Navigation must be simple. Since it's the backbone of your site, it's imperative that visitors be able to understand it. Here are two tips on how to make simplicity a reality in your site:
1. Your link titles need to be understandable.
Visitors need to know exactly what link to click on for the info they need. Unfortunately, visitors frequently get confused and don't understand what a link means. Consequently, they aren't sure what info they'll find at the other end of the link.
Often, a link name that makes complete sense to you will mean nothing to the visitor. For example, I once used a link called "Resources" in the navigation bar of a site for a client. This section of the site contained various articles and links to outside sites with helpful information.
However, after a little bit of testing, I discovered that most people had no idea what I meant by "Resources". They didn't know what kind of information was in that area. Also, when visitors tried to look for articles, they didn't think to check the Resources section.
In other words, the link wasn't doing anyone any good.
The difference between your understanding of a term and a visitor's understanding of the same term can be rather drastic. This happens because you are so close to your own business and your own site.
It's important to remember that visitors don't know nearly as much about your business as you do. They often have no background knowledge, and they might not know standard terms in your industry. Sometimes, you'll have to work to come up with terms and phrases for your links that are meaningful to the visitor.
Here's one general principle: Don't use clever terms.
Although clever attention-getters often work well in the offline world, it's different online. In character with their generally hurried attitude, web users want to know exactly where they are going and what they will find when they click on a link. They don't like guessing games and are usually not enticed by clever lead-ins. What lies beyond them is simply not clear.
Cleverness doesn't belong in navigation unless you're positive the meaning will be understood by everyone. You should avoid anything that isn't straightforward and clear. Steer away from any terms that obscure what your links are really about.
Also, you should be very careful about using industry-specific terms. You might be suprised to find out how much of your lingo doesn't make sense to people who aren't familiar with your industry. Carefully evaluate each of your links to make sure you're not using a confusing term.
2. Navigation options need to be kept to a minimum
The second way you can simplify your navigation is to make the amount of options manageable. Visitors tend to get overwhelmed if you give them too many choices. They aren't able to focus. Rather than seeing each individual option, they only see a mass of links.
An additional reason not to include too many links is that you ordinarily shouldn't send visitors in a lot of different directions. If you've established a primary goal for your site (you have, haven't you?), your site should revolve around accomplishing that goal. So it's in your best interest to keep the options down. That way, you're able to steer your visitors in the direction you want them to go.
Keep your navigation menus to 5-7 options or less. That's the max amount you can have without losing your visitors' concentration. Any more than that, and they aren't able to discern an individual choice.
If you find yourself having more than 5-7 options in each of your navigation menus, try to pare them down. It's better to simplify the list and make sure visitors can evaluate everything than to cram everything in when visitors will miss most of it.
If you really need more than 7 links, group the links into a few categories. Although this can still get overwhelming, it helps significantly if you categorize links for visitors. They can latch onto one category and narrow it down from there, rather than having to deal with the whole list at once.
Overall, try to objectively evaluate your navigation from the point of view of a visitor. If you can, get input from people who aren't familiar with your site or your business. They'll be a great resource in helping you determine whether or not your links are confusing or overwhelming.
About The Author
There are 605.6 million people online. Can they find your business? Jamie Kiley creates powerful and engaging websites that make sure YOUR company gets noticed. Visit http://www.kianta.com for a free quote. Get a quick, free web design tip every two weeks--sign up for Jamie's newsletter: http://www.kianta.com
no-contract cleaning service Des Plaines ..Customers will form an opinion of your business as soon... Read More
Are you looking to create the perfect website? A complete... Read More
1. Assemble a web site development plan that is integrated... Read More
If you need a web designer, but have no clue... Read More
Dear web site visitor.I can't tell you how glad I... Read More
The way you design your web site affects your visitors'... Read More
The great debate: how much copy you should have on... Read More
If you're not getting a lot of traffic to your... Read More
Let's look at what your user wants to see at... Read More
In this article I will give advice and tips of... Read More
Being a writer, when I was asked to do some... Read More
CSS or Cascading Style Sheets has opened up tremendous possibilities... Read More
If there's one thing that most web site developers can... Read More
Page ranking by search engines such as Google are not... Read More
Does website design make a difference in how long people... Read More
Back to basics. Forget funky design, good copywriting is the... Read More
With so many different configurations internet users have their computers... Read More
Just about every list of the "Top 10 Web Design... Read More
I've written about META tags in the past, and I... Read More
This is a two-part article about creating a web site... Read More
Are you in a dilemma whether to create a mini... Read More
Whether a business has just got off the ground or... Read More
1. Web site File Structure / File NamingMost search engines... Read More
In today's age of fast food and high-speed Internet, a... Read More
Colors are powerful, and create strong feelings. They can also... Read More
bathroom cleaning service Lake Forest ..The concept of web designing based on the nature and... Read More
You know that I'm always extolling the virtues of an... Read More
It has been said that the best online sales copy... Read More
What is a Website Template?Many smart and savvy businesses are... Read More
The internet is filled with sites and they are good... Read More
Geometric designs come in all shapes and sizes? and lines.... Read More
Does your website need a re-design? Here are some questions... Read More
You have probably viewed many Flash-based components while surfing the... Read More
If you have a web site to which people pay... Read More
There are literally thousands of different options, styles and formats... Read More
When you develop a sales brochure, you have a mental... Read More
Some wise human once said "Learn from the mistakes of... Read More
There is a widespread confusion among lots of new website... Read More
Learning how to convert visitors to your web site into... Read More
Countdown to Armageddon - at least you'd think so judging... Read More
First you need original content. Content is the heart beat... Read More
Colors convey emotions and emotions heavily influence the decision-making process.... Read More
An ongoing challenge for webmasters today is to provide fresh... Read More
About two years ago, I had a go at commercial... Read More
One visit does not make a sale. Be sure to... Read More
I'm sure you've all heard the saying 'Build it and... Read More
Getting traffic to your website is not the only factor... Read More
What pages need to be included on your website? The... Read More
You have only 10 seconds to impress your potential buyer.... Read More
You've thought about it and you're ready to go. You're... Read More
Web Design |