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Top Ten Navigation Improvements in WordPress

Posted by admin on January 17th, 2010
Tags: Wordpress Guide, Wordpress Plugins, , , , , , , ,
Top Ten Navigation Improvements in WordPress
 

WordPress is one of the most popular blogging software tools available today.  It is easy to use and easy to customize, making it one of the most popular software platforms for web blogging.  It is often used to promote websites and enhance search engine optimization.  However, to do so most effectively, bloggers should improve the WordPress navigation system so it is as easy as possible for users to find, write and comment on posts.  So, consider using the top 10 navigation improvements available through WordPress:

  1. WP-PageNavi is a great tool that can be used to enhance the pagination on WordPress.  Default settings include a previous and next link.  However, the PageNavi plugin allows for a more attractive and more useful navigation system.  Instead of two options, you can choose from first, last, previous and next.  But it also has individual pages so you can click on a particular page and it shows that page you are on and how many are available.
  2. WP-PostViews is a great plugin that outlines the most viewed posts on your site.  When a new user is just visiting your site, they will no longer have to wade through pages and pages of posts and instead can immediately get to the posts that are most popular based on number of views per post.  This is a great way to get a new user immediately interested in your posts by sending them to the most viewed ones first.
  3. BreadcrumbNavXT is a way to add breadcrumbs to your site.  Breadcrumbs give the extended link navigation so it is easy to follow.  Users can navigate to a broader or more narrow category by using the breadcrumbs at the top of the page.  Breadcrumbs look like “Home Page -> Broad Category -> Detailed Category -> Blog Post” or can be customized to as many levels as you need.
  4. The Related Posts plugin is a great way to refer users to other posts they may find interesting.  It lists posts that are similar or related in some way to the post they are currently reading based on keywords.  This is a great way to keep a user on your site longer by referring them to other posts they may find interesting.
  5. Add the Search Everything plugin to allow users to search for exactly what they want to read on your site.  Tags, keywords, comments and user defined criteria are all searchable so that a user looking for specific information can easily find it.
  6. Drop Down Menus such as PixoPoint allows users to browse through categories in a convenient drop down navigation menu and then jump to the category they want.  If they want to browse to a sub category they can do so without first going to the parent making it easier, faster and more convenient.
  7. Change Permalinks to be more SEO friendly by using the Permalinks Moved Permanently plugin.  Users who are already on your site may have bookmarked particular blog posts.  Search engines have indexed your posts.  These links will go to a specific page in your site based on the title of your blog.  However, the default titling of posts is not SEO friendly and should be changed.  If you have already established a blog and need to change the permalink titles, use this plugin so older links and indexing is not changed.  Instead the new page will be displayed based on the old link.
  8. A sitemap is essential for good navigation and it is also useful for search engine optimization purposes, especially with Google.  Use the Google Sitemap tool to automatically generate and update your sitemap in a standard format for use with Google and other search engines.
  9. The Multi Page Toolkit plugin is a great way to allow you to easily navigate through long blog posts.  Ideally blog posts should be concise but some topics just need a lot of discussion.  If you want to have a blog that will span multiple pages, the Multi Page Toolkit is the ideal addition.
  10. Make sure your sidebar navigation does exactly as you want it to and is useful for your particular users.  The needs may change from blog to blog because of the unique demographic of your users.  WordPress has a variety of options available for customizing your sidebar to make it as useful as possible to your audience.  Use the WP codex (http://codex.Wordpress.org/Customizing_Your_Sidebar) for your sidebar to determine which options will suit you best.

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