Web Site Navigation For Biginers

Once a visitor gets to your web site, you want to make sure they can find what they are looking for quickly and easily, or they will just go elsewhere. If a web site is easy to use and understand, visitors will come back time and time again.

Using intuitive navigation techniques will greatly improve the usability of your web site, and therefore user satisfaction and return rates. By intuitive navigation, I mean some sort of menu, map or list that is instantly understandable to most visitors to your web site.

One of the first points to making a site easy to navigate is to have a consistent menu that is on every page. By having a menu that is on every page of your site, users can move from each section from any other section, with out having to go back to a home page or menu page.

Keeping the menu in the same location, and in the same style throughout your site ensures that visitors quickly recognize how to navigate your site. If you have a different style menu on every page, users may get confused and not as easily comprehend how to navigate your site.

Another useful tool a Webmaster can include for visitors is a site map. A site map is a page containing an organized list of all the pages or sections of the site. Instead of moving through the site's menu system and down through categories by clicking on links on different pages, a visitor has the option of going to the site map and clicking directly to the page they are seeking.

Though there are many fancy buttons, graphics and rollovers that can be used for your navigation menu, sometimes simple text links are the best bet. For one, text link navigation menus are fast loading. Many web surfers are on slow connections and do not want to wait for a complex navigation system to download. Text navigation menus also can add relevant text to search engine results, whereas image navigation bars cannot. Text navigation also helps ensure your users understand what the links mean.

If you do opt to use graphic navigation menus, you may wish to consider adding a redundant text navigation menu at the bottom of the page to ensure viewability and search engine spidering.

Many new Webmasters are tempted to use frames to create a navigation menu that will appear on all the site's pages. The benefit is that the navigation will stay in sight even when the rest of the page is scrolled. But because frames piece pages together from other pages a Webmaster cannot be sure that a web page using frames will be viewed correctly. If a visitor comes to a page through a search engine that was designed to have a navigation menu added with a frame, the user will see not see the menu. Because of this, it is important to add a link to your home page on every page, so viewers can see your site as it was intended.

Even if you are not using frames, it would be helpful to have a link to the home page of your website on every page, to ensure users can find the "beginning" of your site.

Keeping the navigation menu near the top of the web pages ensures that surfers will be able to see the menu as soon as the page loads. If a user has to scroll to navigate to other pages of your site, they will be less inclined to do so.

In closing, it is important to keep in mind that when it comes to site navigation, simplicity is key. If a user does not immediately see what they need, they will not spend much time trying to find it, but will rather move on to the next site.

Navigate With Ease – Why Easy Website Navigation Is The Key To RepeatBusiness

Although there are many experts who claim to know what makes a website successful, upon researching one would find that almost every expert would agree that navigation has a large part in the formula. Easy website navigation is the key to repeat business. There are thousands of websites out there floating around. Not every one of these websites is successful and that is mainly due to the website structure itself. If you want to create a website that is structurally capable of leading to repeat business, then you should consider these tips during the creating and building processes.

Easy website navigation needs to begin with the design of your website. Before your website is published on the web, it should be finished and able to be easily navigated. Don’t wait for the problems to present themselves through use to figure out what works and what doesn’t, especially if you are running a web business. There is simply no room for needless error when it comes to your business. The first thing to remember during initial design phases is that your website should be so simple to use that an eleven-year-old child should be able to figure it out. It is unlikely someone that young would ever be conducting business online, but many adults need the simplicity on websites. You should also keep it simple enough to run on even the slowest computer you can imagine someone owning. Not everyone has the fastest and newest computers around, so you will need to keep that in mind. If you only design for the highest forms of technology, you will likely loose quite a few potential customers.

When it comes to the actual design, try to use things that are easy to the eye. Pictures and graphics work really well, as long as they are not too large or complicated. If you are using photos, make sure you use thumbprints that can be clicked upon to reveal a larger image of the photo. The thumbprints will load quickly for those with slower connections, but also allow the option of seeing the image in larger form. Consumers would much rather gather information from pictures on the web than by reading boring text. A good rule is to offer a majority of images, with a little text mixed in.

