Navigation is one of the most important elements in web design. An easy to use, effective navigation is a vital component of professional web design. When visitors first arrive at a website, it is the navigation that will be key in deciding whether they stay on your website or navigate away from it. How long a visitor spends on your website is an important consideration in web design. And this is based largely on the navigation.

On an e-commerce website, if the products are difficult to find or order, the site is unlikely to succeed. Similarly on a website that offers information about a company, if it is difficult to find what services the company offers, the website is unlikely to succeed. There are many factors to be considered when planning the navigation of your website. Some of them are listed below:

Website Navigation – Top ways to improve navigation:

1. Website navigation should highlight important links

It is vital to showcase the important links on your website even if it means repeating the links more than once. The important sections of your website should be highlighted in the navigation. At the same time there will be other content that should be accessible on the site however does not need to be highlighted. A perfect example is pages such as terms and conditions and privacy policy. Such links are best included in the footer at the bottom of the page.

2. Always include a search feature

Almost all websites can benefit from a search feature. Effective placement of the search box is equally important in web design. An easily evident search box is considered important in Good web design.

3. Breadcrumbs and sitemap

Breadcrumb trails have become increasingly important in web design. In good web design it is important that a user is able to get back to the home page with ease and can retrace their steps. Breadcrumb navigation makes it easy for a visitor to know where they are on a website and they can find their way back to the homepage or vice versa. Inclusion of a sitemap or content page is another way to allow a user to quickly find the information they are looking for.

4. Plan and organise your content

A well planned and organised content is important in web design. You should limit the number of primary links in the main navigation. This can be achieved by organising the content properly. If the site contains a lot of information, it is better to divide it into appropriate categories and sub categories. And only the main categories should be accessible via the main menu links.

Usability plays an important role in web design. It is considered good usability to ensure that all pages of a website can be accessed in no more than two clicks. This is in line with good usability standards.

5. Consistency

In general consistency is important in web design. It is important for the menu to be consistent. You should also include the main links on every web page. While specific sections can include sub menu relevant to respective sections, the main menu should be consistent across the entire website. If the main menu is not consistent, it can confuse the user.

6. Keep your navigation efficient and unambiguous

You should use short, unambiguous words in your links. The navigation or links should be self explanatory. A user should know what the respective pages will contain without having to visit the page. Similarly, if you have too many links, use a drop down menu instead of cluttering the space with too many top level links.