Where to Put Your Navigation Menu

The navigation menu can be a tricky thing, especially when you are trying to figure out the best spot for it. Take this site for example. It has two different locations, the top header navigation menu, and the one on the left. Is this a good idea, bad idea, or does it really matter?

Having an easy method to navigate a site is always important because it helps your visitor get results quicker. Studies have shown that the ideal spot is to have all of your menu items grouped together on the left, and have it consistently there throughout the site. If you have multiple menus, and want to separate them you should know how. The best method is to have the primary navigation as its own menu, and then begin to group the rest in a second menu. This way visitors will quickly understand where the primary content is, versus the secondary, or tertiary. Keep it simple, keep it consistent. This sites primary menu is in the top header followed with the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th items grouped on the left.

Picking the location is really up to you, but remember that most visitors to your site spend more time on other sites. What does that mean to you? They are used to navigation being set up a certain way, and it’s typically on the left.