Best Practices for Designing a User-Friendly Website Navigation and Layout

Make your site easy to navigate and you’ll see more conversions, improved SEO, and stronger relationships with your audience.  Here are some best practices you can implement today to create a website with user-friendly navigation and layout.

Keep It Simple

  • Prioritize and organize site elements by relevance
  • Minimize clutter and unnecessary design elements

Consistent Design

  • Maintain design consistency across all pages
  • Ensure uniformity in navigation elements

A Clear Hierarchy

  • Establish clear visual hierarchy for content and navigation
  • Use visual indicators and drop-down menus for primary options

Breadcrumb Navigation

  • Use breadcrumb navigation for user location tracking
  • Represents categories, subcategories, filters, tags, user path

Mobile-Friendly Navigation

  • Ensure easy navigation on all mobile devices
  • Incorporate collapsible menus, recognized icons, adaptive layouts

Easy Search Function

  • Provide prominently visible search bar on all pages
  • Keep search bar placement consistent

Footer Navigation

  • Use footer navigation for additional options
  • Include links to key pages like About Us, Contact, Privacy Policy, etc.

White Space

  • Enhance navigation with white space for element separation
  • Ensure white space doesn’t distract users

Testing

  • Gather user feedback through testing for improvements
  • Conduct usability testing in-person or remotely

Good Design Is All about Good User Experience

  • User-friendly design leads to positive user experience
  • Increases engagement and conversions