Establishing the Navigation Structure
Organize based on content!
Navigation structure should always be based on the content. Review the pages in your site and try to organize the pages into hierarchical relationships and groups. You can then design a navigation system that reflects broader and narrower categories.
Finding ways to group topic areas is the key to effective navigation. Notice how nicely and clearly the navigation is logically grouped at this site. The Ford site provides the visitor with every opportunity to find information: site map, search, drop down menus, detailed menus at the bottom etc.:
Limit the number of navigation links!
Remember to limit the number of navigation choices (and to organize them logically!). Avoid large numbers of links in navigation bars. Also avoid links within text. No page should be more than 3 clicks away. Generally, it's not a good idea to have a lot of links to external sites unless you don't mind your site visitors leaving your site.
Here's an interesting example!
Do you find the number of hyperlinks on this site overwhelming? Are they well grouped? Can you even tell they are links?!
Allow for navigation updates and additions!
As you establish the navigation, remember to allow space for updating and adding to the navigation (sometimes sidebar navigation is much more flexible in this regard than horizontal navigation bars). You should also provide a site map/table of contents or even a search function (particularly for a large site). Assess the following sites in terms of logical navigational grouping and additional aids (such as help, site map and/or search). Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the page to look at the quick links:
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