Navigation exists to help visitors find what they need—not to show everything you offer. Your job is clarity, not overwhelm. This guide covers how to structure menus and user flow.

Priority pages

For service businesses, typical top-level links:

  • Home
  • About
  • Services (dropdown)
  • Projects or portfolio (if used)
  • Resources or blog (if used)
  • Contact

For ecommerce:

  • Shop (dropdown)
  • About
  • Blog or resources (if used)
  • Help or FAQs
  • Cart and account

See What pages your website needs.

Keep top-level minimal

3–6 top-level links works. More than that overwhelms. Use dropdowns for related items.

Service dropdown example

  • Web design
  • WordPress development
  • Shopify development
  • Website improvement
  • Website audits
  • Care plans

Resources dropdown example

  • Domains
  • Hosting
  • Content

Dropdowns keep navigation clean while offering deeper access. Group services, products, or resources by theme.

User flow

Different visitors follow different paths.

High-intent (ready to act): Homepage → Service page → Contact

Researcher: Homepage → About → Service → Resources → Contact

Ecommerce: Homepage or ad → Category → Product → Cart → Checkout

Navigation should support all major flows with minimal steps.

Navigation lives in the menu and in content. Link to related pages, services, and hubs inside paragraphs and lists. Contextual links help both visitors and search engines.

Footer typically includes:

  • Key service links
  • Contact
  • Legal (privacy, terms, cookies)
  • Social links

Keep it consistent with the main menu. No surprises.

Clarity rule

If a visitor can’t find what they want in a few seconds, refine the structure. Clear navigation reduces friction. Friction reduces conversion.

Start with a website audit →

Need help with content structure or strategy? Get in touch →