This is the first blog in the Website Fundamentals series where we break down the five Fundamentals for a Fast, Affordable Website, if you haven’t read the parent article, you can check it out here.
Today we’re going to be talking about Website Navigation.
When we talk about website navigation, we’re talking about the collection of user interface components that helps the users on your website find content and features. These components take the form of copy (aka text), link text and buttons, and menus.
This is where a menu structure becomes important. You’re probably thinking so what is a menu structure and why is it so important.
A menu structure is often used to refer to the main menu of a website. If you’ve come across a website with a banner running across the screen with items such as home, about, shop & contact – chances are you’ve met a menu structure before. Most main menus will appear horizontally across the page, but can sometimes be listed vertically.
Here’s an example of a main menu:
In the starting stages of building a website, it’s imperative to clearly define your main menu and set it out as a menu structure, as this is the starting blocks that developers will use to create the rest of your pages, once your home page is complete. It will also help you define how many pages your website is going to have & which pages will be linked, especially if you are going to have pages with specific information.
Menu Structures can go by a few different names, so if you come across any of the below, just know that what is meant, is a menu structure.
The image below is an example of a menu structure
Visually a menu structure will have the main menu items detailed horizontally with the pages that are linked from the main menu via the dropdown menu, listed underneath.
Drop Down Menu
The main menu will often have a drop-down menu, revealing links to other pages on your website. This is particularly helpful if a user is after some specific information that is not supplied on the homepage.
Here’s an example of a drop-down from the main menu:
Website navigation is an important foundational step when building a website because it helps the user quickly access what they’re looking for, while helping you define which page is going to be connected to the main menu. Users may not be aware of the menu structure in place on a website, but how easily a user on your website will be able to find the information they’re looking for will depend on how well defined the main menu is.
By setting out your main menu with a menu structure, you are ensuring that the information you have on your website will be easily accessed by your websites users; and be speeding up the development process of your website, possibly saving you money.
When beginning to define your menu structure, you may want to use a spreadsheet with the main menu items running horizontally across the sheet. With the pages that are linked to each main menu item in the column underneath it.
We make defining your menu structure a simple & easy step of the web development process. Want to simplify your workload? Get in touch with us today.
