This is why you should avoid adding unnecessary "layers" to your site as the further a visitor has to dig into your site, the less likely it is they will complete the action you want them to take.
Knowing that you will lose visitors with every "extra" click you ask them to take, you should minimize the number of clicks your visitors will have to make to accomplish the key goals on your site.
Visitors are impatient and are always one click away from leaving, so you cannot assume they will take any extra trouble to "find" your information or offer.
Any time you ask your visitors to click on a link, you risk losing them if they cannot find what they want. For example, do not ask your visitor to "click here" to go to your opt-in form for your newsletter on a separate page - instead of place the form itself on each page and make it one click less for your visitor and avoid risk of losing them.
It pays to spend some time to plan your navigation. Start by compiling a list of all the things your web site will include. Once you have the list, decide what the navigation of your homepage will look like.
Try sketching this out and see if you have problems moving from 1 page to the other. If you are struggling, so will your visitors.....
Navigation for sites that sell less than 10 products
If you are selling a single product, or just a few products, your navigation should be quite simple. A single product sold through a salesletter, for example, would require little more than links to the standard pages surfers expect (as mentioned in our last posting) and your order page.
A site selling only a handful of related products could easily feature them all on the main page, with links to details about each product on their own separate pages. This is much more direct than having a link that says "Products" and forcing the user to click one layer down to see them.
Navigation for sites that sell more than 10 products
If you are seling many products, it will be a good idea to group the products into categories. If you sell cameras, for instance, you can group them by the intended customer (professional photographers vs. amateurs) or by type (digital, instant, etc.).
Or you can add a search function to let customers look for specific items. Remember, you don't have to bury them down just because you cannot show all your products on your homepage.
What should your navigation appear and how it should look like?
This is where you will actually be better off NOT being original! There are a few basic rules you should follow to make your navigation effective.
1. Keep your navigation consistent Navigation bars on web sites should be consistent to be effective - the same size, color, and in the same place on every page of your site.
**The one time it can pay off to change your navigation bar is when the visitor has started an activity you don’t want to distract them from — like filling in your order form!
On these pages, it may make sense to just have a “home” link, or a “Continue Shopping” link in the case of a shopping cart, so visitors are not tempted to stray.
2. All of your navigation should appear in ONE place
Do not duplicate your navigation in two places on each page (such as top and bottom, or the left-hand side and bottom). This can actually end up confusing people, so it's better to save this space for important content.
3. Choosing where you'll place your main navigation
The two most common locations for navigation bars are horizontally along the top of the page (below the logo), or vertically along the left side of the page.
Do not put your navigation above your logo. People have gotten used to ignoring this area, since it is often the place where advertising banners are positioned.
4. Deciding what your navigation will look like
To avoid having dozens of links on your navigation bar, it is good practice to group complex sites into sections and leave only the main links visible. Show any more than about eight choices on your toolbar and you are likely to confuse visitors.
Here are several standard ways of showing the main sections of your site.
Using Tabs: Amazon.com has helped make tabs which mimic the tabs on file folders a common and easily recognized navigation tool to show major categories of a site. Click on a tab, and you wll "open up" a new section of the site. It is a very intuitive way to organize categories of products or content.
Using Drop-down menus: Another popular way of getting a lot of navigational information into a small place is to use drop-down menus (like the drop-down lists we're used to seeing in forms). All the links are visible to the user with a single click.
Using Roll-over menus: A newer way to organize a navigation bar is to use JavaScript to have key categories on your navigation bar open up into drop-down menus when the user places their cursor over them.
This is how the menus in most software programs work, so users are generally familiar with them. Because they rely on JavaScript, though, it's crucial that you test your pages in various browsers to make sure they work consistently.
5. Name your navigation links clearly
People should instantly know what to expect when they click on a link. Therefore, it is important to be to choose wording to use for your navigation that is descriptive.
Watch out for our next posting on the all important sales letter.
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