Website Navigation – Importance, Types and How to Improve Website Navigation

Website Navigation – Importance, Types and How to Improve Website Navigation. Website navigation is the process of navigating websites, pages, and apps on the internet. It’s navigating a network of helpful resources on the internet with the help of hypermedia or hypertext. 

Web navigation started with the internet era in 1989 and it quickly became apparent that it was going to play an important role in the scheme of the World Wide Web. Fast-forward today, it still holds.

Hypertext is the text-based web pages that do hyperlinks to connect them to other pages on the internet world. A hyperlink leads your web browser to a URL.

External links lead to different pages on another domain, an entirely separate website and server. Internal links lead to the same domain but different pages.

What is a Navigation Menu?

An organized collection of links that lead the user to different pages on a website—usually internal pages—is called a Navigation Menu.

Since websites don’t have any form of physical structure, they must have a consecutive, structured menu.

There are various types of website navigation are to present links horizontally across the page header, or as a list in a sidebar. 

A good navigation menu can help users simply reach their expected destination on the site without getting lost in an unending pattern of disconnected links.

What is Sub-navigation? 

Sub-navigation is also called local navigation. It’s the interface where visitors can find lower-level categories of a site’s information architecture. These are sub-categories of the main navigation links. 

Local navigation or SN refers to a list of sub-categories present under the main navigation links. It allows visitors to access other related information directly from the main page

The Importance of Website Navigation

Why is Navigation so important?

• Without navigation, websites seem unorganized and unstructured.  
• The navigation bar shows a clear indication that your website is filled with knowledge and depth.
• People have a clear suggestion of what is on offer and what they can find and require from the website. They are also inspired to explore more if they can see the navigation bars and links.
• Good navigation can increase the viewer’s search.
• Navigation tools help to break up the website into categories and sub-categories in a logical and understandable group.
• Good Navigation on a website is essentially used so that the visitors have a good understanding of what the website is about, without trying around the whole website.
• Good Navigation can also improve search engine ranking.
• Navigation is necessary to make sure that your website is accessible and usable.

Different Types of Website Navigation

Websites most usually use one of the three types of navigation structure for maximum performance, which we are going to discuss below.

Hierarchical Navigation

It’s the most favored navigation structure, unusually for big e-commerce websites. It has a top-down approach. The top consists of general pages, and the bottom ones are more particular pages in a hierarchy.

Global Site Navigation

It’s the navigation structure designed to be existing on all the pages of a website, such as a header and a footer navigation bar. Globe site navigation mostly shows on the top section or essential pages on the site.

Local site navigation

It’s often links embedded in the content leading the visitor to discover more relevant pages on the website. It drives the user to the resources for which they are visiting an appropriate website.

Features of a good website navigation

In reality, each business doesn’t sell the same product or administration, nor do they have the same arrangements of customers. Indeed, even the business goals are extraordinary. Some may have exchanges as their objective while others have signed up for a newsletter as their essential objective. One can’t have a “one size fits all” system for every one of the websites. This could hurt the website traffic. 

A guideline in SEO is that regardless of on which page one is, the whole website ought to be available from three ticks from the current page. 

Great website navigation generally relies on the mix of three elements. Having an intensive comprehension of the elements could assist with defining an optimal navigation procedure for a website. 

Website Navigation Example

While numerous websites brag of magnificent navigation capability, Mailchimp is the one that we will discuss here. 

Mailchimp offers a consistent and direct navigation experience to clients. It is an illustration of how you don’t need to utilize each tip and trick in the book to get guests to your doorstep. 

The Web page accompanies a tacky navigation bar on the highest point of the page—very valuable when you are scrolling down the home page (and it’s far down, at any rate). 

The subcategories of the fundamental menu seem when you float close to the rundown, and they vanish as you move back – sleek! The subsections look something like a sidebar navigation menu would, making the whole look of the website very fascinating. 

At long last, the fat footer is, all things considered, fat. It figures out how to top off an entire page. However, the substance isn’t overwhelming. The information on the footer is by all accounts in a state of harmony with the appearance of the whole site. The entire website looks sleek and, at the same time, somewhat eccentric. The navigation is elegant, and the utilization of a ton of negative space makes the site attractive. 

Also, if you have not drifted your mouse pointer on the logo of Mailchimp yet, we suggest that you do as such without burning through any additional time! The adorable little monkey activity is without a doubt a pleasant touch! 

Tips to improve site navigation:

• Link to home page: Each page on the website should contain a link to the homepage. It very well may be from the logo, other substance page or footer. Users will in general return to the homepage once the information is devoured. The homepage goes about as a focal spot, from where users can explore to various districts on the website effortlessly. 
• Mobile-friendly site: Mobile-accommodating navigation is fundamental for acceptable client experience and furthermore for indexing of pages. Since July 2019, Google has moved to mobile-first indexing, i.e., it will rank pages dependent on the mobile adaptation. On the off chance that the navigation on the mobile site is confounded and befuddling, it may prompt a lousy client experience, influencing the indexing of pages. 
• Be consistent: Keeping the structure and placement of links steady on a website improves the probability of client commitment. Continually changing links can frustrate and disturb the client, leaving them unsatisfied and in a confused state. 
• Good title: The interactive components on the page ought to have a reasonable, clear as crystal title. Such a title communicates the sort of information a client will experience once he taps on the link. Like continually changing links, an interactive link leading to an inconsequential page could likewise foment the client and potentially make an absence of trust. 
• Links: Ensure every one of the interactive links found on the website is accurately working, even the links starting from the drop menu of the header segment. More often than not, users straightforwardly go to sub-category pages from the primary menu. Consequently, these pages ought to be featured and available 
• Search box: Placement and search box highlights are fundamental for a superior client experience. The placement of the search box ought to be exceptionally apparent to the client. At the point when a client searches, it ought to always return applicable results. Regardless of whether the product isn’t accessible, it ought to essentially show the most closely related product. Showing no results could debilitate users. 

Conclusion:

Website navigation assumes a huge part in the achievement of business online.

Frequently it is the most neglected piece of the web development process, with plan and interactive media assuming all the praise for an effective website. Once in a while, engineers struggle understanding the significance of website navigation.

Advancing navigation structure for a more modest site by carrying out an on-page SEO procedure is basic.

In any case, more huge locales may have to hire SEO administrations to determine the issue identified with helpless navigation structure.