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Well-designed navigation structure for better orientation in the online shop
If a website user is looking for a specific subpage, you should help them out with a well-thought-out navigation structure and offer guidance. Because if they can't find what they're looking for in your shop, they'll move on to your competitors. In this article, you'll learn why good navigation is crucial in an online shop, what the optimal navigation structure for your website looks like, and what types you can use.
Here'swhatyou can expect to find in this blog article:
Definition: What is a navigation structure?
Why is the navigation structure so important in e-commerce?
Positioning on the website: The most important types of navigation
Horizontal navigation bar
Vertical navigation bar
Horizontal footer navigation
How should the navigation structure be designed?
Six tips for a well-designed navigation structure
Conclusion: Create a well-thought-out navigation structure for better orientation
Frequently asked questions about the navigation structure in the online shop
Definition: What is a navigation structure?
The navigation structure of your website or shop is a bar that guides visitors to the desired subpage or landing page. It displays at least the main categories of your online shop, but is usually further subdivided into subcategories.
The navigation structure is visible on every subpage of the website and is always identical. This provides your visitors with a secure framework for using the site.
Why is the navigation structure so important in e-commerce?
Visitors who arrive at the desired landing page via search engines or use the shop's onsite search function require little additional assistance with navigation. However, the situation is different for users who want to click their way through the site first. They need well-designed user guidance in the online shop to help them quickly find what they are looking for.
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If you are unable to create an intelligent navigation structure, searching for a specific subpage can be frustrating for users. Visitors will leave your shop, and your bounce rate will increase. Well-structured and intuitive navigation in your online shop is therefore crucial for reducing your bounce rate.
Tip: Learn how you can further reduce your bounce rate in our guide to lowering bounce rates in online shops.
Positioning on the website: The most important types of navigation
The navigation should meet the expectations (and habits) of your visitors. Based on this, you can place the navigation structure in three different positions on the website:
Horizontal navigation bar
Traditionally structured online shops display their navigation above the actual content. This is because many internet users are accustomed to this type of navigation bar. It is always visible, yet remains compact and discreet in the background.
However, the horizontal navigation concept has one disadvantage: due to the limited width of the screen, you cannot display an unlimited number of subcategories. It is also difficult to display on mobile devices with a vertical display orientation.
Two examples of horizontal navigation structures:
- Mega menu: The mega menu displays the entire navigation structure of the online shop in a single view. It is clearly arranged, but also takes up a lot of space.
- Tap icon menu: This compact navigation feature is graphically designed with icons and opens when the visitor clicks on the symbols.
Fackelmann uses a horizontal navigation structure in its online shop to provide a good overview of all categories.
(Source: Screenshot from fackelmann.de)
Vertical navigation bar
Vertical navigation structures are rapidly becoming more prevalent as more users utilize mobile devices with vertical displays. The website menu is typically located to the left or right of the content and can generally be expanded as desired. However, ensure that it remains manageable in size, otherwise users will have to scroll excessively.
The advantage here is that you can use the entire height of the website for your content. However, the visible area of your online shop will be significantly restricted.
Three examples of vertical navigation structures:
- Burger menu (hamburger menu): You can recognize the hamburger menu by three lines arranged one above the other, which you can click to open it—when closed, the individual menu items are not visible.
- Dropdown menu / Off-canvas menu: Clicking on the corresponding arrow or button causes a menu to slide into view like a slider, opening up further navigation options. It appears either from the left side (off-canvas) or from top to bottom (dropdown).
- Multi-level menu: With this hybrid form, a vertical bar with the product categories is permanently visible, and clicking on one of the main categories opens a drop-down menu with the subcategories.
When a customer clicks on the burger menu in Alternate's online shop, the vertical navigation structure opens with all shop categories.
(Source: Screenshot from alternate.de)
Tip: Faceted navigation provides additional user guidance in addition to classic menus. Faceted navigation offers a variety of filter options on a category or search results page according to various desired characteristics. With the help of these, shop customers can narrow down their product selection with just a few clicks. The filters offered can be customized from category to category or depending on the search query, so that customers only ever see relevant filter options.
