The first immutable law of workable navigation: Its gotta be readily available.

Visitors should not have to hunt for your navigation or wonder where to find it. If youve done your job right, it will be right there when they are ready for it.

The struggle in making great navigation is to figure out what type of navigation the visitor is going to absolutely need, when he is going to absolutely need it, and where the most efficient placement will be.

Basically, you have to anticipate your visitors needs and have a solution ready.

Here are four key areas where you may squeeze out the most effectiveness:

1. Global navigation.

Global navigation is a set of links to all the main areas of your website that is available on every page of the page in the same place. Global navigation is a must-have, because it gives
visitors ready access to the key areas on your web page .

If you dont have this type of navigation, visitors tend to get lost. They lose their ability to easily move around between the main sections.

When you utilize global navigation, visitors develop a sense of familiarity with your page because the page is consistent. When they need to find something, they understand right where to
look for it.

Global navigation should be across the top of the page or down the left side, since these two places are where visitors will look first.

Also, its crucial that global navigation be in the first fold of the page. This means it needs to be visible in the first window the visitor sees before they scroll down. Since these options represent the most crucial sections of your website , its imperative that visitors see them immediately. Never put your
main navigation below the fold.

2. Spotlighted navigation.

On many sites, there are a few navigation options that get the spotlight in the center of the main page. The concept is sizeably workable--hook visitors with the key areas right up front.

However, many all the people completely miss the boat because they focus on the wrong links. Frequently, they link to the company history or the mission statement.

Wrong focus. Visitors dont care.

You have to concentrate on whats important to your reader and what they want to see. What are the most important places visitors are likely to go on your site? Which pages are really
crucial? Put those things front and center.

As with global navigation, all spotlighted links should also be above the fold. This point might seem obvious, but Ive seen quite a few sites recently that almost hide the important
links. They are buried too far down in the page .

One site in particular placed the two most important links at the bottom of the page, completely out of page . Big mistake: visitors just will not see them.

Although navigation usually shouldnt be the primary focus of your page (that honor belongs to content), it should be given a prime position.

3. Contextual navigation.

Contextual navigation refers to links that give more info about something specific the visitor is trying to do.

On every page of your web site, you will have to anticipate the questions a visitor is going to have. Figure out what kind of additional data they might need. Then provide links to
that understanding at the precise place that they will have the question.

One grand rule is that any instant you refer to information on another page of your web site or on a third partys page , link directly to that info. Dont build them hunt and peck trying to
find it for themselves. Make it readily available.

4. Bottom-of-the-page navigation.

Whenever the visitor gets to the end of a page, they are left hanging. They have finished whatever it is they were working on, and now they positive need somewhere else to go.

This is a critical moment, because it is terribly easy for a visitor to leave if you dont give them somewhere to go. It is your responsibility to point them in the right command .

Never, never, never leave visitors without suggestions at the bottom of a page.

If possible, you should try to decide on 1-3 places that the visitor is probably to want to go next. Think about your most important goals for them. Then guide them in that command .

Always contruct sure there is at least one hyperlink at the bottom of a page.

You must contruct it effortless for visitors to do what you want them to do. Always inquire of yourself