How do you navigate a city you’ve never visited before?
You follow signposts. You read street names, recognise buildings from a guidebook, or look for a metro station. All of these clues point you in the right direction.
Your website visitors do exactly the same thing.
On a website, the signposts aren’t famous landmarks or street names. They are menus, buttons, headings, subheadings, links, images, and footers. Elements that guide visitors toward the information they’re looking for.
How People Read Online
Most people read web content in an F-shaped pattern.
They start by scanning across the top of the page, then move down the left side, occasionally reading across when something catches their attention.
Headings, summaries, and links act as the signposts that guide them through your content.
So, how do you create effective signposts for your visitors?
Here’s how to get started.
Headings
Your headings must be clear and helpful. Visitors should instantly understand what to expect from the section that follows.
Good headings summarise the content in just a few words.
This reassures readers that they’re in the right place and encourages them to continue reading.
Avoid teaser-style headlines like those used in gossip magazines.
They may attract curiosity, but your goal is to provide useful, trustworthy information that helps visitors solve real problems.
Visually, headings must stand out:
- Make headings larger and easier to spot
- Ensure your main heading (H1) is clearly larger than subheadings
- Use a darker colour than the body text
- Maintain a clear visual hierarchy throughout the page
Your visitor should never have to search for your headings—they should notice them instantly.
Subheadings
Subheadings act as mini signposts within your content. They describe the information directly beneath them and help readers decide whether to keep reading or move to the next section.
Visitors are scanning for answers, not reading like they would a book or newspaper, and clear subheadings make scanning fast and effortless.
Article Summaries
A short summary at the top of the page reassures visitors that they’re in the right place.
It can confirm the page is relevant, provide a quick answer to their question and encourage them to continue reading
Even if your visitor leaves after reading only the summary, they’ll know you may be the right person to answer other questions or problems.
Links
Links are some of the most important signposts on your website. I’ve noticed that many web designs at the moment make the links invisible. This makes it harder for your visitor to find and click the link.
Instead, make links clearly visible by:
- underlining them, or
- using a distinct colour
If visitors can’t find your links, they may give up entirely.
Also, avoid vague link text like “Click here” or “Read more”. Instead, use descriptive words that help the user. People know that they can click on a link, so don’t waste valuable space with words like click here.
An easy way to create good links is to write your content, not thinking about links. After finishing, choose one or two of the words and turn them into a link.
Summary
Navigation is one of the strongest sources of signposts on your website.
A clear structure helps visitors understand where they are and where to go next.
By improving the headings, subheadings, summaries, and links, you create effective signposts that make it much easier for your readers to find the information they need.
Ref: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/text-scanning-patterns-eyetracking/
