Every website has different pages. Some are big and full of content. Some are small with just a few pages.
But no matter the size, visitors should be able to move around easily.

Navigational links help people find what they are looking for.
They act like signboards, pointing visitors to the right pages.
If your links are clear, people stay longer. They visit more pages. They trust your website more.

Good navigation also helps Google. It reads your links to understand your site better. When visitors stay and explore, your rankings improve too.

In this article, we will talk about what navigational links are, why they matter for both people and SEO, and how you can set them up in a simple way that actually works.

What Are Navigational Links?

Navigational links are simple links that help visitors move around a website. They show people where they are and what pages they can go to next.

You’ll often see them at the top of a website — links like Home, About, or Contact. This is called primary navigation. Important links also appear at the bottom of pages, called page navigation footer links, like Privacy Policy or FAQs.

Sometimes, websites also use in-page navigation to help users jump between sections of the same page. And internal navigation links connect different pages inside the same site, like blog posts or service pages.

All these links together create a clean navigational structure that makes the site easy to explore. Without clear navigation, websites feel messy, and visitors often leave quickly.

That’s why the importance of navigational links is huge if you want people to stay and explore your website.

How Navigational Links Help in SEO?

A strong navigational setup can quietly improve your SEO without you doing anything complicated. Let’s look at how simple links can make a big difference.

1. Helps Google Crawl Your Site Better

Google finds new pages by following links, just like visitors do. If your navigation is clear, Google can easily reach your important pages and understand what your site is about.

But if links are hidden, broken, or confusing, Google might skip important sections. 

Once it moves on, it may not come back soon. That means some of your best pages could stay invisible in search results.

2. Keeps Visitors on Your Site Longer

When people land on your site, they want quick answers.

If they find a clear path to follow, they stay longer. They click more pages, explore more content, and engage with your site naturally.

If they get stuck or lost, they leave fast.

Google watches this behavior closely. Longer visits show Google that your site is helpful, which can push your rankings up over time.

3. Passes Link Equity Across Pages

Some pages on your site will get backlinks from outside websites. Others won’t.

Good internal navigation allows you to share the SEO value (called link equity) from strong pages to others.

When you link your homepage or a popular blog post to smaller, important pages, it gives them more strength in Google’s eyes.

This helps your entire site grow, not just a few top pages.

4. Improves Content Discoverability

Every site has pages that slowly get buried — old blogs, detailed service pages, special offers. If no one can find them, they can’t help your business or your SEO.

Good navigation keeps important content alive.

It lets both visitors and search engines easily discover useful pages that might otherwise stay hidden.

5. Boosts Mobile SEO & UX

Most visitors today browse on their phones.

If your navigation doesn’t work well on a small screen — tiny buttons, complicated menus — people leave quickly.

Google checks how your site performs on mobile first, not desktop.

A simple and clear navigation on phones is no longer a bonus. It’s necessary for survival.

If you quietly fix and strengthen your navigational links, everything else you do for SEO becomes a lot more effective.

7 Smart Tips for Using Navigational Links 

Good navigation doesn’t happen by accident. Here are some easy tips to help you set up smart, simple links that make your website easier to use and better for SEO.

1. Don’t Add Too Many Menu Items

When you build a website, it’s easy to feel like you should show everything in the main menu. You think if you put all the options upfront, visitors will find what they need faster.

But it usually does the opposite.

Too many menu items confuse people.

When there are too many choices, most visitors don’t know what to pick.

Some will get tired and leave your site without doing anything. Google notices this too. If people leave quickly, it can hurt your SEO.

👉 Simple truth:

Your primary navigation should focus on your 5 to 7 most important pages.

These are the pages that help people buy from you, trust you, or understand what you offer.

Other important but less urgent pages, like your Privacy Policy or FAQs, should go into the page navigation footer links at the bottom of your site.

That way, your top menu stays clean, and the important legal or extra pages are still easy to find.

Here’s a simple way to set up your navigational structure:

• Keep main actions visible upfront (like Shop, Services, About, Contact).
• Put less important stuff in dropdown menus or footers.
• Group related pages together so visitors can find things easily without feeling lost.

If you think everything looks important, ask yourself:

Which pages would I want a first-time visitor to see first?
Pick those.

Everything else can be grouped under one menu item, like “More” or placed neatly below in the footer.

The goal is not to hide your pages.

The goal is to guide your visitors without making them think too hard.

2. Check User Behavior with Analytics

Creating a neat menu is not enough.  You need to check if visitors are using it the way you want.
Otherwise, you’re just guessing.

Analytics tools show you what’s really happening on your site.
They help you see which navigation links people click, what they skip, and where they drop off.

