Building websites people can navigate

More and more people are now using the web as a source for information rather than as a medium of entertainment. The web is now the place we turn to when we need to gather information on virtually anything, be it gardening tips, financial advice or even to shop for groceries. With the vast array of products and services offered on the web it is essential to display your product or service in a manner which will appear irresistible to the consumer. Web design plays a major role in this. An easy to use web site with original content will definitely help organisations attract clients to their site.

Following the initial attraction to your website however, it is imperative then to ensure that clients remain at your site in order to obtain the services or products which they were seeking. One of the keys to keeping your clients interested is to ensure that the information they are seeking is easily accessible through a simple navigation process. You will find that the harder it is to navigate through a website, the more likely that the consumer will turn to one of the other million or so web sites available on the infinite world wide web.

Here are some simple tips to ensure your website is designed so people can easily navigate through it.

1. Use simple concise labels to navigate through your website

Titles of links used to navigate through your site should be simple and concise so that visitors will immediately understand where the link will lead them to. It is suggested that you use only the most important links on the primary navigational page to avoid clutter. It is also advisable to have links change colour once they have been clicked for added clarity to the visitor.

2. Use simple, obvious icons to navigate through your website

Although it may seem appealing to you to try and fancy up the icons on your website, it may in fact confuse visitors exploring your website rather than enthral them. The more obvious the icon or link the better. After all, visitors use the web to seek out information so that they can save time. If your website appears too complex you could very well lose your customer to a more client friendly site.

3. Never rely only on pictures to navigate through you website

Even though a certain image or picture may seem obvious to you as a tool to navigate through your website, do not assume that it will be as obvious to someone visiting your site for the first time. It is always best to combine images with text, especially to make it easier to navigate through your webpage.

4. Help visitors navigate your website by leaving a trail.

Help visitors to easily navigate their way through your website by providing them with a convenient trail of the journey they’ve embarked on. This is especially essential with larger websites where if adequate guidance is not provided visitors can simply get lost and give up on their quest for information. For example if you have a holiday website about Asia, with each country then being broken down into further steps with lists of attractions etc. A good website would show the visitor a trail such as:
Home > Indonesia > Bali > Attractions

5. Provide shortcuts for quick navigation through your website

Take the example of the travel site mentioned above. If for example a visitor wanted to explore attractions in Bali, it is best to provide a tool bar or search box so that the visitor could access the information they require straight away rather than going through all the steps mentioned above. Remember, visitors surfing the web for products and services expect the information they want to be available quickly and easily and will not spend hours browsing though your website.

6. Test the navigation of your website

The best test of how effectively visitors can navigate through your website is to have inexperienced users try and navigate through your website. This will give you a clearer idea as to which features are effective and which are just downright confusing.

Let Net Starter build an easy to navigate website for your organisation!

As you can see from the steps above, there is more to developing a good functional website than meets the eye. Net Starter can assist you to develop a professional website with an easy to navigate web design which will enhance your chances of attracting and maintaining clients irrespective of what your service or product may be.

Call Net Starter on 1300 668 399 or email us at sales@netstarter.com.au