People use Web sites, not the other way around. We all have the goal of conversion, whether it's a sale or a lead. But most business owners tend to forget that the best chance they have to accomplish this lies in getting out of the way.

A well-structured navigation system goes unnoticed by users. It allows people to find information effortlessly. The labeling, layout and relationships among content is intuitive, anticipating what users want and allowing them to find it quickly. The goal is to get out of the users way and allow for comfortable and confident exploration.

Natural Progression
Remember that you're designing navigation for your prospects and customers, not for yourself. What makes perfect sense to you might be unfamiliar to your end-users. The best way to know what your audience expects is to get their input.  Then, organize your Web site content in a natural progression toward conversion by reflecting the thinking and needs of your customer base.

For example, your main navigation might serve to answer a progressive series of the most pertinent questions your prospect will have, ending in a call to action, such as "get started."

Resist Cuteness
Efficiency does not mix with loading, rotating animated navigation. Don't make your users wait for main topics of interest to appear. Don't make them hunt for it. The place to flare creatively is in areas of your Web site that users actually care about. Navigation is a means to an end. Main topics should be static and consistent. They should allow people to skim through choices and find what they're looking for quickly. Even the slightest movement can make this process cumbersome. It's best to clearly feature main topics and organize sub-topics intuitively by logic and use.

Label for Clarity and Specificity
What determines where users are led and how they interact with your Web site is navigational labels. They should be easy to understand and specific. Meaningless words get skipped over in favor of informative and distinct terms.  Vague words like discover, learn and the overused, abused click here, announce unpredictable information and create confusion. Specific and explicit category labels, such as articles, advice and tools help eliminate confusion and get users to what they're looking for quickly.

Control Your Lists
Vertical dropdown menus and multi-level menus are widely accepted and understood. However, keep in mind that less is more. Too many nested levels in a menu make it difficult to operate. If you have more than two levels to display, it's better to add further sub-navigation in a side menu on the category page in basic hyperlink format. This will allow more room for descriptions, allowing users to differentiate between choices.

Funnel to Conversion
Reserve the links on your home page for the highest priority operations of your Web site. Avoid using long lists and multiple levels in the home page navigation. Know your audience, plan out the tasks that are most important to them, and present direct links to these areas of your Web site from your home page. Keep it uncluttered and restricted to no more than three to five links on any individual area of your home page. And make these links progressively address the top questions your prospects will have, ending in a call to action, essentially creating a funnel to conversion.

Overall, your navigation system should be designed for your prospect with the goal of staying out of their way and serving them precisely what they need. The best navigation systems are simply not noticed by users because they function well rather than call attention to themselves. Enhancing the user experience and engaging prospects in topics that interest them will lead them quickly down a path toward conversion.