Why It’s Important

Just adding links doesn’t mean visitors will use them.  Sometimes, important pages stay hidden because the menu isn’t clear enough.

 If visitors can’t find what they need easily, they leave — and Google notices that.

Checking real behavior helps you fix small problems before they cost you visitors and rankings.

How to Check User Behavior

You don’t need fancy skills.
A few free tools can show you everything:

• Google Analytics:
  • Use the “Behavior Flow” report.
  • It shows how visitors move from one page to another.
  • You can see if they find your important links or leave too early.
• Heatmaps (Hotjar or Microsoft Clarity):
  • These show where people click most often.
  • You can see if your important internal navigation links are getting attention.

What to Look For

When you check your data, ask simple questions:

• Are visitors clicking on the pages you want them to?
• Are they skipping important links?
• Is the menu label clear enough for a first-time visitor?

If you find a problem, fix it.

Use simple, clear words in your menu. Move the important links higher up in your navigational structure if needed.

3. Make Navigation Clear and Easy

When visitors land on your site, they should know right away where to go.  A clear and simple navigation helps them move around without getting lost or confused.

Complicated menus slow people down. 

A clean setup makes your website feel open, easy, and trustworthy.

How to Make Navigation Clear

• Use simple, everyday words: Menu items should be quick to read and easy to understand. Say “Services,” “Shop,” “Contact” — not long or fancy phrases.
• Keep the structure light: Don’t overload your main menu. If you have many pages, group them into dropdowns under broad headings like “Services” or “Products.”
• Label links properly: When someone clicks, the page should match their expectation.
  No surprises. No confusing names.

4. Think About What Comes First and Last

Most people don’t read every item in a menu carefully.

They usually notice the first and the last options the most.

That’s why the order of your navigation links matters. It’s not just what you show, but also where you show it.

What Should Come First and Last

• Start with your most important page: If you want visitors to buy a service, visit your shop, or check a main offer, put that link first.
• End with your trust-building pages: Good options for the last spot are “About Us,” “Contact,” or a strong testimonial page. These leave a positive final impression.
• Middle links support the journey: Put helpful but less critical pages, like blogs or galleries, in the middle of your primary navigation.

After setting your menu order, read it from top to bottom like a new visitor would.
Ask yourself:

• Does the first link match my main goal?
• Does the last link build trust?

If not, swap them around. Small tweaks in menu placement can bring big results.

5. Use Breadcrumbs on Inner Pages

When people land deep inside your website, they can lose track of where they are.
Breadcrumbs help fix this problem.

Breadcrumbs are small links, usually placed near the top of a page.
They show the visitor the path they followed — and help them move back easily if they want to.

Why Breadcrumbs Help

• They guide visitors: Breadcrumbs make it easy for someone to jump back to a broader section without hunting for it.
• They help Google too: Google looks at breadcrumbs to better understand your site structure.
  Clear internal navigation links make crawling easier and may help with better search listings.
• They keep visitors longer: When visitors don’t feel lost, they stay longer and click more pages.
  A relaxed visitor is more likely to trust your site and take action.

Where to Add Breadcrumbs

You don’t need breadcrumbs everywhere.
Add them mainly on:

• Blog posts
• Product pages
• Deep service pages
• Any page where visitors have moved two levels or more inside your site

You can skip breadcrumbs on homepages and main category pages.

How to Keep Breadcrumbs Simple

Make sure each breadcrumb step is clickable.
If a visitor wants to jump two steps back, they should be able to do it easily.

Example breadcrumb:
Home > Blog > SEO Tips > Internal Linking Guide

Keep it short.
Don’t stuff keywords into breadcrumbs.
Make them useful for real people, not just search engines.

Good breadcrumbs quietly make your navigational structure better without crowding your page.

6. Make Sure It Works on Mobile Too

Most people browse websites on their phones today.
If your site is hard to move around on mobile, visitors will leave fast.

Many websites look fine on computers but fall apart on smaller screens.
Menus get hidden. Links get too small. Finding anything becomes a struggle.

That’s why your navigational structure must work smoothly on both mobile and desktop.

How to Make Your Mobile Navigation Better

• Use a simple, easy-to-open menu: Your mobile menu should open with one clear tap, usually through a hamburger icon.
• Keep links easy to tap: Buttons and links should be big enough. Leave enough space between items so users don’t tap the wrong thing.
• Show important links upfront: Don’t bury your main pages under layers of dropdowns. Make sure your top navigation links are easy to find.
• Test dropdowns carefully: Dropdowns should open with a single tap. Avoid hover actions — they don’t work well on phones.

Why It Matters

Visitors on mobile don’t have the patience to zoom in or dig through menus.
If your navigation feels confusing, they leave without a second thought.

