Website navigation: what it is and best practice.

Website navigation is an important part of any great website. Done right, it can improve your website’s user experience, SEO and conversion rate.

Here, we explain what website navigation is and why it’s important. We also look at website navigation best practice to help you get the most from this fundamental element of web design and development.

What is website navigation?

Website navigation refers to the menus, links and buttons that help users find their way around your site. These elements guide users to a desired product, service or content in as few clicks as possible.

Well-designed and logically organised website navigation makes it quick and easy for users to find what they’re looking for. But confusing navigation causes friction for web users.

They have to spend time figuring out your site structure. They may struggle to find the page they need. This makes it more likely that users will leave your site, seeking an easier experience elsewhere.

Types of website navigation

There are different types of website navigation you can use on your site. In addition to hyperlinked text and call to action buttons, websites tend to include at least one of the following navigation structures.

Horizontal navigation bar

The horizontal navigation bar is also referred to as the top menu, main menu or header menu. It’s a primary navigation bar that sits at the top of pretty much every website you come across. This type of website navigation is really familiar to website users. So it’s easy for them to locate and click on menu options.

A dropdown menu

Sometimes, when users hover over an option on the horizontal navigation bar, a dropdown menu of sub-options appears. On some big e-commerce or information sites, this dropdown menu is huge so it gets called a mega menu. A mega menu contains lots of navigation options, categorised into small groups.

Sidebar menus

A sidebar menu sits vertically, on the left or right-hand side of a webpage. It tends to be used in place of a horizontal navigation bar and it’s not all that common. That’s because — when users land on a webpage — they expect to see a horizontal navigation bar. So a sidebar menu can cause confusion.

Hamburger navigation menu

On the mobile version of a website, space is at a premium — and it’s easy for a webpage to look cluttered. To ensure a good user experience (UX) on small screens, web designers use a hamburger navigation menu. Menu items only become visible when users click on the menu icon — three horizontal lines, one on top of the other.

Breadcrumb navigation

Another type of site navigation with a foodie name, breadcrumb navigation is very common on large e-commerce sites. It usually appears at the top of a page and includes clickable links. It might look something like this:

Homepage > Baby & Child > Boy’s Clothes (2+ years) > View all Boys wear

Breadcrumb navigation is a secondary type of website navigation. It shows users where they are within your website hierarchy and the steps they’ve taken to arrive at a particular page. They can click on links to return to a previous page easily.

Footer navigation menu

The footer menu is another type of secondary website navigation. It’s a place where you can expand on the menu options included in your header navigation bar or link to your website’s most important pages. This is also where users expect to see links to pages like your privacy policy, FAQs and terms and conditions, along with links to your social media profiles.

Why is website navigation important?

The way you use these primary and secondary forms of website navigation has a big impact on your users and the overall performance of your site. Here are all the ways site navigation affects your website.

User experience

A great user experience relies on intuitive website navigation. Clear navigation options encourage users to spend time on your site. It’s easy for them to discover the items or information they need.

But poor website navigation is frustrating and confusing for users. It can lead them to leave your site quickly because it’s just too difficult to find their way around.

SEO

Website navigation also impacts website SEO. When users engage with your site, spending time on pages, this sends positive signals to search engines. They see your site as useful and user-friendly and are more likely to stick it at the top of search engine result pages (SERPs).

Good site navigation also helps search engine bots understand the content of each web page — and how your web pages relate to one another. This allows bots to crawl and index your pages easily, which makes them even more likely to show up in search results.

Brand perception

88% of online consumers are less likely to return to a website after a bad experience. And almost half say that a website’s design is the most critical factor in determining a brand’s credibility.

Good website navigation design creates a positive experience for users. Users associate those positive feelings with your brand, which means they’re more likely to remember and do business with you.

Website conversions

Website navigation also has an effect on website conversions. If users can’t find the products or services they’re looking for — or it’s tricky for them to view their shopping cart or find your contact page — you’re unlikely to optimise website conversions.

Website navigation best practice

So what differentiates good website navigation from bad? Take a look at our list of website navigation best practices to find out.

Website navigation research

The best website navigation is organised in a way that makes sense to your ideal user. So the first website navigation best practice on our list is research.

If you have an existing website, start with a tool like Google Analytics. Use it to find out how users flow through your site. You can then use your primary website navigation menu to signpost this preferred route.

Card sorting is another activity that can help. Using sticky notes, create a card for every page of your website, including all product and service pages.

Your team — or (even better) a focus group of ideal website users — is then tasked with grouping these cards into categories that make sense for them.

