Guidelines for Structuring Navigation

Guidelines for Structuring Navigation
MenuLink LimitsCharacter limits
Main navigation 
(header)		Up to 5 links 
before condensed 
display 		75 characters total, 
with spaces 
(no more than 15 
characters 
per link, 
about 1-2 words)
Footer navigation

Up to 12 links 
without using 
section titles
Up to 4 link 
sections 
Up to 8 links 
per section

No more than 
30 characters per 
link or section title, 
with spaces 
(roughly up
to 3 words)

Guidelines For Best Use Case:

Main Navigation

  • 3-5 links, 1 or 2 words per link

Footer Navigation

  • 2-3 link sections with no more than 6 links per section  OR 2-6 links, 0 link sections
  • Don’t repeat links in both the main navigation and the footer. It is sometimes appropriate to surface a high traffic or priority link from sub-navigation by creating a repeat link within the footer.
  • Group similar links with footer headings, where appropriate.
    • About (section title): History, Mission, Leadership, Blog (links)
  • Don’t add social media directly to the text links of your footer. To add social media to the footer, add social media links to the site Primary Contact (see How to Set a Primary Contact). This will cause them to display in the appropriate section with a logo icon.
  • For agency managers: Be mindful of how many external links you add to the top level of your main navigation. Unless these links are primary in hierarchy, place them below all internal site links. 
Documents folder file

Tips for Naming Navigation

  • Use the language that your audience already uses and understands.
    • Conducting research or reviewing feedback from your main audiences go a long way to inform this step.
  • Keep links concise and actionable. Aim for 1-2 key words for main navigation links. The footer best accommodates links that are 1-3 key words. (e.g. β€œContact” is short and clear with 1 key word; β€œRules & Statutes” has 2 key words.)
    • Claims Submission And Contract Management (OLS) β†’ Log in to OLS
  • Remove agency names, abbreviations, and other extra words, especially where character limits are recommended. 
    • Information & Resources β†’ Resources
    • Remember: the user is already on your site, possibly already within an agency’s sub navigation. They will already receive wayfinding cues from the header and breadcrumb navigation without looking to redundant information in page titles and links. 
      • About the Iowa Department for X β†’ About
  • Use ampersands to save space, especially in main navigation links.
    • Publications and Data β†’ Publications & Data