As website designers we have the opportunity to visit many, many sites on a wide variety of topics. We see fancy graphics, compelling content and impressive layouts. But even the flashiest site can turn a visitor away if he or she cannot find his or her way around. By following some simple guidelines, you can be sure your visitors can easily find their way around your site.

• Be consistent. Place your navigation menu in the same place on every page. Your visitors will then know where to find it, no matter what page they are on. Common places for a navigation menu are at the top, bottom and left hand sides of the page, but one "above the fold" or on the top half of the page is best. Better yet, put a menu in more than one place!
• Use a site map. Using a site map and placing a link to it on EVERY one of your pages is a very convenient way for your visitors to find their way around your site. This can be done whether or not you have included a menu on each page. This is especially helpful if you have a large site, which is broken down into many sub-pages. This method helps comply with the "2 - 3 click" guideline. In other words, it should take no more than 2 - 3 clicks to get to another section of a site from any other place in the site. (This refers to SECTIONS of a site, not individual pages).
• Use text links in addition to graphics. You have the most beautiful buttons in the world on your site, but they will be of no use to someone who turns their graphics off or cannot see them. Placing a text menu on your pages along with a graphics menu will solve that problem. And it is always a good idea to use the alt tag feature which adds the text description of your images.

There are many other ways to help visitors find their way around. If space is a consideration, then you may want to try a drop-down, or pull-down menu. Keep in mind however, that some browsers still may not support Javascript which is required for the drop-down menu to work, or some may be browsing with Javascript disabled. Using text links elsewhere on the page, perhaps at the bottom, will allow these visitors to continue navigating your site.

Image maps are another popular navigation tool. An image map is an image with clickable "hot spots" on it. Again, adding a text menu is good web design practice.

So the best way to keep visitors at your site is to be sure that they can find their way around it. Clear, consistent navigation is probably second only to page loading time when your visitors consider whether they will stick around or not. Make sure they know where they are and how they can get where they want to be!

© RMH Web Design