In this article · 12 sections
- What belongs in the main menu
- Use clear labels
- Dropdowns and mega menus
- Mobile navigation
- Sticky headers
- Footer navigation
- Navigation and SEO
- Common mistakes
- Test your navigation
- Navigation for multi-location and large catalogues
- Frequently Asked Questions
- How many items should a menu have?
- Should the phone number be in the menu?
- Is a hamburger menu fine on desktop?
- Should the blog be in the main menu?
- Want easier navigation?
Navigation is the map of your website. A good menu lets visitors find what they want in one or two taps. A bad menu — too many items, vague labels, hidden services — sends them back to Google. Navigation also influences SEO: the pages linked from your main menu are the ones Google treats as most important.
What belongs in the main menu
For most service businesses, five to seven items are enough:
- Home (or just the logo linking home)
- Services (with a dropdown of individual services)
- Locations or Routes (if relevant)
- Work / Portfolio / Gallery
- About
- Blog or Guides
- Contact — often as a button
Put the most important items first and last; visitors notice those positions most.
Use clear labels
| Vague | Clear |
|---|---|
| Solutions | Services |
| What We Do | Web Design, SEO, Google Ads |
| Resources | Blog / Guides |
| Get Started | Get a Free Quote |
Use the words your customers use. A taxi customer looks for "Airport Taxi" or "One Way Taxi", not "Mobility Solutions".
Dropdowns and mega menus
- Simple dropdowns work for up to around eight sub-items.
- Mega menus — wide panels with grouped links and sometimes icons — suit businesses with many services, products or locations, such as manufacturers or multi-city taxi services.
- Group items logically with short headings.
- Make sure dropdowns work with a tap on mobile and keyboard on desktop, not only on hover.
Mobile navigation
Most visitors arrive on phones. The mobile menu needs special care:
- A clearly visible menu icon, usually top right, with the label "Menu" if your audience is less tech-savvy.
- Large tap targets with space between them.
- Expandable sections for services instead of a very long list.
- Call and WhatsApp buttons visible without opening the menu — in the header or a sticky bottom bar.
- Easy closing with an obvious "×".
See mobile-first design.
Sticky headers
A header that stays visible while scrolling keeps navigation and the call button available. Keep it compact — a tall sticky header takes up too much of a phone screen. Some sites shrink or hide the header while scrolling down and show it again when scrolling up.
Footer navigation
The footer is a second chance: list all services, key locations, policies, contact details and social links. It's helpful for users and adds useful internal links. See header and footer essentials.
Navigation and SEO
- Use real HTML links (
<a href>) so search engines can follow them. - Link to your most important pages from the main menu.
- Avoid hundreds of links in menus; it dilutes focus and overwhelms users.
- Keep menu labels consistent with page titles.
Read our guide on website structure.
Common mistakes
- Too many top-level items — visitors don't know where to start.
- Important services hidden three levels deep.
- Different menus on different pages.
- Menus that only work on hover, breaking on touch screens.
- Links to empty or "coming soon" pages.
Test your navigation
Ask three people to find a specific service on your site using a phone. Watch where they hesitate. Tools like Microsoft Clarity (free) show recordings and heatmaps of real visitors, revealing where people click and where they get lost.
Navigation for multi-location and large catalogues
If you have many branches, routes or products, don't put them all in the main menu. Link to a "Locations" or "Routes" hub page with search, filters or grouped lists, and show only the most popular items in the menu itself. This keeps the menu usable while every important page still has a clear path from the homepage.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many items should a menu have?
Usually five to seven top-level items, with dropdowns for details.
Should the phone number be in the menu?
Put it in the header as a click-to-call link, separate from the menu items.
Is a hamburger menu fine on desktop?
On desktop, visible menu items usually work better than hiding everything behind an icon.
Should the blog be in the main menu?
If you publish regularly and the content helps customers decide, yes.
Want easier navigation?
Joboo Web designs clear menus and mega menus for business websites. See website design or contact us.