Many web designers put a lot of emphasis on how the web pages of a site look rather than on its user-friendliness. One of the main features of the best website design is easy navigation. Website navigation or button bar leads act as a means to get to different sections of the site. This makes it important to follow some general rules of website navigation.
Best Website Design: Rules of Website Navigation
Here are a few basic rules that will help you ensure the best website design with effective website navigation:
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Easy to Find:
Web users judge the usability of a site within seconds. They are impatient, and a website with puzzling navigation will frustrate them. This means losing a potential customer. Navigation should, therefore, be prominent and not lurking amongst a series of paragraphs. Ensure that web users do not have to scroll too much to navigate further.
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Consistency:
This means that navigation should have a consistent color scheme, style and type on all the pages of a site. Moreover, it should appear at a specific location to provide comfortable access.
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Obvious and Simple Section Names:
The name of a navigation section should clearly define where it leads to. Using vague words like ‘tools’ and ‘resources’ may confuse a user who does not want to click on multiple buttons to find the desired page. It is better to stick to names like ‘news’ and ‘site map’ to avoid confusion.
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The Less the Better:
Use less navigation on your site, as this will increase the likelihood of users getting to the most crucial parts of your site. Drop-down menus are a good choice, since you can break them into sub-sections. This tells users what to expect.
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Give Users a Location Reminder:
One of the best, but not very often used, navigation features is highlighting the section a user is in. This can be done through a change in appearance or color. If there are more pages per section, always make the button clickable to enable visitors to go back to the main section.
Implementation of these simple rules will help you make your website stand out as one of the best website designs. Even when you are hiring a website design company, do not forget to keep these rules in mind as specifications for website navigation.