Bad Navigation

There are few things more frustrating than entering a site and not being able to even figure out where you can go from the home page. Some sites take it to another level by making it difficult to get from interior pages to other interior pages or back to the Home page.

When someone comes into your site, and cannot move around logically from one place to another, they will leave. And they are likely to leave with the impression that your company is not too smart, and that it is disorganized about more than just the website.

Good navigation does not ever need to be complex. It should be thoughtful though. The most common navigation problems are:

  1. No way to get anywhere from the home page, or illogically named links from the home pages into the site.

  2. No links on page to get from where you are, to where you want to be next.

  3. Inconsistent navigation - it changes from page to page.

  4. Badly organized navigation - some sites have links six or seven layers deep, in a way that is not logical, and there is no clue from the top level link that it is the one you need to click to get to the bottom layer links.

Navigation on a website is like the controls in a car. Imagine getting into a car that had the accelerator on the door panel, or the brake on the roof. I drove in a car once that had the windshield wiper control and the light switch right next to each other - driving at night, if it started to rain, you might just turn off the lights instead of turning on the windshield wipers! While web navigation errors are not life-threatening, they can be deadly to a business.

When your site offers confusion instead of intuitive ease in getting around, you make a bad impression on the visitor. You annoy them and complicate their life. Guaranteed that someone else out there has a site with substantially the same offerings you have, but which got it right!

Predictability is FAR more important than creativity in navigation!

Creativity is wonderful when you can do it in a way that does not leave the visitor feeling lost and confused, but if you have to sacrifice creativity for function, do it without a qualm!

There is nothing original in the navigation in 99% of the sites on the web, and there is a reason why. Because standard forms of navigation WORK. People using them know what to expect, and they are able to easily use it. It makes them feel like they are in a familiar environment, which makes them feel more comfortable about your website.

There are several standard navigation types:

  1. Single level interlinked. This site uses single level navigation, where every page is linked from the home page, and every page has a link back to the home page. This only works for sites with not much more than 50 pages. Google doesn't like more than 100 links per page. It is the fastest type of navigation for getting your site indexed quickly.

  2. Tree navigation. This means that the home page has a series of categories linked to it, and each category has links off of it into sub-categories. With this type, you often use interlinked navigation in the subcategories - in other words, within a sub-category, each page is linked to each other page within the category. You might see this as a main navigation bar in one location, and some kind of sub-navigation bar to interlink the subcategory pages. Sometimes site owners omit the interlinking of the sub-category, using just a link back to the main category page instead. There are MANY creative and logical ways to build sub-category links. It is best to not go more than three layers deep unless you create a new site section, in a sub-folder, which you can register in its own right - search engines reputedly don't spider very deeply unless you register a separate section deeper in the site.

  3. Ring navigation. This means the home page connects to one page, which links to the next, so you progress from one page to another in a specific order. This is appropriate for educational sites, or presentation sites where people need to see things in a certain order, but it is not appropriate for other types. You never want to lock someone into a ring navigation unless you have a reason that THEY can understand for doing so.

Many sites use a combination of these methods. For example, an online education site might use interlinked navigation for the home page and standard contact, policy and site info pages, with tree navigation for course section descriptions and choices, and then ring navigation for each individual course.

Each site should use navigation that is suited to the topics. I consider the number of topics that I will be addressing, how many categories or subcategories I'll be covering and how varied they are, the general feel and mood I need to create with the site, and the types of links that the site needs. Some sites need two nav bars, some need three, some need four. Some need descriptions with each category, some do not. Some will need preview links for navigation from the home page and category pages, some won't. The navigation I choose is always chosen for what I feel will be the best way to draw the visitor into the site, given the topic and items we are showcasing on the site.

The important thing is that it be obvious from the home page, which link to click if you want to find specific information. If I want to know the difference between standard snow tires and studded, then I would expect to find a link on the home page about "Tire Types", then a link for "Snow Tires". If I come into the site and find links for "Buy a Tire", "Why Our Brand is Best", and "Frequently Asked Questions", then I'm not really going to have a clear idea about where to go to find what I want, even if the site DOES have the specific info I want. I might have to flounder around a bit before I find what I want.

Generally, people will click ONE link level if they don't know quite where to find something. If they go through the links on that level and still do not have a clue where to look, they won't bother digging anymore. You are wasting their time. Make it clear, in some way or other, what the information is behind the link. Well chosen link names, and logical categorization of information can make a world of difference in how much time people spend on your site, and whether they return, or whether they buy.

Good navigation takes a little practice, and it takes a good understanding of the target audience. Impatient audiences need simple navigation with logical and well defined link names. Creative audiences will usually be willing to put a bit more time into figuring out a navigation standard, but when they do, it had better be consistent through the whole site!

There is nothing unique about the navigation on most of my sites. Usually I have three navigation bars, and while I may change the locations some, I often use a standard three-column layout with a horizontal navigation bar. The horizontal bar contains site related info links - links which do not specifically contain topical content. The left vertical sidebar contains site content related links - the information that the visitor really came for. This is because most people will look on the left side for what they really want first. The right sidebar contains off-site links, extra informational links, or occasionally, this is where I'll put sub-navigation links. This is because the right sidebar is where people look last for what they want - and because on a small monitor, that is the part that gets cut off. I rarely use a two column layout with just a right sidebar for that reason.

The important part about site layout in regard to navigation links is that the links be placed where people can logically find them, and then that they be grouped in logical groupings. Product or service listings should be in one place together. Contact, policies and about pages should be in a group together, even if they are next to the product or service listings. Informational offerings should be grouped by logical category. This applies even when the groupings are not labeled. People's brains work logically, and if they see a Contact link, they'll look beside it for an Email or About link.

Place the MOST important links in the most obvious navigation bar. Wherever that is in your layout, don't misuse the space! It should be for the most important site content - the stuff that the visitor is most likely to WANT to see.

Maybe it isn't creative, but it does work.

For sub-navigation, there are all kinds of options, all of which work well:

  1. Place the sub-navigation under the primary category topic, only indent it to set it apart slightly.

  2. Use different bullets with the sub-navigation than you use with main navigation.

  3. Place the sub-navigation in a horizontal navigation bar, or in the right navigation bar.

  4. Put the sub-navigation links above and below the content on the page.

  5. Nest the sub-navigation on the right or left side of the content, between the content and the main sidebars.

There are lots of other ways too. Good sub-navigation layout and links can make getting around in the site so much easier, and that encourages people to stay, and to come back.

Navigation on interior pages is critical, because search engines index each individual page in your site. That means someone may come in on any page - if you have no back links, no links to other pages, how will they look at any other pages in your site if they are interested?

Some people use a "breadcrumb trail" to show someone where they are. This is often shown as a simple text link trail at the top of the content, such as Home > Main Category > Sub-Category > Pagename. If your navigation is well laid out, a breadcrumb trail is not necessary. They work best for large and complex sites on which there may not be room to put interlinked sub-navigation bars.

Good navigation is perhaps one of the defining elements that separates professional sites from amateur ones. Learn how to do this correctly, and how to suit the navigation to the site, and your professionalism will skyrocket.

Navigation is a key element in overall site design and message. It is also a huge help in Search Engine Optimization if you get it right.

Good navigation standards for a website rank in my book as one of the least obvious, but most important aspects of good website design.

Written by Laura Wheeler