Is your website navigable?

Having a great-looking website means nothing if your customers can't navigate their way around it. Without clear signposting and a logical path from your homepage to the checkout, it's almost impossible to make sales online.

Use these five tips to make your website user-friendly and help boost your bottom line.

1. Create clear navigation menus

Users expect to see the navigation menu along the top of your webpage, so that's where it should be. The links or tabs included in your header must be clearly and intuitively named with the products, services and information they provide.

Drop-down functionality is good for delving deeper into a section. You can also use the page footer to provide extra information, but this should come secondary.

2. Consider your hierarchy

It’s extremely important to create logical and easy-to-understand categories and hierarchies within your site. Include a breadcrumb trail under your main navigation menu to show customers where they are as they navigate through your site .This allows them to quickly step back if they've chosen the wrong product. It should provide a simple map, such as: homepage>category landing page>product landing page>shopping cart.

3. Make popular categories

Use Google Analytics to see what customers are searching for via your search function. Use this to create categories and include products in your navigation according to popularity. For Bloomtools clients, setting up Google Analytics on your website is a simple and easy process.

4. Use images

Images can be a great way for people to navigate naturally. For example, including a picture of an envelope or a shopping cart will instantly let people know they can quickly navigate to a page with postage information or their current shopping basket.

5. Name internal links

If you make use of internal links within your copy, ensure they make sense. Avoid linking to pages with the words 'click here' or 'find out more'. Instead, place the link in a contextual phrase that gives the reader a hint of what they'll find on the page, such as postage details or a product name. This not only helps with navigation, but can also help with your site's SEO.

Is your navigation the best it can be? Contact your Bloomtools consultant to find out how you can improve it or get a free website assessment.