[map]A Navigation Pattern from
Patterns for Personal Web Sites

Site Map

Half the job of navigation is orientation; the other is identifying destinations. A site map addresses both. Visitors who don't know where they are in your site quickly learn; at the same time, they get an overview of what the site offers.

Therefore, provide a page giving an overview of your site, with links to most or all pages.

If a site is small enough, its map might fit on the site's home page (and help to make it a Useful Home Page). For an example, see Mark Rosenfelder's zompist.com.

When a site grows large enough to need Index Pages, a separate page for the site map is a must. This site's map is an example.

The Three Jump Maximum can be satisfied by combining a site map with One Jump Home.



Last updated 14 August 2003
http://www.rdrop.com/~half/Creations/Writings/Web.patterns/site.map.html
All contents ©2003 Mark L. Irons