Navigation is how you, your members, and your wiki members and visitors find the content they are looking for.
Importance of Developing Efficient Wiki Navigation
The internet user is a fickle beast and if they can't find what they are looking for in a few seconds and within a few clicks, they will leave your site and look elsewhere.
There are two general types of navigation :
- linked pages
- the search box
Elements of Navigation
The main navigation of your wiki is the top menu bar, side menu bar, breadcrumbs, and the search box. Users can also move from page to page using links in the page itself that leads from one page to another. Depending on the type of wiki you are building, your navigation will vary. The elements of navigation listed above are universal.
Main Navigation
(Main article: main navigation)
The main navigation areas of your wiki are the primary ways your members and visitors get around your wiki. There are four :
- the top menu bar (nav:top)
- the side menu bar (nav:side)
- breadcrumbs
- the search box.
Page Links
(Main article: links)
Page links can be placed on each page manually or automatically generated. Various modules can generate page links. The most often used is the ListPages Module and Tags module.
Backlinks
Backlinks show a relation of pages by listing pages that link to the current page.
Initial Navigation
90% of all internet users perform a search when they arrive on the main page of your wiki — if the search box is easy to find.
On every page of your wiki, your visitor should be able to answer these questions :
- Where am I?
- Where can I go next?
If a visitor can't answer both of these questions, then they are most likely to simply close out the page and move on to another, better organized website. These are important questions to consider from a visitor navigation standpoint as they relate to landmarks and signs the visitor needs to explore your wiki. Without clear landmarks and signs, your visitor is lost.
Landmarks: Where am I?
- Write Me
Signs: Where can I go next?
- Write Me
End Navigation
'See also' links at the bottom of the page help members snd visitors find what they are looking for if they didn't find it on the page they are currently on. 'See also' and 'Related Pages' categorized links are kind of a 'last catch' form of navigation. Links appropriate for this section of a wiki page :
- links already linked to in the text of the page
- links related to the page, but not linked
- backlinks (in the early stages of a wiki)
Redirects
A 301 Redirect can be created using the following wiki-syntax :
[[module Redirect destination="destination page"]]
Related Pages
| Categories: Content : Navigation : Wiki Guide |