Website design is about more than just having an attractive color scheme and nice, shiny buttons on your web pages. Having an easily navigable website is an important factor.
Most Internet users don’t just happen upon your website. These days, targeted searches make up most of Internet use.
What a reader sees as soon as they click on a link to your site is the difference between them moving forward to locate the information they came in search of and them clicking the Back button on their browser to return to the search engine results page.
An easy-to-use (and find) site navigation bar is critical if you want readers to spend more time with you. If you make finding solutions simple, your site will enjoy less abandonment, more traffic and a higher conversion rate.
A website designed to be easily navigated reaps the rewards of interested, informed prospects who are ready to buy – or whatever your call to action is asking them to do.
Because of this, you should be sure that your website design effectively assists users in locating what they want to find in an instant.
Don’t leave readers in the dark. Spoon-feed them. Tell them exactly where to go to find what they need to know. Don’t make their search any more complicated than it has to be.
A rule of thumb is that readers should be able to get where they want to be on your website within three mouse clicks. Any more and you’ve given them too much time to let hesitation set in. You’ve stalled – and possibly halted – the sales process.
Don’t let any prospective leads or customers fall by the wayside. Keep them moving along by incorporating an efficient site navigation system into your website design.
For an even better chance at achieving higher conversion, read Stoney deGeyter’s article outlining specific techniques on how to improve your website’s navigation.