"Website Navigation-The Basics"
mkLINK Internet Marketing Tips(08 May 2007)
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Good Navigation is Key to Conversion...

Hello again - I just thought I'd pen a few notes about basic website navigation as so many people seem to miss the point or go off on a tangent somewhere.

Bad Navigation = Lost Sales.
(Or, put another way, Clarity=Conversion)

Don't tell me off!

Please bear in mind that once again there is no such thing as right or wrong - simply what works for you.(Graphic designers please note - I'm simply alluding to established practices - please don't give me an earache). Also - my own website needs some work too - I know!

The reason good navigation is important is because if your website
is difficult to travel around(for anyone unfamiliar with it - i.e. new visitors!) then potential customers will rapidly bale out - for the most trivial of reasons - left right and centre.

The Basics.

  • Make links blue and underlined like this
  • Put your company logo on the top left hand side
  • Include a telephone number at the top in an obvious place
  • Put the main navigation(links)along the top margin
  • Include sub-navigation(links) along the left hand margin
  • Avoid FLASH or Javascript navigation unless it's vital
  • Include a Site Map - usually at the bottom
  • Include breadcrumb navigation*
  • Links within the site are important and help SEO
  • Search boxes go on the top Right hand side
  • Don't bother with splash pages(Un-necessary into pages)
  • Don't use FRAMES if at all possible
  • When linking to external sites - open a separate window
  • Make any image links look like obvious buttons!
  • Check regularly for missing / broken links.
  • Include accessibility** for the Visually Impaired.

*Breadcrumb navigation: In large sites - or sites where you have to "drill down" - very useful to include this.

** Subject for another day.

e.g. Homepage >> Shop >> Fishing tacle >> Rods >> Shark Rods

It goes at the top of the main content and it's real world counterpart could be considered "You are Here" on a map.

There's plenty more - but that's enough to think about for now.

Clarity
(i.e making things easy to read and see) should play a part in your navigation too. That's obvious things like ensuring you have enough contrast between the subject and it's background - or ensuring font size is large enough to read - or that an image is clear - or that a button actually looks like a button(rather than background scenery)

Lastly,

I'm launching some Internet Marketing training products shortly - please let me know if you are interested?

Visit http://www.mklink.com/consult/

Want to know More?
Simply reply to this email, or call me on 01454 852414