Blogging Sueblimely

The quick answer to why we need good navigation on our blogs is “useability” but as that term could refer to how easy it is to use your mp3 player or washing machine I should expand on this.

If we consider where we want our readers to go, after they have read the page they are currently on, the answer will usually be “Somewhere else on my site”.

Unfortunately menu bars and sidebar menus can become littered not only with too many hard to find links but with too many external links in the wrong places. Your navigation needs a purpose, a planned direction, a guidance system.

Consider:

Where can your visitors go to on your blog?

• Post pages so that they are more likely to leave a comment.
• “Read more” type post pages where you are not displaying full posts. (to hopefully leave a comment)
• Recent Posts so that regular readers can catch up on what they have missed (to hopefully leave a comment)
• Archives (to…. I think you get the drift)
• Popular Posts - if you have that feature installed.
• Back to the home page
• An about page (except on Blogger where I suggest you create an “about me” post and link to that as an about page rather than to the default Blogger profile - then readers stay on your site.)
• To a contact form or email link to send you a personal message.
• To posts found with an internal blog search.
• Your turn to suggest more please.

Apart from your site there are other places you may wish your visitors to go ( I am not counting those that leave rude comments or spam - where you may wish them to go is probably not to another webpage!)

• To a subscription page after clicking a Feed button.
• To a social media site to favorite, fave, add, digg, stumble or bump you to give some kudos and link love.

• To visit your blogging friends via a blogroll, as hopefully their blogroll will also be leading readers to you.

Tuesdays Menu:

How easily can they find their way there?

Comments this way:

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