The menu navigation on your dental websites helps visitors find content. It should be simple and intuitive. Otherwise, some of your visitors may end up leaving the website. Those who cannot find the content easily and without much fanfare would more often go to another site that is easy to navigate.
Create a sitemap
The most important thing about creating the navigational capabilities of your website is to build a sitemap. Start from the top—the most important information your website is offering down to the tiniest content that your visitors can have access to.
Figure out the features of the website and the order of hierarchy of the content that you are planning to make. List these down on a spreadsheet or make a diagram that will show the “map” of the website’s content.
Use friendly language
Sometimes, it can be tempting to use creative words to label your dental websites’ menu. Don’t succumb to the temptation. The most important thing about your website is clarity.
Not everyone will get your humor but clear and concise labels will help visitors get to where they want to go. When writing the labels and the captions, think about the users and how they would interpret or understand the context of the words you use.
Use web conventions
Conventions exist because they are based on ideas that actually work. Take, for example, the hamburger menu. So many web designers make the mistake of reinventing the hamburger menu on dental websites because they want the site to be avant-garde and a step ahead of others. But dental websites are not in competition for the best web design.
They need to be practical and the information easy to find. Otherwise, people won’t know where to book an appointment or find the clinic hours. Use conventional methods when necessary and only think outside the box when the website’s character demands it.
Optimize the site for mobile devices
Your dental websites need to be responsive. Responsive design is considered to be one of the best ways to make your website look great on any device—from computers to mobile phones. This is not a trend anymore. It is a rule.
Your website needs to look the same no matter which device the visitor uses. Without a responsive design, your website will “spill” over and those looking at it on a computer or smartphone won’t know how to navigate through it.