Use C Navigation for Your Visitors

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Imagine being a customer at a large department store. Unless there is a map right at the entry to help you locate the items that you are looking for, it is likely that you may actually leave the store without purchasing anything. An e-commerce web site is no different from this. The home page of a commercial site must provide a navigational map to the visitors so as to facilitate them in locating the items that they desire. One type of map is referred to as C navigation.

To understand why you should use C navigation, you need to understand:

• What are the disadvantages of a site offering poor navigation?
  
• What strategies C navigation uses.
  
• Why C navigation is crucial to the success of a website.

Disadvantages of a poorly-designed website

Statistics show that over 93% of all websites have enough traffic coming in; the problem lies in the low rate of conversion. More often than not, it is the home page of a website that plays a decisive role in whether the visitor is going to stay for a while, or leave without having a look at what the site has to offer. It is therefore no wonder that several sites that investigate their low conversion rates find that the problem lies in the design of the home page.

While several manufacturers invest heavily in the product creation, advertising, feedback, customer service, and so forth, all of this can be futile if the prospect is unable to locate these items with ease on the web site. In fact, there are several serious issues that can arise due to poor site navigation. Understanding these issues helps you move toward eradicating them.

Confused prospect - A website landing page that is not well designed is bound to bewilder the visitor. A visitor who is investing energy in finding the whereabouts of the other link pages on the site is unlikely to give the product its due attention. So obviously a bewildered prospect is not good for the conversion rate.

Reputation of the product - A site that is confusing and complex does not reflect well on the site owners, and subsequently on the product. The website of a product is the first interaction that the prospect has with the product. As the old age adage goes, "first impressions are the last impressions" and therefore, it is very important that the site comes across as well organized. A site that lacks clear navigation will leave the prospect thinking that the product is also as complicated and complex as its website.

Next: Serious Navigation Issues continued >>
 

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