Not all links are created equal.
While all of your links may be important, you must sort and prioritize to come up with an effective navigation scheme. Here's what you should keep in mind:
1. Sort your links
Your links should be organized according to their relationship to each other. Any time you can find a way to divide your links into two or more categories, do so.
If you have more than 5 or 6 links, categorizing becomes very important. Try to find some natural groups. For example, suppose you sell widgets, and your site has this set of links:
Your major categories are:
When you separate the two sets of links according to those major categories, it becomes much easier to sort the available information.
The simple reason is that a choice between two items is less complex than a choice between 6 items. It's the principle of dividing and conquering.
Take a look at the following site:
Notice the four main categories--Products, Resources, Support and Purchase. These four categories help visitors narrow down at a glance which area they need to look in to find the info they want.
Imagine if all of those links were lumped into one long list. How much harder would it be to figure out where to go?
Often, you might not have clear-cut categories. For example, you may have three links that all go together in one category (such as "Products"), plus several more miscellaneous links. Even if the miscellaneous links don't fit conveniently under one category name, you can still group your links. Put the three product links together, then all the miscellaneous links in a separate place.
2. Prioritize your links
Hopefully, you have some idea of what you want visitors to do on your site. Your site should be designed to drive a specific action--in other words, get visitors to do a specific thing.
Once you've decided what your primary goal is, your navigation should reflect it. The links that pertain most closely to your main goals should be emphasized the most. You need to guide the visitor in the direction you want him or her to go.
Prioritize. Ask yourself the question, "What is most important?" What do you really want to accomplish? (I'll give you a hint: "About the company" should not be a top priority link.)
Here are several examples of sites that prioritize well:
On the home page, you'll see three main links. These links are geared at attracting the company's major types of customers. All other links on the page are much smaller.
On this page, it's clear that the company wants visitors to click on one of their three product links: Publish, Search or Promote. The site does a good job of getting attention and guiding the visitor in a specific direction.
Right from the beginning, it's obvious that the company wants visitors to join one of their three clubs. All other links are relegated to the bottom of the page.
By carefully prioritizing, these sites are able to narrow down the choices and make it more likely that visitors will head in the direction they want them to go.
About The Author
There are 605.6 million people online. Can they find your business? Jamie Kiley creates powerful and engaging websites that make sure YOUR company gets noticed. Visit www.adobe.com for a free quote. Get a quick, free web design tip every two weeks--sign up for Jamie's newsletter: www.adobe.com
executive chauffeured services Bradford .. Madison to Airport carHello, how is your website doing?Are sales flowing in?If you... Read More
Well it is not Elvis, that's for sure.I am a... Read More
QUESTION: We promote our web site in all our... Read More
Let's face it; the line from A Field of Dreams... Read More
Out there in the WWW there are thousands sites using... Read More
When a prospect lands on your website will he or... Read More
Remember the famous line from the movie Field of Dreams,... Read More
For many webmasters the title of my article may seem... Read More
Writing for your web site is not the same as... Read More
You've made your website, added a great title and keywords... Read More
You've got a concept for a business, are excited about... Read More
We all want high impact graphics for our Web sites... Read More
Building your first website can be very frustrating. It looks... Read More
The internet continues to grow and has become the default... Read More
It starts off simply; a few HTML pages, a few... Read More
Novice and professional designers alike ? you may probably be... Read More
Getting a customer is not easy.Getting a visitor to decide... Read More
There is nothing wrong with making your own website if... Read More
~A man [woman] is a success if he [she] gets... Read More
You just created a new web site but want to... Read More
Web Design is a very subjective process. Your idea of... Read More
Here are a few programs I can't do without. They're... Read More
A long, long time ago? In a galaxy far, far... Read More
Marketing is not an easy skill to acquire.It requires patience... Read More
Are you thinking that it is about time your small... Read More
O'Hare Chicago prom limo ..Getting a customer is not easy.Getting a visitor to decide... Read More
Ecommerce is just exploding right now on the Net. More... Read More
Creating a web site takes thought, planning and execution. Unfortunately,... Read More
"It's good.""You've done a nice job.""I don't like it."At some... Read More
You have good traffic, but low client sign ups and... Read More
When it comes to marketing your website, you should really... Read More
When you design a website how do you start ?Do... Read More
You have an idea for a website and you are... Read More
Websites that have multiple pages usually have a Frequently Asked... Read More
Let's face it; the line from A Field of Dreams... Read More
In the early years of the internet the actual design... Read More
Most NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) don't understand these important aspects of... Read More
No matter what product or service you're promoting, unless you... Read More
Colors are powerful, and create strong feelings. They can also... Read More
In my web surfing adventures, I've found a few site... Read More
Ever browse across a website that took ten million years... Read More
Everybody talks about the importance of testing your sales copy... Read More
Unarguably, the most important part of your website is content.... Read More
We've all seen them. Poorly designed web sites that make... Read More
Not too long ago while looking for businesses that do... Read More
Your website design may be affecting your sales in ways... Read More
It's a fact, Page Not Found, known as a 404... Read More
I have written before about long sales copy on the... Read More
A search engine robot actually reads the wording on your... Read More
Home-based businesses need a strong web presence to combat the... Read More
Web Design |