+ the formula for website navigation bart caylor, caylor solutions
TRANSCRIPT
Caylor-Solutions.com | 317-985-7375
2+Agenda
Introduction
The Stats
The Reasons
The Formulas
The Next Steps
Questions and Answers
Caylor-Solutions.com | 317-985-7375
11+Digital Natives
Live in Technology Daily Weebly.com site Blog QR Codes to Promote Marketing Basics
You Tube is the #1 Teen Website
82% Use YouTube regularly
Experts on Websites and Getting Information
Caylor-Solutions.com | 317-985-7375
12+Reason for your site?
Audiences? Who are your personas?
Enrollment? Prospects, suspects, stealth, influencers?
What are the goals?Enrollment, advancement, retention?
How are you driving traffic?SEO, social media, lateral content?
Conversion?Call to action, conversion, lead generation, nurturing?
Caylor-Solutions.com | 317-985-7375
15+Principles of Thoughtful Navigation
Ease of use
Focused on primary audience
Cannot be all things to all people
Avoid “loops”
Logical and intuitive
Less is more
+
Caylor-Solutions.com | 317-985-7375
18
The 5 “A’s”
Admissions
About Us
Academics
Athletics
Advancement
+
Caylor-Solutions.com | 317-985-7375
22
The “X” Factor
Blog
Faith
Research
Graduate
Differentiation
Caylor-Solutions.com | 317-985-7375
23+Best Practices
Keep menus concise – no more than 10 items (sweet spot is 7-9)
Logically arrange the menus
Consider analytics for menu order
Remember every page is the home page
Consider nomenclature
Consider hierarchy
Caylor-Solutions.com | 317-985-7375
25+Content Titles and Names
Avoid internal speak
Organize for the user (majors vs. departments)
Use common terms (keyword search)
Keep it simple (KIS) – responsive/mobile
Remember your audience: humans and robots
Caylor-Solutions.com | 317-985-7375
27+Hierarchy Best Practices
Secondary and Tertiary
Ancillary
Audience Centric
Footer
Call to Action
Caylor-Solutions.com | 317-985-7375
28+Hierarchy Best Practices
1. Top bar: contact top and accessible as well as footer.
2. Audience Centric/Ancillary
3. Hero/Distinctions/Rotate
4. Call to Action
5. Facts/Overheard
Caylor-Solutions.com | 317-985-7375
30+Next Steps
Identify your formula elements
Review your analytics and fix “low hanging fruit” Look for navigation “loops” Look for page bounces Review internal search data
Count up the navigation options on core page Prune liberally Look for ways to adjust CSS and design for hierarchy
Caylor-Solutions.com | 317-985-7375
31+Next Steps
Where possible, simplify language and options
Consider reorganizing content into appropriate “buckets” Remember 301 redirects when doing so
Consider landing pages and subdomains for non-enrollment audiences giving.school.edu research.school.edu graduate.school.edu
Caylor-Solutions.com | 317-985-7375
32+Redesigning Next Steps
Audit entire site Organize with cards/post-its on white board Organize in Excel
Move extraneous content into “extranet” where appropriate
Avoid common mistakes Too complex (too many options) Not focused on audience Wrong titles (for both humans and robots) No hierarchy (logically or visually)
Caylor-Solutions.com | 317-985-7375 34
+
Bart [email protected]
317-985-7375
caylor-solutions.com
@bartcaylor