Website navigation (also referred to as a website’s information architecture or table of contents) is critical to helping users find the information they are seeking quickly and easily. It doesn’t matter the size of your site – from e-commerce stores with hundreds of product pages to an informational site with a few key pages about services and support, navigation plays an equally important role for all website owners. First and foremost, navigation should be functional – simple, direct and to the point. It should be designed with the end-user in mind, and not over-designed to the point of being illegible or difficult to get through. Every site should strive to provide different ways to navigate through information. Primary navigation should be placed at the top of the page, with secondary navigation on the left side. This is the natural eye path of the reader. If needed, tadditional drop-down nav for subcategories can be added to the top or side nav; it’s an easy way to keep content condensed and organized, showing information only when readers choose to see it. Another type of navigation is embedded links within content such as blogs or product description, which provide quick access to other key web pages or documents. For e-commerce sites, shopping cart navigation should be presented prominently throughout the purchase process and include such calls to action as “checkout”, “get help”, “view cart” and “view account”. Consistently placing these items in the top or side bar of a site helps customers feel at ease when making a purchase. Sites like Pinterest have shown us that navigation doesn’t have to be done in a traditional manner. For visual-based business like interior designers, decorators, architects, party planners and photographers, the work is what is bringing potential customers to the site. Hotlinking images and work samples to case studies and testimonials can help to provide buyers with the support and reassurance they need to make a purchase. For sites with international audiences, multilingual and localized versions of the site can help to expand the business’s reach, giving new customers a reason to connect with a brand. It’s best to place translation options prominently in the nav – in fact, major brands with multiple sites often have a landing page where users can choose a country and language. Smaller sites often have this feature above the global nav, in the top header, so it’s immediately viewable when users first hit the site. Personalized navigation is another option for website owners looking to enhance their sites. This tool, which allows users to set their preferences for website backgrounds and content, as well priority and organization of information, can be costly to implement, though the payoff from customer satisfaction can be huge. It’s apparent that with website navigation, there is no “one size fits all” approach. Every website’s navigation should be tailored to the audience’s needs. If you’re not sure what your audience would like to see – just ask. Tools like Survey Monkey make it easy to crowdsource feedback. Once you decide to re-do your navigation, set objectives, plan your architecture and test out some different options using user scenarios to get a comprehensive overview of the end user experience. In the case of navigation, simple is always better – and it’s one web design philosophy that your users will truly thank you for.Website navigation (also referred to as a website’s information architecture or table of contents) is critical to helping users find the information they are seeking quickly and easily. It doesn’t matter the size of your site – from e-commerce stores with hundreds of product pages to an informational site with a few key pages about services and support, navigation plays an equally important role for all website owners. First and foremost, navigation should be functional – simple, direct and to the point. It should be designed with the end-user in mind, and not over-designed to the point of being illegible or difficult to get through. Every site should strive to provide different ways to navigate through information. Primary navigation should be placed at the top of the page, with secondary navigation on the left side. This is the natural eye path of the reader. If needed, tadditional drop-down nav for subcategories can be added to the top or side nav; it’s an easy way to keep content condensed and organized, showing information only when readers choose to see it. Another type of navigation is embedded links within content such as blogs or product description, which provide quick access to other key web pages or documents. For e-commerce sites, shopping cart navigation should be presented prominently throughout the purchase process and include such calls to action as “checkout”, “get help”, “view cart” and “view account”. Consistently placing these items in the top or side bar of a site helps customers feel at ease when making a purchase. Sites like Pinterest have shown us that navigation doesn’t have to be done in a traditional manner. For visual-based business like interior designers, decorators, architects, party planners and photographers, the work is what is bringing potential customers to the site. Hotlinking images and work samples to case studies and testimonials can help to provide buyers with the support and reassurance they need to make a purchase. For sites with international audiences, multilingual and localized versions of the site can help to expand the business’s reach, giving new customers a reason to connect with a brand. It’s best to place translation options prominently in the nav – in fact, major brands with multiple sites often have a landing page where users can choose a country and language. Smaller sites often have this feature above the global nav, in the top header, so it’s immediately viewable when users first hit the site. Personalized navigation is another option for website owners looking to enhance their sites. This tool, which allows users to set their preferences for website backgrounds and content, as well priority and organization of information, can be costly to implement, though the payoff from customer satisfaction can be huge. It’s apparent that with website navigation, there is no “one size fits all” approach. Every website’s navigation should be tailored to the audience’s needs. If you’re not sure what your audience would like to see – just ask. Tools like Survey Monkey make it easy to crowdsource feedback. Once you decide to re-do your navigation, set objectives, plan your architecture and test out some different options using user scenarios to get a comprehensive overview of the end user experience. In the case of navigation, simple is always better – and it’s one web design philosophy that your users will truly thank you for.