9 Most Important Website Navigation Tips To Keep Your Users Happy
The web is a big place. It’s easy to lose your way in it, especially if you don’t have a good plan for getting around. Navigation is the key that can help you make sense of the internet, find what you’re looking for faster and easier than ever before, and prevent frustration while doing so! In this post we’ll talk about some of the best ways to ensure that your users are enjoying themselves when they visit your website or app.
Website Navigation Tip #1: The Website Hierarchy
The first tip is to make sure that you understand the hierarchy of your website. A website’s hierarchy is its organizational structure, which is basically how it’s arranged. It’s what gives your user the ability to find what they’re looking for quickly and easily.
It’s important because it lets users know where they are on a site, what other pages are available and how those pages relate to each other. In short, it helps people get around faster so they can accomplish whatever goal brought them there in the first place (like buying something).
The visual representation of this information is called a navigation menu or navbar: The items on this list will be familiar to any user who’s visited websites before—they usually consist of links like “Home” (the top level), then “About Us” (second level) followed by subcategories like “Our Team” (third level).
Website Navigation Tip #2: Organize Information Around Content Types
Next, you need to understand the content types that exist on your website. This means identifying things like articles, products, events and other things that may be relevant to your business.
Once you’ve done that, think about how they can be organized into groups. For example: products go in one place; events go in another place; blog articles go in a third place…and so forth. The goal is to make navigation as easy as possible by helping users find what they’re looking for faster than ever before – without having to wade through pages of unorganized information just to get there!
Website Navigation Tip #3: Organize Information Around Consumer Tasks
Consumers often have a specific objective in mind when they visit your website, and it’s up to you to help them accomplish that goal. Organize your content around consumer tasks by allowing users to easily move from one page or section of the site to another. Make sure the navigation system is consistent across all pages so that users know where they are at all times. And don’t forget about search! If someone searches for a specific product, make sure it’s easy for them to find it on your site.
Website Navigation Tip #4: Organize Information Around User Language
Did you know that the words you use to organize and describe content have a huge influence on your users? The words you choose to describe your content can make or break the usability of your site, so it’s important to choose them carefully. When people visit your website for the first time, they’re likely not familiar with what it does or how it works—and using jargon or overly technical language might make them feel confused and frustrated. Instead of using industry terminology (like “product page” or “user experience”), try thinking about how people would talk about this subject in everyday life (for example: “product page” vs. “shopping cart”).
Website Navigation Tip #5: Flat Architecture Does Not Mean No Hierarchy
Flat architecture is a design pattern that reduces the number of layers in a website. It’s not to be confused with no hierarchy, though; hierarchy is still important, but can be created in different ways than you might be used to.
For example, one way that flat architecture creates hierarchy is through color and contrast, as well as size and shape. You could also use buttons with gradients or drop shadows to make them stand out even more (make sure these elements don’t compete too much for attention).
Website Navigation Tip #6: SEO optimization
The following tips will help you create a navigation system that works well for both search engine optimization (SEO) and your visitors:
- Make sure your navigation bar is at the top of the page so that it’s visible on all devices.
- Keep the menu simple with just five or six main links, including a link to the home page.
- Give each link a descriptive name so users can easily tell what it does without having to hover over it.
- Use dropdown menus where appropriate to keep things simple and organized.
However, these things are very difficult when you do them yourself. You need to hire web marketing experts to make sure you get the results you want without spending too much time.
Website Navigation Tip #7: Use Dropdown Menus Only When Needed
Here’s a quick tip: if you’re using dropdown menus, make sure they’re only used to help users navigate secondary content. Never use dropdown menus for primary navigation or all navigation (i.e., the main menu bar).
This is because dropdown menus are much harder to scan than flat lists of links—and when your users are navigating with the keyboard, it can be even more difficult because they’ll have to carefully read each option before clicking on it.
Website Navigation Tip #8: Always have a home link at the top of each page
This is the most important piece of advice we can give you when it comes to making sure your users don’t get lost on your site. The home link should always be placed at the top right corner of every page (or left corner if you’re using left-to-right languages). If someone lands on a page that he doesn’t know where to go next, he’ll definitely click on this link to go back home.
Website Navigation Tip #9: Keep it simple
When it comes to navigation, less is more. The simpler your navigation system is, the easier it will be for people to use. If you have too many options, people will become confused and frustrated trying to find what they need.
If your site is not user-friendly, it’s going to be a struggle for you to attract and retain customers. It’s important to remember that navigation is about more than just the links on your page—it’s also about how those links are organized and labeled. By following these tips, you can make sure that your users will be able to find what they need quickly and easily.