{"id":3475,"date":"2023-03-10T12:40:54","date_gmt":"2023-03-10T20:40:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thegood.com\/?post_type=insights&p=3475"},"modified":"2025-05-21T09:37:26","modified_gmt":"2025-05-21T16:37:26","slug":"website-navigation","status":"publish","type":"insights","link":"https:\/\/thegood.com\/insights\/website-navigation\/","title":{"rendered":"Website Navigation: 10 Conversion Tips & Winning Examples"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Website navigation can make or break your visitors\u2019 experience. Attempting to navigate a website without a logical, well-defined structure is like being dropped in the middle of a complex maze with no map and no frame of reference. It\u2019s overwhelming, frustrating, and all-around unpleasant \u2014 not exactly the user experience you\u2019re hoping for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This means your store\u2019s navigation is one of the important elements of your site. It affects your search engine rankings, lead generation, brand perception, accessibility, and usability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most importantly, your website navigation affects your conversions. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You see, your navigation is more than just a collection of internal links to get from one page to another on your ecommerce store. It also helps your users understand the relationship <\/em>between different pages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to analyst Nathaniel Davis<\/a>, navigation is the very tip of your site\u2019s information architecture (IA) iceberg. Beneath the water is the massive part of the iceberg that no one sees: research, strategy, management, classification schemes, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"pyramid<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Source<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

All of that goes into building an ecommerce site, but the user only sees what\u2019s visible: your navigation, which is typically represented as a list of text links, some icons, and a search box. It\u2019s how they interact with all of the planning and care you put into the rest of your site. It also helps them connect<\/em> with that content and use it to meet their needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Types of Website Navigation Structure<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before we dive into the best practices, let’s break down the different types of website navigation. You aren\u2019t bound to these options, but these are the general types you see all over the web. It\u2019s generally best to stick to these formats, so users know what to expect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Horizontal Navigation Bar<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The header navigation bar is the most common type of website navigation. These top-level links are displayed horizontally, side by side, in the header. They usually include the most important pages of the site; the pages you know users will need access to early.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"horizontal<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Dropdown Navigation Menu<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dropdown menus are tiers of navigation that keep your content and products organized. The most important links are used as top-level navigation. When a user clicks or hovers over a link, a menu expands with more links. There could be several tiers of dropdown menus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"dropdown<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

These are best for content-rich sites that need to give users plenty of paths to find the content and products they need. Smart organization prevents your site from becoming cluttered and gives your users a feeling of moving forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hamburger Navigation Menu<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You see a lot of this menu on mobile sites and apps. Instead of listing any of the top-level links on the page, everything is hidden behind the button. Tapping the icon reveals the menu. Tapping a menu item expands the menu further, revealing additional options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"hamburger<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Vertical Sidebar Navigation Menu<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A vertical sidebar menu is a list of links stacked on top of each other, positioned on either side of the page. This format is typically better for sites that have too much top-level navigation for a horizontal menu. The downside is that they eat up a lot of page real estate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sidebar navigation is also useful on interior pages where users need more specific options and internal linking to facilitate their shopping experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"vertical<\/figure>\n\n\n\n