Navigation Tricks

Some Free Advice!

One of the most important steps you must take in setting up a web site is to provide people with an easy and consistant method of getting around. For each method and example that is presented, the benefits and drawbacks of each will be explained.

The best advice we can give you is that you try and make it as easy as possible for a person to stay in your site. Being overly creative in this aspect of web design will most likely not work to your advantage.

The navigation method on your site is much like the controls of a car. Think about how clever it would be to switch the gas and break pedals. Allow people to concentrate on your content- not your controls.

The Traditional Icon Navigation Bar

This is the a method that we prefer to use, typically we will use this on all of our pages in one form or another. I feel that it is superior to image maps and JAVA for a few reasons:

Low maintainence.
Everybody pretty much can figure out what they mean.
By using the ALT description- it works great with text based browsers.
It is very easy to add new choices or eliminate obsolete ones.
Does not require JAVA, ACTIVE-X, and even loads faster than a typical image map.

Here is an example of the typical navigation bar:

Look familiar? Nice, Simple, familiar icons.

DON'T FORGET TO:

Use the ALT description
Set the HEIGHT and WIDTH values

Example

Source code

ASP : SSI Another Way
This is another SSI tutorial written by a friend, it shows another way of looking at SSI and also shows you some new tricks and tips.
Server Side Includes
This very helpful tutorial makes it much easier to make changes throughout your entire website. It is easy to follow and has plenty of code.
Top 10 AdSense Tricks to Boost Your Commission
This very interesting article gives the best information on ways to improve your income by using Google AdSense. The author shares expert knowledge, some from trial-and-error, on the best way to place your ads for income.
Google Tells You How To Get Top Search Engine Rankings
Did you know that the Google search engine actually tells you how to get a top search engine ranking? Everyone thinks its a mysterious secret. However, it actually isnt all that mysterious at all.
Navigation Using Switch
A safer, manual way of navigation using PHP
Good Website Navigation
Website Navigation is defined as the science and skill applied to a web site that helps visitors move from one page to another. A good website navigation system is imperative for a successful and accessible website design.
Four Free E-mail Tools
I like to find the occasional good deal as it comes to E-mail tools and tricks of the trade. Looking outside the conventional box, you can find many tools that have been created to solve some of the simplest problems we have. Here are a few free E-mail tools I think you will be able to get some use ...
7 Reasons You Should Avoid JavaScript Dynamic Navigation
This informative article tells you 7 Reasons You Should Avoid JavaScript Dynamic Navigation. The author explains the technical reasons behind each of the 7, and provides excellent examples.
Layout Tips and Tricks
The importance of a good site layout Websites are judged by content and layout. How good your content maybe, if your layout is not appealing, visitors will not be eager to come back. Everyone is not born with a quality of creating layouts that are pleasing to the eye...
Top Website Navigation Tips
The aim of a websites navigation is simply to allow users to get to the content they require. For sites that have a large number of sections and web pages (and information sites can be one of these) the navigation plan has to be properly researched and designed.