browsing. If navigation changes from one page to another, people visiting your site will be confused and more likely to search somewhere, the layout and navigation are more transparent and easier to use.

Ensure you don’t use overly generic wording in your site’s navigation structure. Words like “tools” or “resources” are not clear for users and require several clicks to figure out what content is offered.

It’s better to use more precise terms like “case studies,” “news,” or “blogs,” which will take visitors right to that page and avoid unnecessary confusion. Strong website navigation has an important role in SEO for small business strategies. To rank highly on search engines, including Google, you have to be specific.

Just think how frustrating it would be to land on a site and find several choices and uncertainty over where they should click. What page should someone visit first? This type of confusion will only make your visitors leave your site and potentially go to the competition.

Seven is considered the “magic number” for navigation items. This means that less is more regarding your site’s navigation.