Website design. Main types of site navigation system

A site navigation system is an important part of design of any site. In this article we will describe the main kinds of website navigation.

Any site navigation system may belong to one of the following types:

• According to the functions performed by the site navigation system all systems split into:
  • language selection – language site navigation. If your site is multilingual and has several language versions, this kind of site navigation system allows the visitors to select one of the languages;
  • main important sections of the site or its pages are located in the main navigation of the site (for example, in the main menu);
  • global website navigation includes links to the pages which are to be available from any page of the site. To such links we usually refer links to the main page, contact information, information about the site etc;
  • to attract the visitors' attention to particular pages of the site (for example, pages that contain detailed information about the advertised products or services) web developers use the so-called advertising website navigation;
  • to help the visitors to navigate through the section, categories or pages devoted to the same subject web developers use thematic navigation;
  • to provide the visitors with the opportunity of direct transfer from the page they are viewing to another page which is mentioned in the text of this page web developers use navigation in the text of the site;
  • indicating (inquiry) site navigation allows the visitors to determine his current location at the site;
  • if a site is divided into several parts according to the geographical criterion (for example, each section of the site is devoted to a separate country) web developers use geographic site navigation system to provide the visitors with easy-to-use navigation.
• According to the visual design all navigation systems split into:
  • text: textual site navigation is the oldest type of website navigation; it is used mainly for navigation through the text, sometimes for some other functions;
  • graphics: graphic navigation is the most popular and is used for all functional kinds of website navigation;
  • HTML forms: this kind of navigation allows to save place due to “opening” elements; in this kind of navigation DHTML visual effects are used quite often;
  • Java and Flash technologies: this type of navigation allows to set any response to the user's actions (cursor hovering, click on the mouse button or use of the hotkeys).

Thus a site navigation system may include various types of navigation which differ in functions and visual design. WebStudio2U will help you to choose the most appropriate and convenient site navigation system for your website.

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site navigation system, site navigation, website navigation, types of navigation, kinds of navigation, language navigation, global navigation