When a website owner wishes to keep Internet users surfing their site, they must provide them with easy-to-use navigation options. If the navigation is hard to use or follow, then a website visitor will not linger on a site. Navigation is an important aspect of a website because this allows a visitor to view the different components of a website.

Menus
The menus that are displayed on the web pages should be the same throughout so that web users will easily recognize them and be able to use them quickly. Larger websites may require additional links on the homepage that are connected to important web pages, where a visitor may find more navigation links. It is suggested that the home page should not be more than a few clicks away from any one page.

Type of Menus
The most commonly chosen menus are also the ones that are not the most compatible with the majority of web browsers. DHTML and Java script menus are quite popular with webmasters, but without a test on a variety of web browsers, the effectiveness and compatibility is not guaranteed.

Correct Navigation
In regards to navigation, there is nothing worse than a site that presents confusing or incorrect links. When a visitor clicks on a specific button, they should be directed to the correct page. For example, pages connected to buttons marked “Contact Us” should provide contact information and not direct the user to the last page they viewed. It is important to check whether or not all buttons are correctly linked. Another site requirement is to link all pages back to the homepage; it should always be the first link a user will encounter on every page.

Images
When dealing with images, ALT text tags should be attached to them so that Internet surfers will be able to gain information on the graphic before it appears on the screen. This is also helpful when an image is distorted or loading too slow. When creating these text tags, a webmaster will find a great opportunity to include a few SEO tactics.

Site Map
When a webmaster provides a site map for their users, they are essentially increasing the effectiveness and ease of site navigation. It is an index of available web pages that the website has to offer and allows the visitors to find them without any hassle. Larger sites require a site map that is broken down into a variety of sections to decrease loading time.

Basically, navigation through a website should be quick, easy and organized. This will encourage users to return to the site to obtain the information, services or products that they are in search for.

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