When adding content to your site, there are a few things you should not do. First, you should not repeat common information. If you assume your audience is ignorant, they will likely be offended. Second, you should not repeat information from other websites with the same subject as yours. This will only make you look uniform and basically convince consumers you have nothing unique to offer them. If they can get the same deals at another website, they just might take their business there. Be sure you are adding valuable information and products on your website. Consumers are intelligent and want to be treated as such.

When trying to figure out how to link each page to another, you will need to keep an “obvious” state of mind. This means that any place that you feel you must type “click here” should be so obvious that even without the actual words “click here”; the consumer should feel that is what should be done next. Designing your site with predictability in mind is a great idea. The more comfortable the consumer feels with the site, the better your business will be and the more repeat business you can expect. When the customer “knows” what will happen next, they will automatically feel comfortable. Surprising customers is not usually a great idea, so make sure everything works as it should. Place links in appropriate places so the viewer does not need to search endlessly for the link to the next page.

Lastly, remember to avoid backgrounds and colors that distract from your products and website in general. Never use anything blinking in your site design. Blinking ads and content are annoying to everyone that uses the internet and can even cause medical problems in some viewers. Repeat business will not exist if you use content that is difficult on the eyes or it annoying to viewers. To get people to come back to your website, you need to create a place that can be navigated with complete ease. Make sure that all links are checked daily to ensure that your website is running as smoothly as possible. Also, be sure to have all of the “kinks” taken care of before you even publish your site online. Do these things and you are sure to have repeat business.

How to Optimize Web Site Navigation

Make no mistake. the most impressive looking and product-rich web site will fail to convert visitors into paying customers if they are unable to more quickly and easily find what they are looking for. There's a lot of competition out there. Develop and design a web site that's easy to understand and use, and you'll attract more than your fair share of visitors - visitors that will return, and buy, again and again. Fail in this, and the only one's smiling will be your competitors.

How do we accomplish this? By utilizing intuitive navigation techniques. Use them in the development and design of your web site; then sit back as hordes of satisfied customers return to your internet business on a regular basis. And you'll find when marketing online, return business is your key to significant and effortless profits.

Ok, so what exactly is intuitive navigation - and how do we design it into our web site? I can tell you what it's not. It is not flashy, creative designs that entertain and distinguish you from the other 'dull' web sites out there. Simply defined, intuitive navigation implements a familiar and consistent look and feel across all the design elements of your web site. These elements include;

GOOGLE ADSENSE 
Menu:

Your website menu - the table of contents if you will - that directs visitors throughout the various pages of your site should be consistent, and included on every page. Websites that contain a menu on the home page only or certain select pages on the web site (and I've seen far too many of these), force visitors to use the Back button (or click on the logo to return to the home page). The common result, visitors do more clicking and visitors get lost. And visitors who get lost... well, 'get lost'.

And for Pete's sake, keep your menu style and placement consistent from page to page. Again, fancy and different equals confusion. Confusion equals frustration. And frustration equals 'no sale'.

Site map:

Another useful website element, and one that's missing in many business web sites, the site map is a web page that contains a hierarchical, top-down, organized list of all the sections, or pages, on your website. It's a road map through your web labyrinth, which can get you where you want to go more directly, that is, quicker (especially to access links). It can also make up for any design 'sins' on your menu. And for many left brainers, like myself, it is sometimes the preferred route.

Subtitle index:

For those large pages on your web site, which require page scrolling, it is preferable to include subtitles in your copy, for readability. Repeating these subtitles at the top of your page, linked to the subtitle in the copy, makes it easier for visitors to access or return to those sections of the copy that most interest them.

Back to top link:

Again, for large pages on your web site, having 'Back to top' links, between subtitles, or at the very least the bottom of your page's copy, allows visitors to return to the top of your web page with one click, without the need to scroll.

Text links:

Whether it's a menu item or other link throughout your web site, the use of simple and efficient text links is the preferred navigation method in most instances.

