Menu item order

What is standard practice?

[Timotheos]

We're developing a new website under our cooperate one which is using the same template. Since we're a company trying to sell a product (over a company) we thought it best to change the menu item order so that "products" were at the top rather then company info. Our feedback from the cooperate marketing directer was...

the names and order given to the main menu items are quite "non-standard": the website best practice recommends to list in the menu top positions items that link to pages about the company, news, jobs etc. and then items related to products/services

So my question: Is there a "standard" best website practice for menu item order? I would imagine it depends on your goals. Our goal is to sell products (btw, this is not ecommerce).

It's a side menu on the left. The current order is

Company

Investor Relations

Media Center (aka News)

Research and Innovation

Careers

Products

Solutions

My intuition says it should be

Solutions

Products

News

Research and Innovation

Company

Investor Relations

Careers

Funny how things like this can get into a heated debate ;-)

Thanks,
Tim

[wheel]

: the website best practice recommends to list in the menu top positions items that link to pages about the company, news, jobs etc. and then items related to products/services

That must be written on the inside of his lower intestine, since that's apparently where he's got his head.

ranked by importance of what your visitors are looking for - and that should be pretty close to the order you've described. So yes, you're correct.

[JKMitchell]

I always have the 'home page' link at the top but after that it depends on what the client is looking for their website to do - the most important sections go higher up the menu (often finishing with 'site map' and 'contact us' links.

[monkeythumpa]

A case could be made for alphabetical if you have over 7 items. You should test but my guess is that it won't make that much of a difference. The only standard is to not confuse your users.

[Timotheos]

Thank guys. Just what I thought.

[oneguy]

ranked by importance of what your visitors are looking for - and that should be pretty close to the order you've described. So yes, you're correct.

I agree. That's with any website.

The only other factor besides what they are looking for, is what you want them to do. In this case, those two seem they will probably be the same.