Navigation and Site Structure
Navigation is the number two interface with your reader. Your visitors should never have to ask "where am I?" or "where can I go from here?"

Navigation, no matter how deep or broad the site, should be simple and easy to use. Lost visitors leave. Don't lose them to your competition.

The biggest part of navigation is planning. Imagine a city planners placing roads in no particular order. Certain buildings might be cut off from the rest of the city.

When planning your site, organize your message and your content into logical categories. Place all similar items together. Do not force your reader to guess the theme of that section of the site. It should be abundantly clear.

If every city's department of transportation used different road signs or colors, turning at the right intersection could be difficult. Most DOT's use the same road signs, even from state to state. So should a Web site. Use common navigational signals that your visitors will be comfortable using.

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