he navigation scheme you - which they can not be
set up for your web site understand. As search engines
acts as its road map so it need to read the links to index
needs to be clear, structured and the site properly and you want
intuitive. No matter how good a good organic listings, java
site looks or how much useful script is not a good idea and
information it has, if it does anyway some visitors will have it
not have sensible navigation it disabled.
will confuse visitors or drive
them away. If a person has to So here are some more 'top tips':
look hard to find where they need
to go, then they quickly lose 1: It is important to allow
focus and that is fatal to your instant access to the rest of
chances of keeping them on site. your site from anywhere within
it. Ideally, you should be able
Navigation (and page titling and to go to any page in a maximum of
headlines) needs to tell visitors two clicks and one is better.
immediately: Motto: the less clicks the
better.
* Where I am
* What is here 2: Use the same navigation scheme
* Where I can go next and elements on all pages. Create
a common navigational look to
There are many ways of presenting ensure that your users can use
navigation: down one side of the your site navigation effectively.
screen, along the top and bottom
or in a frame. However, think of 3: Wherever possible, use text
the search engines, as well as navigation. Think about the
visitors as most search engines tradeoff between text and
don't like frames or java script graphics. Text based navigation
works better than image based much closer to the scroll bar and
navigation because it enables they don't have to move their
users to understand the link mouse so far! This allows users
destinations in detail. Too many to quickly move the pointer
sites have beautiful and fancy between the scroll bar and the
images for navigation that mean index items. These benefits are
nothing to visitors. (Ever been particularly strong for laptops
abroad and been confused by their with those horrid fingertip based
roadside or 'restroom' images?) mouse controls.
Research also shows that
'breadcrumb trails' positioned 6: Separate important items from
under the page title (at eye housekeeping links. Housekeeping
level and closer to other links links are the things people may
on the page) are used more than need to find from any page but
breadcrumb trails positioned at that don't need to be prominent.
the top of the page. For example Privacy Policy, Site
Map, FAQs and Contact Us can
4: Keep navigation elements appear in the header or footer of
(elements meaning different the page
navigation 'lists') in close
proximity and help users to 7: Make links easy to find. Don't
develop a mental model of your expect visitors to mouse over
web site. every word on the page to
discover if it is a link or not.
5: Use the right margin for your Links don't have to be
web site's main index. Research underlined, but do make them a
shows that users are lazy and different colour so that they
click on topics in the right stand out from surrounding body
margin more than topics placed on text and add a hover colour to
the left because they are located links so that users can see what
they are about to click. Use new
windows (pop ups) sparingly.
About the Author:
Richard Hill is a Director of E-CRM Solutions, that specialises in CRM, direct and internet marketing [http://www.e-crm.co.uk] for SMEs. He is non-executive Chairman of Innovantage [http://www.innovantage.co.uk] a business intelligence company and a non-executive director of Innovecom [http://www.innovecom.com] a computer networking company.
Read more articles by:
Richard D S Hill
Article Source: www.iSnare.com
