E-commerce Website Navigation- 5 Common Errors to Avoid for Better Onpage SEO

SEO for e-Commerce websites related to Navigation- 5 Tips for better Web designing for any website that deals with online shopping 

It’s not a secret that every website of a company has four main objectives: to raise loyalty to the brand, increase traffic, decrease the number of failures, increase conversion metrics or sales! Much depends on how comfortable people feel using your site. Therefore, we will focus on what site navigation makes and creates a "cozy atmosphere". To be exact - the most common mistakes that are made during its design.

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Website Navigation Errors and their impact on Onpage SEO

Error №1: Unusual customized style

Historically, users have come to see the site navigation at the top or left side of the page, so do not force them to wander around the site in order to find it, as these games of hide and seek may not please them. 



This would adversely affect the conversion rates and increase the percentage of failures. Here you can ask about the creativity. Yes, in site/page design creative approach are always welcome. But the website navigation is clearly not the case where you should give a free rein to imagination. 



These experiments distract the attention of users, who will be forced to study a new style of navigation, but not the main content of the resource.

Error №2: Universal menu labels

Another golden rule of how to make site navigation clear - the labels of navigation buttons should be informative. For example, menu items such as "Goods" or "Services" are common to all companies, and similar names say not much to users. Here is another example: "What we do" - the same faceless phrase.

In this case, how to improve navigation of the site? Try to pick the most accurate labels for each icon of the menu, and you will see how they talk with users. Visitors come to your site to find the answer to their questions, so do not shy away from them by formulaic phrases and words. 


Your customers are not looking for abstract "Goods" or "Services", and navigation with these icons will not affect the promotion of your site in the SERPs.

If you have this problem - it's the right time to correct it! Site menu and its structure have to be optimized for the search engines and to speak in plain language with the target audience. 


Only you know about your products, so choose “Pool equipment”, “Headwear” or “Wellness products” instead of simple “Goods”.

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Error №3: Drop-down menu

Drop-down menu as part of the navigation has become extremely popular, but there are two significant reasons why it should be approached with extreme caution.

Many of you had to catch the pop-up menu literally. One awkward movement - and it runs away from you. And here you are again looking for click on the button, and then - surprise! Another list of options. These catch-up is terribly annoying! Think about it, maybe you should not stress once again your potential clients needlessly?

Another reason for the refusal of a drop-down menu: low attendance of the following pages, or the depth of view. If you have a problem of low attendance of top-level pages, it is possible that the reason lies in the use of drop-down menu. 


But there are always exceptions to the rules. In this case, there are exceptions for large sites with multiple partitions, as here the drop-down menu improves site usability.

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Error №4: Large number of menu items

It was a very common practice in the past. But do not adhere to this tradition today with no pressing need, because sometimes even 8 points are too many. Try to limit them and use no more than 5. The less minor items you have, the more likely people won’t stumble upon them and will focus on the most important pages.

This also works for all site content, not only for its’ navigation. Each deleted element makes another more visible. Short navigation is also important for SEO (Search Engine Optimization). 



Since most users will get a link to the home page and not to the internal pages of the site, so becomes more "authoritative" for search engines. When your Homepage is full of navigation links, internal pages of the site become more valuable.

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Error №5: Inappropriate location of menu items

Research in the field of psychology has shown that it’s easier to remember the first and last elements of any of the list, rather than the elements in the middle. A similar effect occurs with users. 


Attention is considerably higher at the top (the effect of primary) and at the end (the novelty effect). That is why the right way is to place the most important points at the beginning of navigation and secondary points in the center. 


The menu item "Contact" should be placed at the end of the top navigation in the far right corner.

Mistakes that are made in the site navigation can cost a lot for their owners. Therefore, the menu items of the resource should be maximum informative, and their number should not exceed 5. 


The most important ones should be at the top of the list, the secondary - in the middle. Avoid drop-down menu, and do not slide it to the unusual place for the user (the top of the page and the left sidebar). 


Follow the recommendations of this article and be sure that the site analytics will please you soon.