Web Design Information |
|
Immutable Laws Of Effective Navigation - Part 1
The first immutable law of effective navigation: It's gotta be readily available. Visitors should not have to hunt for your navigation or wonder where to find it. If you've done your job right, it will be right there when they are ready for it. The struggle in creating good navigation is to figure out what type of navigation the visitor is going to need, when he is going to need it, and where the most effective placement will be. Basically, you have to anticipate your visitors needs and have a solution ready. Here are four key areas where you can squeeze out the most effectiveness: 1. Global navigation. Global navigation is a set of links to all the main areas of your site that is available on every page of the site in the same place. Global navigation is a must-have, because it gives visitors ready access to the key areas on your site. If you don't have this type of navigation, visitors tend to get lost. They lose their ability to easily move around between the main sections. When you use global navigation, visitors develop a sense of familiarity with your site because the site is consistent. When they need to find something, they know right where to look for it. Global navigation should be across the top of the page or down the left side, since these two places are where visitors will look first. Also, it's crucial that global navigation be in the first fold of the page. This means it needs to be visible in the first window the visitor sees before they scroll down. Since these options represent the most crucial sections of your site, it's imperative that visitors see them immediately. Never put your main navigation below the fold. 2. Spotlighted navigation. On many sites, there are a few navigation options that get the spotlight in the center of the main page. The concept is great--hook visitors with the key areas right up front. However, many people completely miss the boat because they focus on the wrong links. Frequently, they link to the company history or the mission statement. Wrong focus. Visitors don't care. You have to concentrate on what's important to your reader and what they want to see. What are the most important places visitors are likely to go on your site? Which pages are really crucial? Put those things front and center. As with global navigation, all spotlighted links should also be above the fold. This point might seem obvious, but I've seen quite a few sites recently that almost hide the important links. They are buried too far down in the site. One site in particular placed the two most important links at the bottom of the page, completely out of site. Big mistake: visitors just won't see them. Although navigation usually shouldn't be the primary focus of your page (that honor belongs to content), it should be given a prime position. 3. Contextual navigation. Contextual navigation refers to links that give more info about something specific the visitor is trying to do. On every page of your site, you'll have to anticipate the questions a visitor is going to have. Figure out what kind of additional information they might need. Then provide links to that information at the precise place that they will have the question. One good rule is that any time you refer to information on another page of your site or on a third party's site, link directly to that info. Don't make them hunt and peck trying to find it for themselves. Make it readily available. 4. Bottom-of-the-page navigation. Whenever the visitor gets to the end of a page, they are left hanging. They have finished whatever it is they were working on, and now they need somewhere else to go. This is a critical moment, because it is terribly easy for a visitor to leave if you don't give them somewhere to go. It is your responsibility to point them in the right direction. Never, never, never leave visitors without suggestions at the bottom of a page. If possible, you should try to decide on 1-3 places that the visitor is most likely to want to go next. Think about your most important goals for them. Then guide them in that direction. Always make sure there is at least one link at the bottom of a page. You must make it easy for visitors to do what you want them to do. Always ask yourself... Where are my visitors going to need a link and how can I make that link really obvious to them? 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.kianta.com for a free quote. Get a quick, free web design tip every two weeks--sign up for Jamie's newsletter: www.kianta.com/newsletter.php
MORE RESOURCES: Best web design software of 2024 TechRadar Top Web Design Firms Announced by SEMFirms for May 2024 24-7 Press Release Python for Web Development vs. Data Science: Which One to Choose TechiExpert.com Website Design Competition - MCWT Michigan Council of Women in Technology Graphic design trends | Web Design and Content Marketing Crescent Vale Renowned Designer and Entrepreneur Thom Fajemisin, the Creative Force Behind the Redesign of the Ducati Logo ... News Channel Nebraska Why (and How) I Learned Web Development as a Data Scientist Towards Data Science MDS launches new web design services Boating Industry Moving Your Website into the Web Design System (WDS) Washington State University 9 Chicago Web Design and Development Agencies To Know Built In Chicago 18 beautiful parallax scrolling websites Creative Bloq 30 Best Web Design Agencies To Partner With in 2024 Influencer Marketing Hub Top Web Design Trends 2024 Designmodo Why isn't Adobe doing web design better? Creative Bloq Napa's Internet Marketer: Interactive websites: How you can raise the bar on design Napa Valley Register How to design a website: A beginner's guide CNN Underscored 6 ways AI is changing web design Creative Bloq Are you up to build the next best website? Get started with one of these 5 web design courses Fortune Website Design | Alton | Edwardsville | St Louis RiverBender.com 8 Things I know about ... Web design trends for 2024 Worcester Business Journal Jeremy McGilvrey, A Houston Web Design Agency, Inks Long-Term Lease In Prestigious Williams Tower Office Space Yahoo Finance Sweb CEO puts AI to work for small business web design San Antonio Report 5 seriously useful AI web design tools Creative Bloq Valve and Picnik vets Hatch new idea — a no-code web design platform for 'tech curious creators' GeekWire 25 Awesome About Us Page Examples For Web Design Inspiration Search Engine Journal Jessica Sorden's Transformation from Corporate Burnout to Web Design