Navigation Tips For Massive Sites
If you're running a small mom and pop shop, a cheap hosting site and regular navigation of that site will do. For some sites, though, navigation can get tricky. Massive organizations seeking to set up many pages and complex sites will need to figure out navigation solutions to help visitors get around that site.
This is where it gets sticky. If you're building a huge site that needs some clever navigation features, you're going to need a bit of help. Alas, help has arrived! Check out these navigation tips for big sites below.
Why Regular Navigation Can't Deal With Big Sites
When navigation becomes too big, something happens: more screen space is given to navigation than content. You don't want that. It's also possible that some pages may not show up at all. Again, not an optimal situation. You don't want readers to wind up lost and confused somewhere in your massive site. What can you do? There are a few options.
Navigation Tips For Massive Sites: Chop Up Your Site
Consider splitting your massive site into many smaller sites. If you run a publishing company or other news company, you can easily do this by splitting your site into smaller sites based on news categories. Or, you can find a ways to split up the content on your site in a logical way – just make sure it all comes together somehow.
Sub-sites should be different enough for users to simply navigate, but they should also relate to the main site in some manner. This is a tough balance to achieve, but it can be done, and it is often done by large news outfits. Not into sub-sites? There's another way to get around navigation issues.
Let Your Content Link
Another approach is to link content through content. Sound confusing? Imagine this: place a link to additional content on a main page. This way, users can navigate through a site simply. What happens if users get too far into a site and want to move backwards? Use an approach called the “breadcrumb” approach. Leave little links on each page that move back to the original page, so that users can simply find their way back.
Navigation Tips For Massive Sites: What Not to Do
If you are running a massive site (think: World Wildlife Federation proportions), don't let your users get lost in navigation. It's an easy mistake to make, but a great designer can help you figure it out. Or, go it alone by using the tips in this article, and asking us if you have any questions.