Yes, there's an overabundance of fancy and impressive buttons, graphics and rollovers available for navigating your web site. However, this is an area where it is mindful to employ the well-known K.I.S.S. method for keeping things simple. Text links are much faster loading than images. Now, for fast broadband internet access, the difference between text and image load may be negligible. However, there are still many potential customers out there still surfing on slow connections. For them, the difference can be significant. So, until we are all on the same connection page, you would do well to accommodate all visitors.

In addition, text navigation menus can contribute relevant text for the search engines, which image navigation bars cannot. And of course, text is often easier than an image for understanding the purpose of the link. Just remember - on the web, and for your internet business, it is always preferable to err on the side of efficiency over impressiveness.

Page footer menu:

Ok, we have our menu items at the top (or side) of all our web pages. So, why would we want to repeat them at the bottom of every page? Well, in addition to providing your visitors with just another, alternative, option for navigating your website, there are two instances when placing your menu on your page footer is more an essential, than a 'nice to have'.

(1) If you insist on using graphics for your main menu items, the inclusion of a text menu on the page footer aids both reader viewability and understanding, and ensures that search engine spiders can see you.

(2) Placing your menu on a frame is an easy way to ensure that your menu items stay fixed and in sight, even as you're scrolling through a long web page. However, although there are many advantages to using frames on your web site, there are disadvantages as well. Although more detail on the pros and cons is fodder for another article, let's just say there are many web sites that prefer not to use frames. In such instances, scrolling down a long page will also scroll your menu items, sometimes out of sight. A page footer menu provides a convenient way to access these items without the necessity for scrolling back up the page.

Containing an abundance of particulars, a context-rich web site can be a dense, confusing and intimidating jungle of information for internet visitors. However, by using time-tested intuitive navigation techniques, you can turn potential chaos (and lost customers) into a smooth and pleasant ride across the web superhighway.

Maze or Bagatelle? Do you need online navigation buttons?

This content should provoke you into reviewing your online visitor navigation if you are marketing just a few products.

If you are actively marketing to find your perfect customer (Niche Marketing) your primary information must link into your contact's main interest, like two entwined horse-shoe magnets.

Now you've attracted your potential customer, does your business operate inside a maze system or a bagatelle?

Let's consider your online site, with different pages with different showcases. In comes a visitor to enquire about your high energy food for rocking horses. Thrust a catalogue into the hand and allow your browsing visitor to wander the reception (home page) and point them into other rooms.

That's the bagatelle method, where the potential customer is gently fired into your online information and then left to randomly bounce around, maybe clicking your site's buttons. (Scenario 1) Sometimes this is called the pull system because the visitor pulls the information they need.

In Scenario 2, your business has constructed a maze, where your potential customer takes left, right or other decisions and eventually reaches the maze's solution, securing you a sale or a request for information by email. You ensure that your visitor has the exact information to make an informed decision at each junction. Sometimes this is called the push system because the shop owner pushes the information they feel the visitor needs.

Scenario 2 greets your visitor at your online reception. If your business has learnt from your Niche customer, you'll know what information is immediately demanded. You escort your visitor around pointing to your USP, highlighting your advantage over similar high energy food for rocking horses shops.

Your content will provide the embedded key word links, not your page buttons. Page buttons are the bagatelle method. The maze method controls your visitor's visit through your well designed information text links and offers your visitor the contextual options. This is the maze, where all clicks should eventually have the same outcomes, the Order Page or the email address form.

Returning visitors are unlikely to retrace their steps through your maze, so you explain that your site map page lets them parachute into the exact place they choose. So why do you need page buttons, when the site map's available?

Of course, Scenario 3 is neither bagatelle nor maze, it's the page trench method. The visitor drops into the top to bottom trench and starts reading the sales text. Headline after sub head, after sub head, ending with bonuses and time restrictions. Isn't this a well-crafted advert designed to deliver information, solve a problem and provide benefits? Usually the visitor has a choice of climbing out or filling in an order form. No alternative pages.

Decide which single scenario or combination of scenarios enhances your online navigation. Which style of home page navigation best suits the needs of your visitor? Horses for courses.