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information architecture

Creating Intuitive Navigation for Your Website

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My last article covered the Basics of Information Architecture, so I thought a good follow-up would be to take a look at intuitive navigation. You’ve probably been on a website that had inconsistent, poorly labeled, or otherwise confusing navigation before. How long did it take you to leave that site and go to one in which you could actually find what you wanted/needed? If you’re like most people, it was probably just a matter of seconds. In this article, we will learn more about intuitive navigation, why it is important, and what you can do to make your own website navigation more intuitive for both human users and search engine robots. Let’s jump in!

What is intuitive navigation?

Intuitive navigation just means that your visitors are able to find what they are looking for on your website with ease, and it is designed to allow traffic to flow from webpage to webpage. In other words, users should just kind of “know” how to navigate your website without having to learn anything new. Your menus and other navigation should be logical to them. One way to be sure that your navigation system is intuitive is to stick with some Common Web Conventions. An example is positioning global navigation somewhere within the top 25% of the web page, but we will delve more deeply into this and other techniques in the “How do I achieve intuitive navigation?” section below.

Why is intuitive navigation important?

Intuitive navigation is important to users and search engines, as it enables both to find what they are looking for more efficiently. Most people will scan your global navigation menu when they enter your site from a search engine or another website to see if there is anything else that interests them. Ensure that your menu labels let them know what kind of information they are going to find within your web pages. Always design your menus with human users in mind; however, there are ways of creating SEO friendly navigation that still puts people first.

For example, descriptive menu labels are very helpful to users and robots. Do not just label your page “Development” on your menu, but specify what you develop instead. You could be developing websites, software, business plans, personal goals… Who knows? That’s why your menu should be specific. Visitors and search engines will both have a better time finding what they need if you say something like “Software Development” or “Personal Development”.

How do you achieve intuitive navigation?

Like any project, it is imperative to begin with brainstorming. List all of the pages you think your website will require, even if some may seem silly. Remember, there are no wrong answers in brainstorming and it should freely flow. You can always remove any irrelevant ideas when you finish. The point is to not limit yourself during the brainstorming process.

It is always a good idea to plan the website navigation systems from the very start with Information Architecture (IA). (Starting with website navigation can also serve to streamline the rest of your website planning process.) Some tips on creating intuitive navigation for your website’s visitors are:

  • Display global navigation / main navigation bar in the top 25% of the page (or in the left sidebar if you prefer);
  • Place navigation menu(s) consistently throughout the website;
  • Make it simple to learn;
  • Keep number of clicks to the next piece of information or section to a minimum;
  • Use breadcrumbs that show visitors how to get back to where they started;
  • Label menus according to common web conventions that everyone knows and understands;
  • Don’t use industry jargon that might be confusing or unclear to users;
  • Make each link unique;
  • Organize navigation into logical groups;
  • Don’t force the user to scroll to reach any part of your global navigation;
  • Never disable the browser’s back button;
  • All important/main web pages should be accessible from your global/main navigation;
  • Provide local navigation or a secondary menu if necessary (usually for larger websites);
  • Make sure your menus are mobile friendly;
  • Provide users with a “call-to-action” that guides them to the web page(s) that allow your website to achieve its ultimate goal;
  • Use internal linking (link your web pages together within your own copy) to drive traffic to your call-to-action and/or other important pages on your website.

What are some of the benefits of intuitive navigation?

Designing a website that is easy to navigate is beneficial in so many ways. Visitors are more likely to return to a site with great information that is easy to find. Following are just a few of the numerous benefits you will enjoy if you employ intuitive navigation on your website.

Increased:

  • Website traffic;
  • Repeat visitors;
  • Readership and/or subscribers on your blog or newsletter;
  • Sales on your e-Commerce website;
  • Social media connections;
  • Engagement on social media and/or blog posts/articles;
  • SERP rankings for the individual web pages of your website.

Making your website navigation intuitive for your visitors is a great way to elevate their user experience and convert them into content consumers of your website. After all, the main goal of any website is the conversion of traffic into subscribers, members, paying customers, etc. People are more inclined to stay on your site and see what you have to offer if they do not have any trouble finding what they need. Search engines will be more likely to rank your site higher on their SERPs if their robots can crawl your pages more easily. All of this can be aided with the implementation of intuitive navigation on your website.

By: Danielle Dandridge

Basics of Information Architecture (IA)

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While doing some research on Information Architecture for work, I actually learned a couple of things about its history that I didn’t already know. I thought others might be interested too, so that’s what this article is all about. Enjoy!

What is Information Architecture (IA)?

The term “Information Architecture” (IA) was coined in 1976 at an American Institute of Architects (AIA) conference by Richard Saul Wurman, who is probably now best known for being one of the creators of the Technology Entertainment and Design (TED) conferences. As with many things website development related, IA seems easy to define on the face of it; however, the deeper you delve, the more robust and abstruse it becomes. When referring to web design and development, IA is the way an Information Architect sets up and structures the webpages (information) throughout a website, to put it simply.

So, what’s an Information Architect?

An Information Architect is the person who helps bring together all of the different elements of a website: design, usability, functionality, SEO, page copy, page hierarchy, and site navigation, as well as the overall internet marketing and digital strategies. The goal of an Information Architect is to create an intuitive website structure that is friendly to both human users and search robots alike. Another way to define IA is as “the art and science of creating and maintaining a model of a system of information describing the rules on how the information should be organized, interlinked, accessed, and presented.” For a little further explanation, here are some quotes on IA from industry leaders:

“The art and science of organizing and labeling websites, intranets, online communities, and software to support usability and findability.” —Information Architecture Institute

“Flickr allows me to upload my pictures and organize them, tag them, however I see fit. There is no central authority telling me what to tag my pictures. This is partly because it’s not going to hurt anybody if I do it ‘wrong’ … Flickr isn’t a mission-critical system. It’s a playful social platform…if you want a serious photo library, then use a system like the national archive or Corbis has, but not Flickr. There’s a difference between managing information, and designing the infrastructure to let others manage it themselves. But both approaches are architectural.” —Andrew Hinton, Information Architect

Why is IA so important?

IA is important for a few reasons. It allows for intuitive navigation of a website. It also increases usability and findability for visitors and search engines. Once you know your purpose and understand your target audience, you need to draft a plan on how you wish to convey and structure the information on your website so that it will enable human users to easily find what they seek. This also allows robots to crawl your site more efficiently.

Components of IA:

Here are some techniques that information architects use to develop effective IA. The book, “Information Architecture for the World Wide Web” by Louis Rosenfeld and Peter Morville, names four components of an information architecture system:

  • Organization systems are categories that organize information;
  • Labeling systems represent the information;
  • Navigation systems are how to navigate between pieces of information;
  • Searching systems are how to find information.

Tips on Intuitive Website IA:

  • Know the purpose of your website;
  • Understand your target audience;
  • Determine the short-term and long-term goals of your website;
  • Decide on your website’s organizational structure:
  • Draft an outline of your site;
  • Develop a wireframe or blueprint of your website;
  • Define your site navigation.

With a well executed plan, you can really improve your website’s organic SERP (search engine results page) standing, while keeping your target audience happy. Building a structurally sound website becomes a bit easier when you understand the basics of Information Architecture. Empower your content to be impactful by putting a solid digital strategy behind it.

By: Danielle Dandridge