Bloggers – How easy is your site/blog to navigate? #MondayBlogs #Blogging

In my latest attempt at connecting with fellow writers and readers, I’ve been trolling the web for book bloggers and author bloggers to follow. Unfortunately, I’ve run into the same problem again and again – websites that are confusing and/or impossible to navigate. Menu? What menu?

No menu. This is my biggest complaint. I cannot believe the sheer number of websites I discovered that only have a home page! Some add a contact page and that’s it. It took me a while to realize that I have to hit home if I want to read the blog. So, before you do anything else today, add a menu to your website. Please and thank you.

Unclear menu items. I have to confess that I’m somewhat guilty of this. I have two blogs on my website: one for my writing and just general blah-blahing I like to do and one for promoting other books and authors. I gave these blogs cutsie names: My Musings and Readsalot. So far, so good. But after trolling through hundreds of websites this past month, I realized that the menu item my musings might not be so clear after all. So I listened to my own advice (shocking, I know) and changed the menu items slightly. They now read my musings – a writer’s blog and readsalot – a reader’s blog.

Different devices. Okay, you’ve added a menu and titled the menu items in clear and simple English. What’s next? Ensure your website/blog is maneuverable on different devices. Not everyone will read your blog or check out your website on an old-fashioned computer. (Yes, apparently desktop computers are old-fashioned nowadays.) They may use a tablet or their smartphone. It’s important that viewers can still move around your website no matter the device they are using. This is easy with WordPress. You can do a preview of each blog you post in three different formats: desktop, tablet, or smartphone.

Of course, there are lots more issues to deal with ensuring your blog is easy to navigate, but it all starts with having a menu with well-defined menu items.