Google notices when visitors leave quickly.
Sites with better mobile usability often rank higher in search results.

Clear mobile navigation keeps people on your site longer, builds trust, and supports your SEO naturally.

7. Keep Testing and Improving

Good navigation is not something you set up once and forget.
Websites grow.
Visitors’ habits change.
You need to keep checking if your navigation links are still helping people move easily.

Why Testing Matters

A page that was important a year ago might not matter today.
Or you might have added new services that deserve a top spot.
If you don’t check regularly, visitors might miss the best parts of your site.

Keeping an eye on your navigational structure makes sure it always fits what people need.

Simple Ways to Test and Improve

You don’t have to do anything fancy.
Here’s what works:

• Use Google Analytics: Check which pages visitors click most and where they leave.
• Look at heatmaps: See which parts of your site get the most clicks and which parts people ignore.
• Ask real people to use your site: Get honest feedback. Watch if they struggle to find important pages.
• Make small changes: If a link isn’t working, fix the wording or move it where it’s easier to spot.
• Review again after a few weeks: See if the changes made things better.

Fixing your navigation doesn’t always mean doing a big redesign.
Small updates, like renaming a menu item or moving a link higher, can make a big difference over time.

Think of your navigation links like signs on a road.
If people miss a turn, you don’t rebuild the whole road — you just move the sign where it’s easier to see.

6 Common Types of Navigational Links 

Websites use different types of navigation links to help visitors move around.

Here are the main types you should know.

1. Top Menu Links

Top menu links are the main links you see at the top of every website. They take you to the most important pages like Home, About, Services, or Contact.

These links help visitors quickly find what they need without getting lost. If the top menu is clear, people feel comfortable exploring the site.

If it’s messy or confusing, they often leave without even trying.

Only show the 5–7 most important pages in your top menu. A short and clear menu makes it easier for visitors to pick where they want to go.

2. Footer Links 

Footer links are the links you see at the very bottom of a website. They usually take you to pages like Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, FAQs, or social media accounts.

These links are for extra information that some visitors might need. They are not meant for your main services or products.

When visitors scroll down, they expect to find answers, help pages, or ways to get in touch. A clean footer shows that you are open, organized, and easy to reach.

Put important but less-used pages in the footer. Keep it short and neat so visitors can find what they need without getting confused.

3. Sidebar Links

Sidebar links are the links you see on the side of a webpage.
They help visitors find more options without searching too much.

You often see them on blogs and stores. They show things like categories, filters, popular posts, or related products.

Good sidebar links help visitors explore more without going back to the top menu. If the links match what the visitor is already reading or shopping for, they are more likely to click and stay longer.

Keep the sidebar clean and short. Show only the links that really help, not everything you have. Too many links can confuse visitors instead of helping them.

4. Breadcrumb Links

Breadcrumb links are small links that show the path you have taken inside a website.
They usually appear near the top of a page.

They tell visitors where they are right now and how they got there.
If someone wants to jump back to an earlier page, they can just click on the breadcrumb link no need to press the back button.

Breadcrumbs also help Google understand how your pages connect with each other.
Good internal navigation links make your site easier to crawl and easier to rank.

Use breadcrumbs on blog posts, product pages, and service pages. Keep them short, clear, and clickable to make navigation easy for your visitors.

5. Internal In-Content Links

Internal in-content links are the links you add inside a blog post or a page.
You usually link a word or a short phrase that leads to another useful page on your website.

For example, if you are writing about SEO tips, you might link the words “keyword research” to a full guide about it.

These links help visitors find more helpful pages easily, without searching around.
They also help Google understand which pages are related inside your website.

Good internal navigation links keep visitors moving across your site.
This keeps them on your site longer, builds trust, and can improve your SEO.

Always link naturally inside your sentences. Use clear words that tell people what they’ll find when they click.

6. Call-To-Action (CTA) Links

Call-to-Action (CTA) links are links that tell visitors what to do next.
You often see them as words like “Get a Quote,” “Subscribe,” “Book Now,” or “Read More.”

These links are important because they guide visitors to take action.
It could be filling out a form, buying something, or just reading the next page.

If you don’t use clear CTA links, visitors may leave without doing anything.
Good CTA links make the next step easy and obvious.

Conclusion

Good website navigation isn’t just about looking nice.
It’s about making sure visitors can find what they need quickly and easily. When your site is easy to use, people stick around longer, trust you more, and keep coming back.

Take time to make your website navigation clear, simple, and easy to use.
When you do this, you’re not just helping your visitors — you’re making your site better for everyone, including Google.

Remember, small changes can make a big difference. Keep testing, improving, and thinking from your visitors’ point of view.

In the end, a good navigation system will help your business grow and keep visitors happy.

FAQs on Navigational Links