A drop-down menu (sometimes called pull-down menu or list) is a graphic control element designed to help visitors find specific pages or features on your website.
Clicking or hovering on a top-level menu heading prompts a list of options to drop down. The user then navigates to the one they want — unless a poorly designed menu structure or functionality makes it too challenging for them.
Not surprisingly, many drop-downs are difficult to use. This can translate into user frustration, which can lead to a high abandonment rate. Prospects that might otherwise have become your customers will take their business elsewhere.
Let’s look at some of the pros and cons of drop-down menus, as well as some viable website navigation alternatives.
Why We Sometimes Don’t Love Drop-Down Menus
A large percentage of drop-down menus have poor design, making them annoying, confusing, and barely functional for your site visitors. They’re complicated and difficult to read or understand.
The most challenging are those menus designed with hover functionality. This means that, when a user hovers over a particular menu item, that item expands to display subcategories. However, if you lose your hover, so to speak, the menu goes away and you have to start over.
If you have multiple menu items in a drop-down, some screens don’t allow the user to see all the options. The user may try to position the menu bar at the very top of the screen so that all the drop-downs are visible once they click. Or they may simply choose to go to a competitor who has a more usable website navigation scheme.
Another disadvantage to this navigation format is that it rarely translates well to mobile platforms. And because the majority of your site visitors are probably already finding you by using a smartphone or tablet, this is a big disadvantage.
Google isn’t the biggest fan of drop-down menus either. In fact, they can be difficult for the Google web crawlers to index correctly. This could hurt you in the search engine results — significantly in some cases, depending on how your site navigation was coded (programmed).
When Drop-Down Menus Do Work Well
If they’re designed correctly, these navigation tools can be effective for getting site visitors where they want to go. They also take up very little of the precious real estate “above the fold,” or the part of the site a visitor can see on their screen without scrolling.
If you have a limited number of options, especially if you don’t have more than one tier of menu options, this approach can work well, even if you use hover functionality. You can also improve the usability of hover if you delay its deactivation. In other words, allow the menu to remain on display for a few seconds, even if the user’s mouse pointer strays.
If you make your drop-down menus clickable, you will potentially make your site visitors more comfortable — unless they can’t figure out how to make the menu go away once they’ve clicked on it.
Make sure the font style and size are clean and readable, and the background colors are different enough from the font colors. Also take care to ensure that the user does not experience a lag once they’ve clicked or hovered. Otherwise, they may click too many times in the wrong places and end up somewhere they never wanted to go — and that will send them scurrying away from your site.
Focus on clean, simple, and functional when you use drop-down menus. If you can’t achieve those objectives well, consider using an alternative navigation format.
Why Does Any of This Matter?
Drop-down menus are an important component of website navigation, and website navigation is a major component of the user experience (UX). On any site, if the UX isn’t good, you will lose business — potentially a lot of business. A good UX, however, can increase conversions by 200 percent.
The internet has become a critical part of everyday life for most people — including your prospects and customers. The conventions of browsing, researching, communicating, and buying online are virtually second nature, almost like turning on the lights or the water.
If you go into someone’s home or a hotel, you know how to turn on the lights and run the water, even if you’ve never been there before. Now imagine going into one of these places and not being able to find a light switch or not being able to figure out how to turn on the hot water.
When a prospect lands on your website for the first time, it is imperative that they recognize immediately how to turn on the water and the lights — so to speak.
That’s the essence of the user experience. A bad UX will send a prospect running to your next competitor with an intuitive, user-friendly site. And because the navigation scheme is the anchor of the UX, having intuitive, usable menus is critically important.
If you’re like most business owners, you may not know the best way to design a good UX — and that’s where an online marketing expert can help. At Upward Engine, great website architecture and design are only a part of what we do, but these elements are critical to your overall online marketing effort.
You can spend your entire marketing budget on search engine optimization (SEO), search engine marketing (SEM), and content marketing, with the goal of increasing traffic to your website. But all the traffic in the world won’t provide any benefit if visitors can’t find what they need once they land on your site.
Alternatives to Drop-Down Menus (And How to Choose the Right One)
There are many ways to guide visitors through your website. Here are a few popular alternatives:
Sidebar Menus: While less common now, sidebars can provide clear, persistent navigation. Consider a collapsible or fly-out sidebar for a less intrusive option.
Scrolling Panels: A long, scrolling homepage can be effective for businesses with limited navigation needs, particularly for local service providers.
Card-Based Navigation: This visually appealing approach uses cards (or tiles) to link to different sections of your website. It’s highly adaptable and mobile-friendly.
Mega Menus: For large e-commerce sites with extensive product categories, mega menus can be a good option. However, they must be well-designed to avoid overwhelming users.
Footer Navigation: A well-organized footer with key links can improve usability and SEO.
The best alternative will depend on your business model, website structure, and target audience. Consider:
- The number of pages on your website.
- The complexity of your information architecture.
- Your target audience’s preferences and technical expertise.
Why Website Navigation Matters (And How Upward Engine Can Help)
Your website’s navigation is the foundation of the user experience (UX). A positive UX leads to increased engagement, higher conversion rates, and improved brand loyalty. In fact, according to a study published by Forrester Research, a good UX can increase conversions by up to 200%!
Think of it like this: When a prospect lands on your website for the first time, they need to instantly understand how to find what they’re looking for. A confusing or frustrating navigation experience will send them running to your competitors.
This is where Upward Engine comes in. We understand the importance of intuitive website design and seamless navigation. We can help you:
- Analyze your existing website structure.
- Identify areas for improvement in your navigation.
- Recommend the best navigation solutions for your business.
- Implement those solutions with a focus on user experience and SEO.
Upward Engine can also help you optimize your website for mobile devices, ensuring a consistent and user-friendly experience across all platforms. Don’t let poor website navigation hold your business back. Contact Upward Engine today for a free consultation. Let’s work together to create a website that delights your visitors and drives results.