Components: Navigation Menu

Guides navigation menu design for SEO, UX, and accessibility. Navigation helps users find content and signals site structure to search engines.

When invoking: On first use, if helpful, open with 1-2 sentences on what this skill covers and why it matters, then provide the main output. On subsequent use or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output.

Initial Assessment

Check for project context first: If .claude/project-context.md or .cursor/project-context.md exists, read it for key pages and audience.

Identify:

Site structure: Main sections, hierarchy
Primary goals: Conversion paths, key pages
Platform: Web, mobile, both

Structure & Organization

Menu Size

Primary nav: 7-9 items; avoid overwhelming users
Sub-navigation: Up to 2 levels; deeper topics in sub-menus
Pattern: Horizontal top nav or vertical side nav; avoid novel patterns

Hierarchy

Reflect sitemap structure; need not match exactly
Prioritize what visitors need most
Logical grouping by topic or task

SEO Best Practices

| Practice | Purpose | |----------|---------| | Semantic HTML | <nav>, <ul>, <li>; proper landmark roles | | Descriptive anchor text | Target keywords; avoid "Click here" | | Text links | Prefer text over images; crawlers need readable links | | Initial render | All nav HTML in first paint; no JS-only menus for critical links. See rendering-strategies | | Visible links | Prefer visible over hidden; helps crawlers understand structure |

Crawlability

Sub-menus: Ensure HTML is in DOM (e.g., CSS-hidden, not JS-injected)
Footer nav: Include secondary links
Breadcrumbs: See breadcrumb-generator for implementation

UX Guidelines

Visibility & Location

Desktop: Visible nav; avoid hiding behind hamburger when space allows
Expected placement: Primary nav in header; footer nav at bottom
Current location: Indicate active page/section in menu

Accessibility

| Requirement | Practice | |-------------|----------| | Labels | Clear, intuitive wording | | Contrast | 4.5:1 for link text | | Touch targets | >=44x44px; adequate spacing | | Keyboard | Full keyboard navigation; focus visible | | Screen readers | Proper ARIA; skip links for long menus |

Design

Simple, clear; avoid covering entire screen with open menus on desktop
Consistent across pages
Mobile: Hamburger acceptable; ensure menu is usable when open

Output Format

Structure (primary items, sub-items)
Anchor text suggestions
HTML/ARIA notes
SEO checklist
Accessibility checklist

Related Skills

website-structure: Plan structure and nav hierarchy; nav reflects planned sections
xml-sitemap: Nav should reflect discoverable pages
internal-links: Nav is primary internal linking
site-crawlability: Nav affects crawl paths
category-page-generator: Category hierarchy in nav
footer-generator: Footer nav complements header nav
logo-generator: Logo typically sits in header with nav
breadcrumb-generator: Breadcrumb navigation; BreadcrumbList schema
rendering-strategies: Nav in first paint; no JS-only menus