Intuitive navigation requires planning
Great navigation isn't automatic

One of the most important features of any web site is the navigation. While much has been written about navigation, its essential function is to allow people to easily move around a web site.

The best navigation is intuitive and easy to use. People should feel confident using it, knowing they can quickly find what they need through a series of simple clicks. Great navigation should also follow effective web site conventions, in terms of organization, link names and functionality.

Tips:

• Take advantage of navigation naming and positioning conventions:
  • Include a "Home" link, commonly positioned first (at the far left of horizontal navigation, or the top of vertical navigation)
  • Include a "Contact Us" link, commonly positioned last (right or bottom)
  • Include an "About Us" link, commonly positioned just before the Contact Us link
  • Order remaining items based on importance to the customer or the most-frequently visited sections. Commonly, product and service items are more toward the left or top; resources, clients, and testimonial items are more toward the right or bottom.
     
• Consider the number of top-level navigation links. Could related links be combined under a broader name? Are all the links used equally? Could some lesser-used links be put under related links?
   
• Group similar navigation items, e.g., if you have several links describing services, keep those links together.
   
• If your site navigation requires many top-level links, consider a 2-part navigation structure:
  a) main navigation links arranged horizontally at the top of the page
  b) section-specific links arranged vertically on the left of each section page
   
  The key to making 2-part navigation successful is clearly integrating the top-level link with its related section navigation. Include a clear section heading that matches the top-level link name. Use a similar design scheme that ties the two together.
   
• Carefully evaluate the use of pop-up or pop-out menus for navigation controls. While they may appear to be an efficient way to control navigation, they can tend to hide commonly used navigation links. They can also be difficult to use, depending on the technology used to implement them. In most cases, well-planned standard navigation links work very well.
   
• While partly related to navigation, if you're considering a frame-based layout, carefully evaluate the consequences. In many cases a frame-based web site is not indexed fully by internet search engines, and specific pages cannot be reliably bookmarked by users (only the home page can be).