Depending on your brand and its offering, the groupings may be:

• Object-based. For example, a homeware store website might have menu groups like Bedding, Lighting and Home Accessories.
• Action-based. For example, a museum website might include menu groups like, Visit, Learn and Shop.
• Audience-based. For example, a learning software website might include the menu navigation items Students, Parents and Teachers.

Bear in mind that even within these categories, there’s lots of potential variation. Imagine an object-based menu that features beauty products. Users could choose to categorise these products in various different ways:

• By brand
• By the body part you use them on
• By the results they offer
• By the ingredients they contain

Card sorting helps you determine the thought process of website users — and create a menu structure that best matches that thought process. It’s a way to make your menus user-centric and user-friendly.

A flat site architecture

When designing navigation for a website, you should aim for a flat site architecture. This means no page on your website is more than four clicks away from your homepage.

In contrast to a deep site structure, a flat structure makes it quick and easy for users to reach any page on your website. A flat structure also makes it easy for search engine crawlers to find and index all your pages.

Another benefit of flat site architecture is that it allows link authority to pass more easily from one page to another. By linking from a page that gets lots of backlinks (like your homepage) to other pages on your site, you help these pages rank more highly in SERPs.

So once you’ve decided on your product categories, incorporate them into a shallow site structure.

Descriptive menu labels

You do a better job of connecting with website users when the text on your website is written in a distinctive brand tone of voice. But you need to be careful that style doesn’t get in the way of usability.

The same goes for SEO. While including keywords in your menu labels is — theoretically — a good idea, you need to tread carefully. If SEO keywords damage the user experience, it’s best to avoid them.

So when deciding on your menu labels, consider your brand tone of voice and SEO. But prioritise the user experience above everything else. Pick clear, descriptive labels that tell users — in an instant — which options are available to them.

Logically ordered menu items

Why do so many online stores feature Shop as the first menu option and Contact as the last?

Well, brain scientists have found that people are more likely to remember the first and last items on a list. They call this the primacy effect and the recency effect.

So bear this in mind when creating navigation for your website. Make important menu items memorable by putting them at the start and end of your web navigation bar or dropdown list.

Limited options for users

Give users too many options and they’re likely to feel overwhelmed. So keep things as simple as possible. Use no more than seven navigation links in your primary navigation menu and use dropdown menus sparingly.

Sometimes a dropdown menu is essential — because you have a big site and because including lots of menu options helps users find what they’re looking for quickly. In this case, put dropdown menu options into categories under subheadings, including no more than five to seven options in each category.

Top-notch usability

Another core principle of good website menu design? Don’t prioritise creativity over usability.

Start by putting your menu where users expect to see it. Then be sure to tick off all the other web design basics:

• Make your menu stand out. Choose fonts and colours that create contrast between menu items and your web page background. Also, use white space to create separation between your navigation menu and the rest of your website content.
• Optimise for mobile devices. Use the instantly recognisable hamburger icon for your mobile menus. And — as in all responsive web design — size navigation links so they’re clickable with a finger or thumb.
• Make it accessible. To be accessible to all users, your web navigation should be fully navigable via a keyboard. It should also be screen reader friendly. Use semantic HTML and ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) labels to achieve this.

Useful navigation extras

A few navigation extras can make life even easier for your users — as long as these menu additions don’t leave your interface feeling too cluttered.

So consider adding a search box to your navigation menu. This is particularly useful on websites that feature lots of different products. It allows users who know exactly what they’re looking for to bypass menu options and head straight to the right page.

A call to action (CTA) button is also a wise addition. Your navigation bar attracts lots of user attention so CTAs here are likely to get lots of clicks. CTAs can also be useful for return visitors who land on your website with a clear goal in mind.

Web navigation testing

The final website navigation best practice on our list is testing. Once your website navigation is up and running, keep testing it. See how real-life users are interacting with your site.

You can use analytics to track where users click, which navigation items are popular and which lead to conversion. Heat maps or session recordings show you where users look and click first. A/B testing is a great way to experiment with different navigation structures, design and labels.

Using this information, you can then tweak your website menu design and navigation options to create an even more intuitive experience for users.

Create a clearer path for website users. Upgrade your website navigation with Radical.

Follow website navigation best practice and your site will be easy and intuitive for website visitors to use. This benefits UX, SEO, conversions and brand perception.

Here at Radical, our designers and developers know exactly how to create the site architecture and website navigation you need to boost website performance.

So if you want to incorporate these website navigation best practices into your own site, give our friendly team a call to chat about your project.