How to Make Your Website Easier to Navigate
Ever been to a website knowing exactly what you are looking for, but find yourself down some type of rabbit hole of content you most definitely did not need? So have we. When customers come to your site and end up totally lost, they tend to flee—and all the good content and products you have to offer are never discovered. Site navigation, defined as “the links on your website that connect your pages,” also helps search engines crawl and index all the great stuff on your site. Some of the best advice we saw was from crazyegg.com: “Your website navigation structure should allow someone to land on any page on your site and find what they need within 3 clicks.”
Today, we’ll talk about some quick tips on how to make your website easier to navigate.
Consistency is Key
Think of your site navigation as what orients a customer. If it’s not consistent from page to page, people tend to lose their bearings and have to reorient themselves. This takes time and can lead to frustration. For instance, keep your search bar in the same place regardless of what page it appears on. Top-level navigation items, such as your menu, “contact us” page, bestsellers, etc., should also stay consistently in the same place.
Link Everything
From broader categories to sub-sections, every piece of your website’s navigation should be clickable. Got a drop-down menu? The text within better be a link. Customers are inclined to think these elements are interactive; when they’re not, it comes as an unwelcome surprise. Furthermore, be certain the hyperlinks within your body copy look like hyperlinks. Make them bold, underline them, change their color.
Make it Easy to Read
Stay away from crazy fonts and super-small text. According to powerdigitalmarketing.com, the smallest font size you should use in your website’s navigation is 12 pixels. Not only is anything smaller impossible to read, but search engines think it’s fishy too. And avoid using images in your navigation titles. Titles should be text, making them easier for users and SEO purposes. Readability doesn’t stop at font styles, though; avoid misleading jargon within your page headers and sub-content. Cute language doesn’t necessarily convert. Even you’re being witty, does that translate into something understandable?
Get Responsive
Navigating a website on a smartphone or other smaller device can be a chore. If your navigation menus aren’t large enough when viewed on mobile, it increases the likelihood of a customer tapping somewhere they didn’t intend to go. In addition to ensuring your links are sized appropriately, Medium also recommends downsizing the menu so it fits onto smaller screens and switching to a hamburger menu for mobile.
You don’t need to have major design chops to increase your website’s navigation. But if you’re interested in an entire website overhaul, head to ARF Financial to learn about the loan products that can help you fund your endeavor. From a line of credit to a Flex Pay loan, there’s a solution out there for your business—and a financial backer you can count on.