How to Create Effective Site Navigation that Leads Visitors to Your Most Important Content
by Stoney deGeyter
When performing a site architectural review, one of the first things I look at is the site's main navigation elements. This includes top, side and footer navigation. Together, they all play an important role in both the ability of the search engines to properly spider your website, as well as allowing your visitors to find important areas and information quickly and efficiently.
Site navigation can come in many different flavors. There isn't just ONE way to do it correctly. If there were then every site would have navigation that looked exactly the same. So while navigation can vary greatly between sites and industries, there are certain navigational elements that should be implemented to ensure solid usability and effective website architecture.
Your top navigation should always display your logo and tagline (if you have one) clearly and not amongst a bunch of clutter. If the visitor cannot identify your site within a millisecond of them landing on the page then you may need to consider re-designing your top banner/navigation.
Your logo should always link to your site's home page. Yes, even if the visitor is on the home page. Many people will look first to click the logo to navigate to the home page before looking for a "home" link, or even to look if they are on the home page already. That's not to say that you shouldn't have a Home link in your navigation--and make it fairly obvious, but be sure the logo links as well. No sense forcing logo-clickers to look around for the "correct" way to get back to the home page. To them, the logo is the correct way.
The header is a good place to put other important links and information. Things such as a link to the shopping basket, site search and contact information are commonly found near the top of the page. Placing this information where typical visitors expect to find them makes it easier for them to navigate through your site finding what they need more quickly.
....[url=\"http://www.searchengineguide.com/stoney-degeyter/how-to-create-effective-site-navigation.php\"]read the full article with images on Search Engine Guide[/url]
Effective Site Navigation
Moderators: Moderator, Global Moderator
Effective Site Navigation
[color=\"#41211C\"]It takes years to build up trust and only seconds to destroy it
[/color]
Effective Site Navigation
Great article -- I'm going to be redoing some sections on my website lol
[align=center]
“If you stop learning, you stop living.” ~Tami Quiring
“It's the rare man who understands the value of a single perfect rose.”
[/align]
“If you stop learning, you stop living.” ~Tami Quiring
“It's the rare man who understands the value of a single perfect rose.”
[/align]
Effective Site Navigation
Yeah - that thought's been crossing my mind too lol
[color=\"#41211C\"]It takes years to build up trust and only seconds to destroy it
[/color]