4. Creating a Navigation Action Plan Determine goals and needs of your audience Decide what purpose of your site is and who your target audience will be. For more in-depth information on this subject visit: "How to Target Your Customers and Put Them in a Buying Mood" (www.isitebuild.com arget.htm)

Learn from navigation that works Visit several successful sites that show good navigation e.g., Fedex.com. These sites show good navigation planning.

Generally, good navigation includes several characteristics:

Offers easy to learn elements Remains consistent Provides feedback Appears in context Offers alternatives Provides clear visual messages Offers clear and understandable labels Remains appropriate to site's purpose Supports visitors goals and behaviors

Providing feedback has biggest impact on users. Navigation should tell people, where they are and if possible, where they have been. Visitors should also be able to easily determine linked or clickable material.

They need to know whether they successfully made a purchase, conducted a search, or completed some other task.

Navigation that allows visitors to find information easily and quickly will contribute to your web site's success. Ask your grandmother (or someone who is not familiar with Web) to navigate your site. If they can find information they want within 3 clicks, your navigation structure must be a success. Congratulations!

Part 2 of this article will show "How to Design Your Navigation Structure and Common Navigation Mistakes to Avoid".

4. Navigation alignment Some sites have navigation icons or text links lined up against side or top of page. Leave an equal amount of space on either side of your navigational links and make sure they are aligned with each other.

5. Repetition and consistency If visitor has to search for buttons on every page, or if links have different words, techniques or icons, they get annoyed. Don't you? Navigation elements from page to page should be repeated and consistent throughout your site. If a visitor sees a navigation system on every page, it will add to familiarity and orientation.

6. Check your links Have you ever followed a navigation link, only to find you can't get back to home page? You may have clicked on a link, only to get a page error – page does not exist! Particularly if you have linked to a web site outside of your own. With time that site may have disappeared or changed its address.

Make it easy for your visitor to find their way around your site, by testing out where your links go and that each of them work. You should do this periodically to avoid problem of dead or broken links.

7. Testing your navigation structure You're overjoyed that your site is finally finished, so you tell all your friends and family about it. They politely say it is great, but ask you what it is about and how can they find their way around.

Once completed, you need to step back (go outside of box you have been in) and get others to navigate your site – preferably your Grandmother or someone that has never been on Net. This is called a usability test. If they have no problem to discern purpose of your site and can navigate it with ease, you are ready to publish it for all world to see.

Design your navigation structure with visitor in mind. Eliminate any obstacles (minefields) that will annoy and frustrate them, causing them to leave and never wish to return. If you make it easy for them to find information they seek, you will gain many happy customers.