Horizontal footer navigation
Footer navigation is generally not suitable as the main navigation. However, it has become a standard feature of a well-structured website. Visitors can quickly find the most important links here. In an online shop, these could include the most frequently requested product categories, information on shipping and returns, or a link to the FAQ.
In the footer navigation at A-Z Gartenhaus, customers can find all the important links to further information, such as brands, shipping, or FAQs.
(Source: Screenshot from gartenhaus-gmbh.de)
How should the navigation structure be designed?
Are you wondering in which order you should display the individual categories in the navigation structure? There are several approaches to choose from:
- Object-based: In online shops, the navigation structure usually reflects the product range, i.e., it is based on the items being sold.
- Action-based: Focus on your visitors' surfing behavior. What do they want to know first when they reach your site?
- Target group-based: Represent your target groups in the main navigation and subdivide them into subcategories according to their respective needs (e.g., division into women, men, and children).
- SEO-based: Orient yourself to the crawl behavior of search engines. Arrange the elements so that the most important subpages are easily accessible. But always keep the needs of the users in mind.
- Personalized: Tailor the navigation structure to your customers' individual preferences and display the categories that are of particular interest to each shop visitor first. This allows every customer to quickly access their favorite categories.
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Six tips for a well-designed navigation structure
Want to create a navigation structure that perfectly guides your visitors? These six tips will help you do just that:
- Consistency: Wherever you place the navigation structure, it is crucial that it looks the same on every subpage and does not change either visually or in its positioning. There are two options for the content: Either you leave it unchanged or, as already described, you also have the option of personalizing the order of the categories within the navigation structure. Since this can vary in usefulness from shop to shop, it is advisable to ensure success with the help of A/B testing.
Example: A pregnant woman frequently visits the "Maternity Wear" category in your online clothing store. If this is recognized, you can display this category at the top of the page for your shop customer, giving her a kind of "quick access" to her currently preferred category. If her interests change (in our example, because the child has been born) and the customer now increasingly visits the "baby clothing" category, this category can now be displayed at the top. This means that the navigation structure can always be adapted to the customer's current needs with the help of personalization.
- Mobile first: Your navigation structure should be responsive, meaning it should be displayable on mobile devices as well as on desktop computers. When designing, keep in mind that smartphone users have to operate the navigation with their fingers.
- Breadcrumbs: Display the menu path on the subpages to help users find their way around. Visually highlight the category they are currently in.
- Overview: Choose the appearance and structure of the main navigation so that visitors can immediately get an overview of the offering or product range.
- Structure: Create categories and subcategories in a logical order. Ensure that the labels for the entries are meaningful and, ideally, search engine optimized, using words that are not too long. Avoid too many deeply nested levels.
- Seven plus or minus rule: Decades ago, American psychologist George Armitage Miller discovered that the human brain can only process around seven items (plus or minus two items) at the same time.¹ Therefore, don't overload the menu so as not to overwhelm your visitor's attention span.
Conclusion: A well-designed navigation structure is user-centered.
If you want to offer your visitors the best possible customer journey and reduce your bounce rate, you should ensure that you have a sensible navigation structure. Choose the type of navigation that suits your shop, place it in line with the expectations of your shop visitors, and tailor it consistently to their needs. With navigation tailored to the user, you can provide orientation and keep your customers in your shop.
Source: ¹t3n
Frequently asked questions about the navigation structure in the online shop
The three-click rule is a recommendation for navigation design. It states that users should be able to access all content from the home page with a maximum of three clicks.
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Sarah Birk
Online Marketing Manager - Content & SEO Sarah works as Online Marketing Manager – Content & SEO at Epoq and is responsible for the content area. Her responsibilities range from content planning and conception to analysis and optimization of various content formats, taking important SEO aspects into account.
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