These are the Rules! Best Practices for Web Navigation

In her recent  article on best practices for Web navigation called  “Rules for Modern Navigation” on UXBooth, Stephanie Lin cites research that says in “extensive task testing with a technical audience, 70 percent started the task by clicking on a link, 30 percent used search.”

In today’s search-focused world, web designers sometimes forget the importance of consistent, intuitive navigation design. The site architect and client have a lot of upfront work to do in defining a content architecture and a flow that meets the needs of the various audiences the website serves. But that is only a start.

Then the UX/UI team needs to deliver on making that architecture easy to understand and use. Many design shops think navigation design is old hat, boring; it’s all been settled. It’s a done deal. Not so.

While SEO and SEM, digital marketing, sales funnels, CRM and analytics all play important roles in finding and converting leads in sales, navigation is still the skeleton of your website. It is the bones on which you hang all your content and functionality. Without the right navigation, you can create frustration that can translate into losing potential leads and sales.

You can read Stephanie’s detailed article on the importance of rigorous and consistent site navigation here. The best practices for web navigation in this article are an excellent starting point, and after that, it’s up to your web development team to understand how your clients want to use your site and make sure that your navigation helps them find what they are looking for.