When we work with clients on a new website or a website refresh, one of the most critical elements is the navigation structure.  This means how all the pages are connected, the menu structure, and even the page layout, with the calls-to-action and supporting content that is either in the page or accessible through links.

We like to start a project by discussing the core value and differentiators of the clients’ products and services, and then identify the most important actions we want customers to take on the site.  Signing up for a mailing list, connecting through social media, getting in touch to set up a meeting and, perhaps most importantly, purchasing products or services.

Understanding a customer’s workflow is the next step.  In an existing site, consulting available analytics to see how customers are actually accessing pages is a great way to start, as well as mapping out logical flows, based on the focus of each page, the information presented, and calls to action related to specific tasks.

We would then work with the client to streamline and optimize workflows, to avoid extraneous or distracting information and links.  Creating a clear path to complete the most important activities helps to avoid unnecessary bounces and increases conversion rates.

Check out today’s article from Social Media Today for more information on how you can improve your website navigation.  A few important tips that we agree with 100%:

1.  Make sure you have a search field
2.  Use a footer menu to organize ‘must have’ legal items like your privacy policy, terms and conditions, affiliations, copyright notices, and other related items
3.  Simplify your messaging and focus users on the call-to-action, instead of presenting countless options for where your user can go next.

Read the full article here.