Maestro - by Carly Winchell The Ark Valley Voice Valpo Web Design & Marketing | Partners Valpo.Life Information technology students delve into web design with capstone project University of Missouri College of Engineering The best free blog websites Creative Bloq Web Design Statistics 2024 and Facts Enterprise Apps Today Valpo Web Design supports NWI No Child Hungry in fight against food insecurity with new website Valpo.Life How to Design an ADA-Compliant Website | CO- by US Chamber of Commerce CO— by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Michelle Belleville Science@NASA The 39 best free web fonts Creative Bloq 18 Free Web Design Tools, Winter 2024 Practical Ecommerce Locofy.ai's accelerates web design-to-code with AI as it pioneers Large Design Models Markets Insider Top 12 Web Design Agencies in the US for 2024 Influencer Marketing Hub 25 Best eCommerce Website Design Examples for 2024 Influencer Marketing Hub How web design trends have evolved Creative Bloq Best web development tool of 2024 TechRadar 6 great tools for testing responsive design for websites Creative Bloq 17 Free Web Design Tools, Fall 2023 Practical Ecommerce The 15 best iPad apps for designers Creative Bloq Mizzou alumna uses web design expertise to give back to engineering, community University of Missouri College of Engineering 38 Web Development Stats You Should Know in 2024 Influencer Marketing Hub |
RELATED ARTICLES
Simplify Your Web Site for Clarity and Ease of Use There are plenty of web sites out there in which basic elements of design are ignored. The viewer may experience overkill and frustration, instead of gently receiving the message or information. How to Double Your Online Sales Without Spending Another Dime on Advertising Learning how to convert visitors to your web site into buyers, is the single most important factor affecting the success of your online business. If you don't have paying customers, your business will fail. Designing Your Web Site For ALL Browsers Let's face it. Building a web site that browses consistently on multiple platforms and multiple browsers is not always as easy as we would like. Get FASTER Download Times By Making BIGGER Web Pages! As a webmaster you already know how important it is that your web pages download fast. In a nutshell, if your pages are slow, then you're losing visitors. A Web Site That Sells Is All One Needs To Have A Successful Online Business! There are more than billions of Web Sites, running Online Businesses, offering products and services. But only a few Web Sites manage to make any sale. KIS - Keep It Simple There are many ways to add fancy bells and whistles to your website, but most of them are not going to do you any good. In fact they will slow down the time it takes to load your website and take up valuable space that you are paying for. To Hire or Not to Hire a Website Designer In the early years of the internet the actual design of a website was either very basic or had to be done using a software package that needed a specialist to use it. Not surprisingly, website designers were in short supply and could command huge fees for their services. Quality of Your Text Layout and Design Why is the quality of your text layout and design important on your web site? For the simple reason that people tends to stay longer on a web site that radiates quality and simplicity.Why?Because it gives you a more professional impression and the text is easy to read. Make Your Site Quick To Load! The time it takes to load your site can make or break a visitor's first impression of your site. If your site takes too long to load, the visitor will click "Stop" or "Back" and leave your web site. Your Site Map: Spider Food or Just A Light Snack? Mechanical spiders have to eat. In fact, they usually have bigger appetites than the real-life spiders you squish under your shoe. .htaccess to Mask Errors on Your Website The .htaccess file is a control file located in your webservers directory. A Beginners Guide to Web Page Design Designing your own successful web page can seem difficult and nearly impossible if you do not do a little research first. The reason you need to know the basics of web page design is because the design of your website will actually influence whether or not people continue to visit your site and ultimately, whether they will buy from you or not. Essential Strategies To Make Your Web Copy Attractive To Your Target Audience Reading on the web is different than reading in all other formats. People approach it differently and you need to have strategies that capitalize on those differences so you can connect with your prospects. Web Templates: Replacing Designers? I've seen articles (and websites) that suggest you can buy a website template and skip the expense of hiring a professional website designer. Recently, I read several testimonials from the very satisfied customers of a website template vendor that mentioned how quickly they were able to get their sites done. Save Thousands of Dollars by Creating Your Own Web Site With the advent of the Internet a whole new vista of business has opened up. Many erstwhile opportunities otherwise not available to us, many markets which were previously inaccessible are accessible to us now. Seven Habits of Highly Effective Webmasters A highly effective website will always reflect its highly effective webmaster. Throughout the years of doing a number of websites, I've seen quite a few effective webmasters all over the web and I would like to share to you their successes by exploring on this topic: "Seven Habits of Highly Effective Webmasters. Choosing A Color Scheme When you begin the design of your Web site, one of the first things you need to do is decide on a color scheme. Although choosing colors seems like a relatively easy proposition, it's not easy at all. Great E-Cover Creation in 5 Steps There are several graphic software packages available to help you create your own e-covers for your product or service. Most provide you with a set of templates to choose from, and have varying degrees to allow you to modify the templates provided. 10 Ways to Sabotage Your Website Traffic and Send Visitors Packing If you're running a website or online business, your number one goal should be to build traffic. The following are ten ways to drive traffic away from your site. Business Opportunity for Graphic Designers As a graphic designer, you are sitting on a gold mine. Youhave a skill other people do not have, and you can use thatskill to earn a good living. |
home | site map |
© 2006 |