To stay ahead of the curve, you’ll need to compete in every sphere. The same goes for your WordPress website. Even if you have a well-optimized responsive website, it will still fail to attract the target audience if it has poor navigation.
No matter how beautiful or visually striking your website looks, a good user experience is the need of the hour. If the interface is messy, it will be a turn-off leading to a high bounce rate. Thus, you must have structured navigation for your WordPress site as it will make it easier for your site visitors to find the content they are looking for.
By improving the navigation of your website, you’ll not only increase traffic but also find a way to rank your pages in SERP. In addition, great navigation will also improve your SEO score.
Ways to Improve your WordPress Website Navigation
1. Stick With Simplicity
The more you complicate your website design, the more it will affect the navigation. You need to keep your website design simple to increase your chances of gaining more conversions. When the design is simple, users won’t have to spend extra time searching for relevant content. They can quickly find options without distractions.
If your website is too cluttered, it may cause the users to leave the website. When you choose a WordPress theme for your site, choose a simple design. You can add elements and plugins later to make your website more engaging. Organize your content and pages; give it a structured look to create the right emphasis.
2. Use Breadcrumbs
Breadcrumbs are a great way for visitors to find their way to your website, especially if you have a large chunk of content, it will add value to the navigation process. You can add the menu with the trail links and visitors can use breadcrumbs for finding relevant content.
It guides the visitors to get through and get back without thinking much. A new visitor may find it tough to visit a site with many posts, and it might take many clicks to reach a particular section. By adding this simple navigation, you’ll be able to fix the problems faced by the users.
3. Optimize the Navbar of Your Website
The navigation bar is the most important tool that helps visitors find their pages of interest. With no navbar in place, you’ll lose visitors, which will affect the conversion rates.
The idea is to keep the bar in front of visitors so they can find the topics quickly. Suppose, a visitor wants to know about a product, a sticky navbar will help the visitor and follow through the website.
You can use the mega menu option if you don’t want to add the drop-down menu. Megamenu shows content and links of various pages under a category found on the navbar.
If your business caters to clothes, use the menu item products, which will allow visitors to see different types of products under the main category. Don’t allow the category menu items with the mega menu to be clickable, as it may lead to confusion.
4. Visual Hierarchy
To make your structure of navigation clear, you’ll need to use the visual hierarchy. The placement of all the elements must be correct so that the visitors do not feel the need to click on different options. If your visual hierarchy is clear, it will become easy for your website visitors to find different sections and services.
A visual tool Power Mapper can help you layout different site pages. It ensures that all the key elements of your website are easy to find. It will not only save your efforts but will also save the time of the new visitors visiting your page.
5. Colour Scheme and Organization
The colour scheme of the website is important, so use the right colours. WordPress themes come with different colour themes, but some themes are so flashy that they might confuse website visitors.
It is important to use a colour scheme with a good mix of colours and contrast. It should help your site visitors see all the elements. Organize the navigation from top to bottom and from left to right. If you do it the other way round, it may confuse the people visiting your website.
6. Include the Social Networking Buttons
Social media marketing is the need of the hour. If you want the visitors of your website to find your social media posts or share your recent posts add different social media buttons on your website.
The reach of social media is tremendous, and it will expand your brand to multiple levels. It is a way to share your content with their users and grow your reach on the internet. It is an opportunity to build your brand as social media posts can reach a wider audience base.
Use social media plugins so that visitors easily share your content. Jetpack and Social Pug are the two popular plugins you can use. They support the most popular social media channels, and the installation process is simple.
7. Add a Sitemap
Sitemap mainly displays the list of URLs on your website. It provides added user experience to visitors of the site. When you add a sitemap on your site, it could mean two things:
- They will have an access to every link in front of them and choose the links they want to click. It will become easier for a new visitor to find content on the page with the sitemap.
- Google will automatically index all the web pages of your website, so you don’t have to do it manually. You have an option of using the sitemap on your page for the Google Search Console. Upload it for SEO purposes, but use an XML file.
8. Minimize the Navigation Levels and Fix Broken Links
Your navigation structure should be precise, and for this, you must minimize the navigation levels of your site. Try keeping the navigation levels to a max three with a single menu option. If the level is more than three, consider using the multiple menu options.
You’ll also need to fix the broken links as bigger websites are prone to this issue. WordPress has many plugins that let you check for broken links within pages, comments, and posts. You can use the Broken Link Checker as it’s one of the most popular plugins for fixing broken links.
In Brief
By using the above navigation tips, you’ll help your website visitors find the right pages quickly. No one wants to go through tons of pages to find relevant content, so make it easier for your visitors and enhance their experience. Also, don’t forget to optimize your site for mobile users and include contact information. Plus, ensure your WordPress website is well-maintained.
Sudhir Bhushan is a Tech & Social enthusiast and Founder of Bhicoupons. He is also a Web Entrepreneur by Profession and loves to write about the latest trends on Social Media & SEO. You may also follow him on Twitter