Implementing a new Nav Bar: Best practice, SEO benefit, your suggestions?

[Martin_S]

Hi Mozland,

We are going to have a new Nav Bar for our site built from the horror that we currently have to up with. We want to make it a simple affair, similar to The Guardian two-tier Nav Bar - main menu which will drop down to the 2nd tier according to what you clicked on in tier one. Regular stuff, I think.

Any suggestions, from your experience, about how best to implement this, what to include, what not to do, what can be included and done to make it as best it can be to get people to peruse our site as easily as possible?

Thanks

[Martin_S]

That's a great help. Thanks Doug for being so thorough.

[DougRoberts]

In my experience, especially if you've got a content rich site (and I'm assuming you do as you mention a two tier bar), getting the information architecture right first is absolutely essential You should be fitting the navigation around the content - not the other way round.

I don't know if you're able to modify this architecture. If you can then you need to be a little bit cautious. Make sure that you test any changes with members of the target audience. Make sure that if there are any changes to URLs (renaming sections etc) then you create suitable redirects. Don't ignore testing your architecture!

Make sure that the words used for each item provide the visitor with a clear understanding of what they're going to get if they click on the link. Don't use generic words/phrases like "articles"

Can provide incentives/compelling reasons for people to want to explore sections on your site? This will depend on the nature of the site of course. Don't over-do it though.

The entire Navbar should provide the visitor with a clear overview of the scope of the site. It's probably the first thing they'll see once they arrive and you want them to be able to quickly scan it and know that they're going to find what they're looking for. (Information scent)

Make sure that the Nav bar clearly indicates the current page/section to help the visitor know exactly where he is.

Use words on the menu bar that are going to be meaningful to visitors. Avoid jargon and acronyms. Try to take an external perspective. This is where keyword research can also help! The words you use should tie in to your keyword strategy and audience.

Think about how your navigation can reflect your brand and credibility.

What were the particular issues you face with the current navigation. Can you provide more specific detail, examples or the name of the site?

What were the reasons for choosing a two-tier approach?

Hope this helps!