Traditional Web site organization is like a pyramid: the Home Page is the top point of entry, and the Home Page links to the next level down (main category navigation), and each main category page links to the next level down, and so on depending on how deep the site is. And the granularity of the information tends to follow: broad and basic on the Home Page, more focused on the next level, and focused and detailed at the content page level.
This is fine, on a basic level. And if your Web site is badly organized, stop reading now and go reorganize your site into a pyramid.
Still with me? Okay. The problem with the pyramid is: it assumes that every user will enter the site at the Home Page and that she will 1) consider the main nav, 2) choose a subcategory, then 3) choose the appropriate content page and arrive happily at her destination.
Real life, as they say, is messy.
Search engines can link to any page on your site and will dump people deep into your site — where they’ve missed all the basics. Other site links and user-set bookmarks can also drop people into your site at any point. Do you really want these visitors left unserved?
Sometimes, users do it themselves: many users don’t read very carefully on top-level site pages, instead pouncing on the first promising-looking link they find, and maybe doing it again on subsequent pages. I know I’ve drilled myself pretty deep into sites, only to realize that I missed something and have to back up and slow down. I’m sure I gave up on some sites and moved on, when maybe what I was looking for was available, but not noticed.
And, of course, sometimes you jump your own pyramid. Highlighting a seasonal service, for example, might involve linking from the Home Page directly to a detail page, bypassing subnav pages.
For these reasons, good navigation and site branding is crucial. On any page in your site, you cannot assume that all (or even most) of the site visitors have seen anything that came before it. Breadcrumbs (you are here) and Related Info cross-links can also help. And if any pages are part of a specific linear flow (such as an article that spans four pages) be sure there’s clear feedback showing which page is which and how to move around within that cluster of related pages.
Here’s an exercise: bring up any page on your site and ask yourself: if I’m visiting the site for the first time and this is the first/only page I see, do I:
- know what the company/organization is and what they do?
- know basically where I am within the site and how to move around within the site?
- know what else might be here that’s of interest to me?
There’s more on this coming in Part Two.