{"id":659,"date":"2022-08-03T15:30:48","date_gmt":"2022-08-03T15:30:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chatsupport.co\/blog\/?p=659"},"modified":"2022-08-18T15:37:27","modified_gmt":"2022-08-18T15:37:27","slug":"improve-website-navigation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chatsupport.co\/blog\/how-to\/improve-website-navigation\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Simple Tips to Improve Website Navigation for your Visitors"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What is website navigation?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Website navigation refers to the process by which website visitors explore and interact with your website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is website navigation important?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Put simply; if people can\u2019t navigate your website with ease, they\u2019ll go elsewhere. Your website is often the first point of contact a prospect has with your brand. If that first interaction involves a lot of frustrated scrolling, why should they think your service or product will be any better? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To turn visitors into customers, you need a clean, simple website that allows for intuitive navigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So how do you ensure your website offers a compelling browsing experience? Check out these eight simple tips and optimize website navigation today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Create a clear page hierarchy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think of your website as a tree. Your home page is the trunk of your website. It features big, broad strokes, conveying who you are, what you do, and why that matters to the reader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Designers and marketers used to expound the \u201cthree-click\u201d rule, namely that a visitor should never be more than three clicks from any page on your website. That rule has since been widely discredited<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, keep your navigation clear and straightforward. Add a breadcrumb trail to pages to help users keep track and maintain awareness of their locations within your website. So, if you run an eCommerce website selling household appliances, your breadcrumb trail may look like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home > Kitchen > Cooking Appliances > Pots & Pans<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This hierarchy should also be clear in your URL structure. And that means:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Keep all URLs short (under 50 characters)<\/li>
  2. Remove stop words (and, to, the, etc.)<\/li>
  3. Ensure subpages are housed under the right categories. <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Follow these simple steps to make navigation of your site easier not just for your users, but also for Google crawlers (which will help with SEO). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"Breadcrumb<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    2. Make your navigation links clear<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    If a user can\u2019t tell there\u2019s a link on your page they\u2019re supposed to click, they won\u2019t click it. Likewise, if can\u2019t understand what purpose a link serves for them, they won\u2019t click it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    3. Clean up your meganav<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Your Website Navigation Menu is a set of links to various pages on your website. There are many different types of website navigation menus, but we\u2019ll focus on your primary header navigation, AKA your meganav.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This menu sits at the top of your website and acts as the primary means of navigating your website. It should link to all your primary pages. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Your meganav will typically contain:<\/p>\n\n\n\n