Why You Need to Rethink Your Website Menu (Shorter Is Better)
Your website menu might seem like a small detail — just a row of links at the top of your site or a sidebar on mobile. But it’s far more important than most business owners realise. The menu is the map your visitors use to navigate your site, the first impression of how organised and professional your page is, and a major factor in how well your site performs for SEO, conversions and user-experience.
If your menu feels chaotic, overloaded or confusing, your visitors might leave before they ever find what they need — and Google may take notice. Let’s dive into why “shorter” often means “better” for your website menu, and how you can optimise yours.
1. Fewer menu items = clearer paths for visitors
When a visitor lands on your site, they have an unspoken goal: to find something (service, information, contact) quickly. A menu with too many options can cause decision-fatigue or confusion: “Which one do I click? Which page has my answer?”
Good UX advice:
Limiting the main navigation to 7 links or fewer is recommended for clarity and usability. Flux Academy+2Orbit Media Studios+2
One article points out that after about eight menu items, people start scanning rather than reading. The Good+1
A menu with fewer, well-chosen items helps your users predict where to find what they need, reducing bounce and frustration. Mailchimp+1
I personally recommend 3-5 links as a sweet spot - Depending on the business, think along the lines: Shop / Book Now / Order Now, Services / Packages, Portfolio, Events / Workshops, Menu
What this means for you as a small business:
Review your main navigation: are there items that only confuse or dilute your core message?
Can you group some pages under one term instead of listing everything separately?
Prioritise the pages that actually matter for your visitor and business: e.g., Services, Portfolio, About, Contact.
2. Better for SEO & internal linking
Here’s a less obvious benefit: your menu doesn’t just help visitors — it helps search engines. The links in your main navigation are typically present on every page (header, top menu) so they carry “weight”.
One analysis shows that every click is segmentation — each menu click separates visitors into more specific content. Orbit Media Studios
The fewer top‐level links you have, the more “authority” each of those linked pages can receive from your homepage. Too many links dilute that authority. Orbit Media Studios+1
Clear navigation helps crawlers understand your site architecture; ambiguous labels and bloated menus can hamper indexing. Mailchimp+1
Action steps:
Use descriptive, keyword-relevant labels (e.g., “Branding & Web Design” instead of just “Services”) to help both users and search engines. Orbit Media Studios
Avoid listing too many items that don’t serve a strategic purpose.
Keep your menu structure consistent so that Google can follow and index your pages easily.
3. Less cognitive load = better conversions
A smaller, simpler menu reduces the mental effort required from visitors. When you reduce distractions, you increase the chance that a visitor will stick around, explore your site, and take your desired action (contact you, book a call, buy something).
Design guides emphasise that a cluttered or overly complex navigation causes confusion and may drive users away. Flux Academy+1
One article cites that making better UX in menus and navigation can improve key performance metrics by as much as 83%. DreamHost
For your clients (and you):
Think of your menu as the Invitation, not the full catalogue of everything you might offer.
Ask “What are the 3-5 things people really come here for?” Then make sure those are front and centre.
Use a call-to-action link (e.g., “Book a Call” or “Start Here”) as one of the main menu items to guide visitors.
4. Mobile & accessibility matter — shorter menus help
More and more traffic comes from mobile devices. On small screens, long menus or many options become a usability nightmare: tiny taps, many clicks, scrolling through lists.
Usability research emphasises mobile optimisation of navigation: larger touch areas, fewer options, logical hierarchy. DreamHost+1
Menus that show dozens of items or multi-tier dropdowns on mobile can frustrate your visitors. Simpler is safer. Big Sea
Checklist for mobile friendliness:
Limit top-level menu items to the essentials.
Use a “hamburger” menu or other compact solution, but make sure the main items still show clearly. - Side Note: Squarespace already converts your menu to a “hamburger” on mobile devices to optimize mobile responsiveness.
Test on a phone: can someone tap the menu, find the main page they want, in 2 taps or less?
Ensure menu labels are large enough and spaced enough to avoid accidental taps.
5. How to rethink your menu: A quick guide
Let’s walk through a simple process you or your clients can use to simplify and optimise the website menu.
Audit current menu. List all top-level menu items (e.g., Home, About, Services, Portfolio, Blog, FAQ, Contact, Shop). This gives you complete visibility of what’s there now.
Rank based on strategic value. Ask: “Which items drive business? Which items are supporting content?” This helps you prioritise what belongs in the main menu.
Merge or remove extras. If an item is low-value or rarely visited, consider moving it to a footer or a sub-menu. This reduces clutter and cognitive load.
Use clear labels. Replace vague labels (“Resources”, “Stuff”) with descriptive ones (“Blog”, “Free Guide”, “Cost Calculator”). Don’t try to get creative here. This improves clarity for users and search engines.
Ensure logical order. Place your most important item at the beginning or end of the menu (where attention is highest). This takes advantage of human memory/attention patterns.
Test on mobile. Use a phone or tablet and check if the navigation is still clean, easy to use, and tap-friendly. This ensures you haven’t accidentally buried a key item behind poor mobile UI.
Monitor and refine. After you update the menu, track metrics like bounce rate, click-through from the header menu, and conversion events. Continuous improvement keeps your site aligned with user behavior.
Squarespace Website Menu Tips
In Squarespace, use the Main Navigation area in the Pages panel. Keep only the essential pages here; move anything else into Not Linked or the Footer Navigation.
Use nested folders for sub-menus: if you still need more than 5 main items, consider grouping under a folder to keep the top-level clean.
On mobile, ensure the hamburger menu is enabled and check that first-level items are what you want visitors to see.
Use a prominent call-to-action in your header/menu (e.g., “Book a Call”, “Shop Now”) styled as a button in Squarespace—this gives one menu item more visual weight and importance.
If you add a new service page, ask whether it should go in the main menu or be linked from a parent page. If we keep adding menu items, the main navigation will become overwhelming.
Conclusion
Your website menu isn’t just a design nicety — it’s a strategic tool. A shorter, clearer, focused menu leads to:
Better user experience (visitors find what they need faster)
Stronger SEO (clear site architecture, more authority passing)
Higher conversions (less distraction, more clarity)
Better mobile usability (fewer taps, less confusion)
If your current menu feels crowded, or you’ve been adding links “just because”, take a moment to pause and simplify. You’ll set the stage for a smoother design process (for you and your clients) and a website that works harder.
Need help auditing your menu, re-structuring it, or designing a streamlined navigation in Squarespace? I’m here to help — let’s make your website navigation as modern and effective as the rest of your site.
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