Today’s topic will cover your websites navigation menu.
In prior topics we discussed the importance of your theme, color pallet, content, and more. Today we want to make a bigger emphasis on your websites navigation menu. I’m sure you have visited a website where the menu is impossible to navigate and I’m sure we can all agree…it’s a nightmare! Maybe you have experienced a submenu that disappears the moment you navigate away from it, or a submenu that is not visible, or the sites navigation has too many nested submenus requiring click, after click, after click to find what you are looking for. How much time will your customer(s) spend trying to find the material they need? In reality the answer is “not much”. It’s 2023, and there are many businesses online offering the same services as you and if the customer does not find your website worth their time, they are gone, maybe forever!
Our top priority is your business and your customer. Your website’s success is our success and we optimize every aspect of your website to make it easy for your customer to not only understand, but also to navigate throughout your website. In one of our previous posts we mentioned the theme and its importance. We talked about theme consistency from page to page and how consistency, even though some may considering it boring, is one of the success factors for your website (#PickItandStickWithIt).
As consistency among pages is important to your website’s future, an easy to navigate menu is important because that is how your customers find the page they need.
- Don’t cloud your menu with too many icons and other useless information. Your menu has to be easily visible and easy to navigate. It doesn’t have to stand out from the rest of the page with bright colors or a different font, it has to merge with your site seamlessly at the same time as do its job by navigating your customers from page to page with ease.
- Use submenus – they are not bad for your website. Some of our customers ask us to put all their pages on the top menu. Our recommendation is if you have more than 5 or 6 menu items, use the submenu. You don’t want to crowed your top menu. It does not look unappealing to the eye, it will also make the font smaller or worse… fonts might collide if your customer uses a tablet or a smaller size laptop.
- Use two menus – you don’t have to use one menu or submenu. We can always use two menus such as top menu and main menu that we place right below it. However, the rule of 5 to 6 items per menu still applies to each. We don’t recommend to use more than two menus. If our customers need more, we typically recommend to use a submenu or a megamenu depending on our customer needs.
- Use megamenu when necessary. You might ask what is a megamenu? A megamenu is a menu that allows you to have elaborate, expandable submenus with more diverse content such as columns, images, specialty design links and more. It is a perfect accommodation for entities with complex services and offerings. You might have seen megamenus while shopping for clothes at retail websites or when browsing a business website that offers a plethora of services. In a megamenu, items are visible on click, hover, or tap and are visible at once without need for scrolling. Menu items can be grouped by categories or other grouping options, and are presented in 2D format.
Navigation Menu Location
Where should my menu be located? Well that is up to your design preference. We recommend the traditional menu that appears on top of the screen as it is what general public is used to and it is easy to navigate. We can implement a “sticky” menu for you to display it at all times no matter where you are on the page. However, do not dismiss the occasional need to be unique. Some websites might benefit from a sidebar menu, an overlay menu, split location menu, integrated menu that is part of your home page and any other ideas our customer might bring to us.
With Expert Insights, Inc. you don’t have to worry presenting your ideas to us. We will listen and implement your ideas in the best way that pleases you and your customer. We will work with your team or you to develop the best website for you and your clients to help you succeed with your business goals. We are here to help you and client success is the number one priority for us.
Your success is our success!
