Letting people know which site they’re on and where they are on that site is pretty basic usability stuff, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t important.

1. Logo and company name in top left corner

Put your logo in the top left corner. If your logo doesn’t contain your company name, put your name directly underneath the logo. Do this on every page. That way, people immediately know whose website they’re on.

Don’t think putting your logo on the right side will make you special. Sure, you’ll be different, but not in a way people appreciate. You’re just making it harder for them to know which website they’re on.

Ogilvy puts its logo in the bottom right corner. Because that’s not where people expect it to be, it will take them longer to see it.

Not mentioning your name or logo at all is of course not the greatest idea either.

Without a logo or name in the top left corner, it’s not easy for visitors to know they’re on the website of the Museum for Industrial Archeology and Textile (MIAT) in Ghent.

2. Breadcrumb

A great way to let users know where they are on your website, is via a breadcrumb. A breadcrumb shows you where you are on a website by visualizing the site’s hierarchy, from the homepage to the current page.

You can find more details on what a good breadcrumb looks like in our article ‘Breadcrumb: 7 tips’.

3. Clearly visible page title

A page title has to stand out. Use a larger font size and perhaps even a different colour than your regular text colour.

Put the page title always in the same, clearly visible place: at the top of the content part of the page, left-aligned.

Use the same term as the one you use in your menu, or at least start the page title in the same way. Inconsistencies can be confusing.

The Belgian province Flemish Brabant puts the page title or header where it should be: at the top left of the page’s content part, in a larger font size and different colour than the regular text.

4. Navigation: active item in a different colour

Navigation plays a very important part in telling people where they are on a website.

An easy way to show users what main and sub-category of the navigation they’re in is putting the active category in a different (background) colour.

On the site of Amnesty International it’s very clear which main and sub-category of the navigation the user is in.

5. Title tag

Another small but not unimportant element that can help users determine where they are on a website is the title tag.

But thanks to our ‘8 tips for the perfect title tag‘ you already know everything about that.

Applied to websites, intranets and extranets, we define information architecture as the discipline that puts the right information in the right words in the right place.

Why is a good information architecture important?

• If your visitors can’t find the information they’re looking for it might as well not be there.
• Surfers are extremely impatient. If they can’t find what they want where they want it when they want it, they’ll leave. Too bad if it’s on your website somewhere else. They didn’t find it. And left.
• Our user research shows that 7 out of 10 usability problems are related to:
  • Confusing navigation
  • Missing information
  • Too much information
  • Unclear presentation of the information
  • Incomprehensible content

Is information architecture only a concern for big websites?

Absolutely not. Just because your website only has 20 pages doesn’t mean the information architecture can’t be a problem. True, it’ll probably be easier for a visitor to find the page they’re looking for on a smaller website.

But the story doesn’t end when the user gets to the right page:

• Does the page contain all the information he needs?
• Can he understand everything on the page?
• Is the answer to his question clear?

What do we mean by ‘information’?

Information is everything you put on your website. Not just text but also pictures, movies, forms, …  

What is ‘right’?

‘Right’ has very little to do with what you think is right. It has everything to do with what the visitor thinks is right.  

The right information

• In general
  • Which information do your visitors expect to find on your site?
  • Why do they visit your website?
  • What are their top tasks?
• In detail
  • What are the most important things your visitor wants to know about each of your products and services?
  • Does your product page have all the information your visitor needs?
  • What kinds of pictures do your visitors like? Do you need any pictures at all? Have a look at some examples of meaningless pictures.

The right place

• In general
  • Where do people look for certain information?
  • Does your navigation structure reflect the way your visitors think or the way you think?
  • Which information should be on the homepage? And where on the homepage?
  • What should your overview pages look like? What do people expect to find there?
  • Which lay-out directs their attention most efficiently?
• In detail
  • Which information do your visitors want to see first about a product?
  • Which lay-out works best for your particular product: anchor links, in-page tabs, …?
  • Where should you put the action-button or the contact information?
  • Should the picture be on the left or on the right?

The right words

• In general
  • Do your visitors understand the words in your navigation?
  • Do they know what they’ll find when they click on an item in your navigation?
• In detail
  • Do you speak your visitors’ language?
  • Are your headings, sub-headings, links and texts clear to all your potential customers?
  • Are you sure?
    Have a look at our copywriting tips for a better website.

Is it hard to get it right?

Well, yes. Making a successful website is not easy.

For starters, you need answers to these questions:

• Who are my visitors?
• What do they want?
• Which words do they understand?

You’re not going to find the answers to these questions by having a good old think about it. A brainstorm session with your coworkers won’t cut it either. And don’t even think about looking for it in your corporate mission statement.

There’s only one way to get these answers right: thorough user research.  

What do you need to do user research?

• An open mind.
• The strength to put your ego aside.
• Basic knowledge of a few key techniques that have proven their merit. Techniques that aren’t all that complicated but nevertheless need to be used correctly.
• The power of persuasion to convince your co-workers and bosses that their gut feeling isn’t necessarily right. Armed with the results from  the user research that shouldn’t be too hard. Facts trump opinions every time.  

Need some help to improve your information architecture?

Have a look at our information architecture service.

I could describe this thing till I'm blue in the face but really, you should just check it out for yourself on http://www.bxlab.com. Oh my. Oh my...

Should bx]l[ab have seen the light and changed the navigation, below’s a little taste (in Flash on YouTube, sorry to all of you who don’t have access).

If you take these 7 tips into account, your breadcrumb will be a very practical addition to the navigation.

1. Between page title and top

Put the breadcrumb above the page title, but below the top navigation or graphical top of your website.

2. Start with ‘Home’

Start the breadcrumb with ‘Home’. Breadcrumbs used to start with ‘You are here:’. During user tests we have noticed this is no longer necessary. Even people who have never heard of the word breadcrumb know what it’s for.

3. Left align

Align the breadcrumb to the left. That way, the first part of the breadcrumb (’Home’) is in the top left part of the website, where people expect to find the link to the homepage.

4. Greater-than sign

Use a greater-than sign to separate the crumb trail’s various parts. The greater-than sign is best suited to indicate the hierarchical relationship between the various parts. 

5. Smaller font size

Use a slightly smaller font size for the breadcrumb than you do for the rest of the text on your site. Verdana 8 points is perfect.

6. Clickability

Every part of the crumb trail has to be clickable, except the current page. Obviously, you need to follow the general rules of clickability.

7. No breadcrumb on the homepage

Don’t put a breadcrumb on the homepage. Other elements (colour indication in the navigation, content, lay-out, etc) should make clear that it’s the homepage.