Website navigation is important to the sucess of your website. The navigation system is like a road map to all the different areas and information contained within the website.
Using a consistent navigation scheme from page to page helps the website visitor learn your website navigation system.
Types of Website Navigation
There are different types of website navigation:
Hierarchical website navigation: The structure of the website naviation is built from general to specific. This provides a clear, simple path to all the web pages from anywhere on the website.
Global website navigation: Global website navigation shows the top level sections/pages of the website. It is available on each page and lists the main content sections/pages of the website.
Local website navigation: Local navigation would the links with the text of your web pages, linking to other pages within the website.
Next Gen Digital Workplace
1) A hyperlink consists of hypertext or graphic links that are often underlined and/or displayed in a different color from the rest of the text. Links are clickable: when clicked, the browser displays the contents of the page that is linked by the hyperlink.
2) A navigation bar is a graphical element with hyperlinks to all the major parts of a website, and is usually visible on all pages.
3) A sitemap is a text or graphical map of the website. Generally very simple in design, it shows users how the content is structured and gives them a quick and easy way to access the content.
4) A main menu is usually part of the home page. A main menu lists the broad categories of site content with hyperlinks to that content.
5) A site index is similar to a main menu, but usually contains more detailed information. An index is usually a list of complete site content with hyperlinks to the content.
6) A search engine is an interactive function that allows users to search a database containing site content. Many sites offer simple keyword searches as well as more advanced searching.
7) A pull down menu is an element in which a menu can be selected that presents links in a vertical list
8) A navigation path or bread crumb consists of a series of hypertext links that shows users where they are and the path by which they got there, starting from the main page.