Navigation on websites will control how people interact when they visit a site. If the site is difficult to navigate (i.e. individuals cannot figure out how to access the needed information) they are less likely to visit that site again, and they definitely will not be referring other people to the site.

1) Simplicity Works Wonders

To keep the navigation simple, include tabs at the top. These tabs will provide all the different types of information the website has to offer. For instance, if it were a site about eating healthy, a tab may be included for the following: water consumption, exercise programs, healthy options, etc. This will make it easy for users to simply click on the tab to find the information they are looking for.

2) Introduce Yourself and Your Site

Another way to keep navigation easy it to make sure the homepage includes a little bit about what the site has to offer. Sticking with the healthy eating, the introduction on the homepage may include information on all the tabs available, but they won't go into detail. Having an introduction on the homepage will allow users to make sure the site at hand are what they are looking for without having to travel all over the site and possibly waste their time.

3) Contact Info Should Be Available from any Page

Keeping the contact information at the bottom of the page will keep any webpage easy to navigate. If a user is looking to contact a company, it is frustrating to endlessly travel all over the site with no luck on finding the needed content. By placing small links on the bottom of the page with "Contact Us", users will ease through the site. Typically, this information is always placed at the bottom. So, when a new page is created, individuals will have no trouble easily navigating through the site and you won’t need to worry about adding contact info to the new page.

4) Simple AND Creative is the Key

Lastly, make it creative and unique! A boring website will contain no pictures, boring black font, and no text size discrepancies. Pictures can be used to guide the eyes of internet users, so you can steer’ them where you want them to go. Also, it is important to make important things in bold, bigger, or in colorful ink. This will also draw attention to the information.  In conclusion, when creating a new website, make sure you use the proper navigational techniques to ensure that users are able to quickly and easily navigate the site. This will relieve frustration, and ensure the users are seeing all the information the site writers feel are important.


25 Website Must Haves Guide

Photo credit: ota_photos / Foter / CC BY-SA