With the many websites on different topics all over the Internet, website usability becomes quite important. Just what website should you go with when you are faced with so many choices? It would make sense to go with the website that is easy to use, right? Thus, navigation can really improve the usability of your website.

What is usability and how does it affect the performance of my website?

Usability actually pertains to how easy a website is to use, in terms of navigation and its features. It can also refer to the overall design and layout of the website, its features, links, and such, in an organized design for the effective presentation of information to Internet users. If your website is not “usable” in terms of convenience, then users would not be interested in visiting your site, let alone reading the information that you have to offer them.

Why has the issue of usability become so important on the web?

It is a sad reality that there are so many disabled people all over the world. However, just because these people have disabilities does not mean they can no longer use the Internet to its fullest. This is precisely why websites are designed to be more usable, to cater to the needs of both the able-bodied and the disabled.

What can I do to make my website more usable?

There are several factors at play in making a website usable. These are:

• Accessibility
• Content quality
• Readability
• Overall presentation
• Navigation

Of the five, navigation is the most important factor at play. In fact, by making navigation easy for your website, you can easily make your website ten times more usable than it was before making the necessary changes to its layout and design.

What specific tips can help me make navigating my website easier and more convenient?

• Avoid using irrelevant links. Although your original intentions are good, placing so many links on your site would just end up confusing your visitors. Having too many links on your site would just make navigation harder, especially for the visitors who are not too savvy with the computer and the Internet. Thus, do away with the unnecessary links and just stick with the relevant ones.
• Use standard icons in establishing your links to your pages. Yes, standard icons might be a bit boring and random icons might make your website more interesting. However, random icons would just confuse your visitors all the more. For instance, the standard icon that leads to the homepage of a website is the house. A dog-shaped icon would be too ambiguous if you want this for your homepage. Thus, stick with standard icons.
• Provide a sitemap for your visitors. This way, you can give a skeletal structure of your website and its pages, making navigation easier.
• Use breadcrumbs. These are links to major pages of your website. Make sure to have breadcrumbs on your site for easy access to the webpages that hold relevant information on your site.
• Do no bury your information. It is really irritating when you have to click on so many links prior to accessing the information you really need. Make sure all information is available in just three clicks.

These are great tips to keep in mind as a web designer. Remember that the utmost comfort of your visitors is needed in making your website more usable.

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