When asked which website features were most important, 94% of online users stated that a website with navigation that is easy to use is a must. In today’s busy world, most people want to spend less time completing tasks online. Navigation affects how quickly someone can complete a task online.
If you want to boost user experience, start with your website navigation. In this article, we’ll give you seven tips to improve that your potential clients will love.
1. Improve Your Website Navigation by Keeping it Simple
While no one wants their website to feel boring, navigation is the one area of your website layout where we’d recommend sticking to the basics. It should be easy to find so the user can get where they need to go without frustration.
The best location for your navigation bar is a traditional horizontal bar across the top or vertically around one side. To make it stand out from the rest of your site, make it a different color from the rest of the information on the website. This draws the eye and increases the user experience.
Your destinations should be clear. Simple navigation allows viewers to understand precisely where each option will take them without confusion.
2. Easy Return to the Homepage
When a user is browsing your website, you want them to check out as much information as possible. If there isn’t an easy way to return to the website homepage, you may miss out on traffic. Relying on the back button to return home is not a convenient solution.
Include several options to return home in your website navigation. Many businesses link their logo to their homepage and include a “home” button on the navigation bar.
3. Users Come First
When designing your navigation, the user experience comes before website SEO optimization. It doesn’t matter if a user ends up on your website if they don’t stick around because it’s hard to navigate.
A website that is easy to use will allow visitors to bounce from page to page to discover the information they need. Multiple clicks results in higher website traffic and give more exposure to your product or service.
When creating a layout and navigation for your website, get into the mind of the consumers. Some things to consider are:
- Why they are there
- What information will drive them to your product/service?
- How can they contact you?
- Hierarchy of information
- Where they will look for the information they seek
By considering the drivers of the consumer, you can create a responsive navigation bar that takes them straight to the information they seek. The less frustrated they are with your website, the longer they stay.
4. Include a Search Bar
Some customers seek out specific information and don’t want to spend time clicking through different navigation fields. To cater to these types of customers, make sure to include a search bar in your navigation options in a place that is easy to find.
A logical spot for a search bar is at the top of any sidebar or in the header area. Program your search engine to take searchers to relevant results with a list of the information or products they seek.
5. Consider Mobile Navigation to Improve Website Navigation
45% of global consumers use their smartphones to shop online at least once per day. Not focusing on your website’s mobile navigation would be a design mistake that could cost you.
Many people will never see your website on a desktop, so your mobile design needs to be just as responsive, if not more. Check your navigation layout on a mobile display viewer to ensure the information distributes in a way that makes sense and is easy to use.
SEO is another essential component for any website, but if your mobile design is not up to par, you could miss out on Google ranking opportunities. Google uses mobile-first indexing, which prioritizes the mobile version of a website before the desktop version when ranking content.
Learn more about why SEO is important for your website.
6. Use Clear Titles and Categories
All categories on your website should have good SEO titles and short names and be split logically. You want the primary categories separated from sub-categories so the user can find what they need.
One way to distinguish different categories is using different colors or font sizes to create a hierarchy. If something could fit in multiple categories, link it to both to increase the likelihood of clicks to that page.
When creating titles, keep them short and simple. They do not need to have creative names to make them stand out. Instead, the priority is to make them functional and clear for the user. Titles like “contact,” “login,” and “services” are universal and deliver the purpose.
7. Call to Action
Your call to action should be related to what you’d like to accomplish. If you want to share regular advertisements and information with them, a “subscribe” or “sign up for our newsletter” button can direct them to sign up for information. Subscribing increases the chance that they will shop with you in the future.
Other calls to action, like “work with us” or “request a quote,” encourages the customer to take the next step towards working with your business.
Streamline Your Website Navigation
Website navigation is one of the most important things to consider when designing a website. If your website isn’t getting as much traffic as you’d like, it may be time to evaluate your layout and navigation.
At Quick Web Designs, we can help your website become one users love. We specialize in website design, digital marketing, SEO, and more. Contact us today for a free consultation to discuss your website needs and develop a business strategy.
