{"id":139765,"date":"2018-05-08T13:00:54","date_gmt":"2018-05-08T18:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/getflywheel.com\/?p=27380"},"modified":"2024-06-25T19:18:02","modified_gmt":"2024-06-26T00:18:02","slug":"tips-to-design-perfect-website-navigation","status":"publish","type":"resource","link":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/resources\/tips-to-design-perfect-website-navigation\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Simple Tips to Design the Perfect Website Navigation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Website navigation can make or break your site. It\u2019s one of the key factors determining your site\u2019s usability. Get it right, and visitors will be able to explore and interact with your site intuitively, and find what they\u2019re looking for easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, regardless of how creative your website header design is, if your navigation is an afterthought, people could become lost, bored, or confused on your site. Once that happens, they\u2019ll quickly scoot off to explore elsewhere, which generally means you\u2019ll be driving them into the hands of your main competitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But that\u2019s not all. In addition to determining how easy and fun your site is to use, your navigation affects a host of other things too, from increasing pageviews and boosting SEO to determining how long people spend on site and how likely they are to turn into customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To help you get it right, here are seven tips to design the perfect website navigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like many things, start with the basics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Plot out a sitemap containing all the information that needs to be on the site, and think about its order of importance. Consider your target audience. Think about what they\u2019re looking for when they visit your site and their logical flow through it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now pop your brainstorming hat on and work out the hierarchy of the information \u2013 a card-sorting session is a great way to figure out the best possible way to structure your site content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bear in mind that our brains tend to focus more on the items at the top or bottom of a list, so always place the most important and helpful information first or last. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. Keep it Simple<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
OK, who doesn\u2019t love playing with innovative new design trends? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t overcomplicate your website by placing your menu bar in a random location. Stick to a traditional horizontal navigation bar across the top or a simple vertical down one side, and make it consistent throughout the site. Navigation isn\u2019t the place for surprises; it should present a clear, succinct roadmap of everything on the site, so your visitors know exactly where to go to achieve their task or find the solution to their problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, your navigation does need to be visually distinct from the rest of the site\u2019s content, so it\u2019s easy to locate. Ideally, use a different color, font, and size from the main content to ensure it stands apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. Less is More<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
If your navigation bar is bursting with options, you risk causing decision paralysis, which ultimately leads to your potential customers being unable to find the information they\u2019re seeking quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"woman](\"https:\/\/getflywheel-images.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2018-04-27_7-ways-to-entice-your-users-to-scroll-7143-copy.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"man](\"https:\/\/getflywheel-images.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2018-04-27_7-ways-to-entice-your-users-to-scroll-7147-copy.jpg\")
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