Why is it important to simplify website navigation?
Navigating a website (regardless of the domain in which it operates) is a very important aspect as it helps visitors (users) to easily find the desired content.
It also sends a signal to the search engines regarding which part of the site’s content we consider important for the business.
Any site has a home page or “root”, this is usually the most accessed page of the site and the starting point of navigation for many visitors.
The site map is a web page (HTML) in which all the pages on a site are listed (organized in hierarchical order). Basically, the page is the presentation of the site’s structure.
Using a map is a way to optimize the site in order to rank it in Google results. If in robots.txt the search engine is specified which parts of the site to exclude from indexing, in the site map the search engine is guided where to go.
In addition to the site map, addressed especially to human visitors, one is also needed for the “spider” (sitemap.xml file).
Good practices for navigating a website
1. It is recommended to create a hierarchy with a logical structure: allow the visitors of a site to quickly access the information they need (switching from a general content to a detailed one in accordance with the search performed). Avoid placing links in one page (eg home page) to all other pages on the site (excess internal linking) or splitting the content (it is important that the visitor reaches the detailed content after making a maximum of 3 clicks in website).
2. Use text-type content on the site – having text-type content on the site helps the crawling and understanding of the site by search engines (avoid excessive use of non-text files)
3. Use breadcrumbs – navigation links represent a row of internal links generally placed at the top of a site. Thus, visitors are allowed a quick navigation, having the possibility to easily return to a section already visited (the navigation path is indicated).
For example, on the website homepage https://optimizareplus.ro/</ a> we have a link to the contact page:
4. Include a sitemap in HTML format on your site and use a dynamic Sitemap file in XML format
Ex: https://www.optimizareplus.ro/harta-website
5. Customize a useful 404 error page:
Some of the site visitors will occasionally reach a page that does not exist on the site, either by accessing a broken link or by entering a wrong URL address.
Implementation / Creating a personalized 404 page, which guides visitors to a functional page on the website, can significantly improve the user experience.
The 404 page should probably contain a link back to the root page (eg home page) and may also provide links to popular or similar content on the site. When customizing a 404 error page, it is recommended to avoid displaying a simple message such as “Not Found”, “Errorr 404”
Make sure that the navigation on the site is optimal both from the point of view of the user and the internet user.
Do you think you have an easy-to-navigate website? You can request free SEO analysis to see what the problems are with your site.