How to write html for navigation bars

[Gemini23]

Hi, I have set up a Dynamic Web Template using Microsoft Expression Web 2 in what I thought was a 'normal' way. I have about 100 pages on my website. I recently started using IBP which is a website optimisation software program. The software (and IBP technical support) say that my navigation bar text is being treated as being the first sentence on each website page by their software AND search engines(and is way too much for one sentence). I have left and right navigation columns.

How should I be entering this as 'navigation'? that won't be considered as spam? ie. red widget, green widget, blue widget etc I am somewhat cautious to make major changes as my home page is ranked very highly on Google (and has been for several months) for some very good traffic generating search terms. (so I guess Google doesn't mind it too much?)

Any suggestions gratefully received.

:)

[edited by: Gemini23 at 11:39 am (utc) on April 1, 2009]

[topr8]

google are smart enough to recognise a navigation bar and treat it as such.

if you are already ranking well, i'd be cautious about making any changes.

[Gemini23]

Thanks for the input on this toppr8

Interestingly when I look on the Google cache for my home page the search words are NOT highlighted in the naviagtion areas. So I guess Google is ignoring the navigation as being a possible first sentence as the key words are there.

Also rather odd is that for my search terms "big green widget" are showing in cache as bits of words... ie. "enwi" "iggree" I have had this happen before... although the search term "big green widget" is top of Google...

odd...