Most people surfing the web are so used to a procedure of clicking on a website’s main menu to access information they need, that they don’t know that, unconsciously, the way the menu is designed and placed influences their decision to “explore” the site or go on to a next site. Fortunately, most website developers Australia are aware of the influence placement of the main menu has and provide their clients with correctly designed websites.
What is a main menu on a website?
The purpose of the main menu – also called navigation bar – is to navigate web visitors to find information they are looking for on the site. It can be seen as the top layer of information on a website. By clicking on an item on the bar, a next level of information opens up, or a sub-menu appears with more choices.
The items on the navigation bar depend on the information available on the website. Web developers Australia are following the worldwide trend of placing as few as possible items on the main menu. With planned web development it is possible to arrange information in such a way that access to the information starts with very few items on the navigation bar.
Usually, they include “About Us”, “Products/Services”, “Contact Us”, and “FAQs”.
Why should the navigation bar be placed at the top of the screen?
Navigation buttons and bars can be placed in a horizontal or vertical position. The horizontal type is usually placed at the top of the website. Sometimes, a business owner has an idea of how the website of the business should look and where navigation buttons should be placed. Website development companies then have to explain to business owners the reasons why the buttons should be placed in one row at the top of the screen. These reasons include the following three important aspects:
- Maximum visibility. Anything at the top of a screen is usually the most visible on the screen, especially on mobile devices. A person looking for specific information often skips to a next site if the main menu is not seen immediately.
- Most people start reading at the top of a page. Unconsciously, most people look first at the top of a page. It is possible that if a menu is not found immediately at the top of the screen, the person can just skip the site and go to a next website.
- It is “normal” to read from left to right. With a vertical navigation bar you have to read vertically. It is believed that a person easily misses items when reading vertically instead of horizontally from left to right.
Usually, the explanation of these three aspects is enough to convince business owners that they will lose customers just because persons surfing the web looking for specific information don’t find it easy to explore the website further.
Conclusion
When an Australian business has to design or update a website, the placement of the main menu should be discussed with the website development company Australia.