Continued from page 1
Additionally, your site may have some nice feature that should be highlighted and easy to find. Using
example from above, your site may have a "Search" function that is useful for visitors to find specific products or information. In this case, put
Search field and button at
top of
page, perhaps embedded in
banner area. Make it visible! Don't bury it two thirds down
page, where your visitor will see it after they've already spent 10 minutes looking for what they are trying to find.
In a nutshell, your website's navigation should consider
following: from any page on
site, can a new visitor to
site easily and intuitively find their way around
site? Will that visitor feel comfortable moving around on your site? Can they find
Home page again? Is your contact information readily accessible from
pages where it is needed
most? Most importantly, can
visitor quickly and easily locate
product and/or services you are selling?
If
answer is not "Yes," your website's navigation needs some redesign. Don't despair—if you have good, relevant content this may not be a huge project. And reworking
menu and navigation may be just what your website needs to communicate
professionalism and quality for which your business should be known.

Debra Bellmaine is President of Bellmaine Associates (http://www.bellmaineassociates.com), a web design & development firm providing website solutions for small and medium-size businesses. She is a software professional with broad experience creating custom business applications. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems, as well as various certifications, including Sun Certified Developer for the Java 2 Platform.