Blog navigation: help readers find the next article

Key takeaways

Good blog navigation helps a reader who arrived from search find the next useful article and the service it relates to. Use a small set of topic categories, related articles at the end of each post, contextual links in the text, a link to the relevant service and search once the blog has dozens of posts. Avoid date archives and tag clouds.

• Most readers arrive on a single post, not the blog homepage.
• Use five to eight topic categories, not dozens of tags.
• End each post with related articles and the relevant service.
• Add search once the blog passes a few dozen posts.

Why does blog navigation matter?

Blog readers usually land on one post from search with no idea what else the site offers. If the post ends with nothing, they leave. Good blog navigation gives them a next article on the same topic and a route to the service the topic relates to, turning a single visit into a relationship.

• How clear website navigation improves user experience
• Entry points: design for visitors who skip your homepage

How should blog categories work?

Use a small number of categories that match your services or the topics buyers care about, such as 'Planning', 'Costs' and 'Maintenance'. Each post belongs to one main category. Category pages should introduce the topic, list the most useful posts first and link to the related service.

• Five to eight topic categories.
• One main category per post.
• Category pages with a short introduction.
• Most useful posts first, not only newest first.

• Resource hubs: navigation for guides, downloads and help

What should appear at the end of a post?

Readers who reach the end are the most engaged, so give them a next step. Show two or three related articles on the same topic, a short link to the relevant service and a contact option. Avoid long lists of recent posts unrelated to what they just read.

• Website dead ends: pages that leave visitors nowhere to go
• Internal links that guide buyers, not just search engines

When does a blog need search?

Once a blog passes a few dozen posts, readers looking for a specific topic benefit from search. Before that, categories and related links are enough. Make search results show article titles and summaries, not just dates.

• Search results pages: make site search find things
• Does your website need a search bar?

What should you avoid?

Date archives, tag clouds and endless 'older posts' pagination help almost nobody find anything. They also create many thin pages for search engines. If you have them, simplify to categories and a search box.

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see: a business blog with 80 posts, 60 tags and monthly archives, where every post ends with 'Recent posts' showing the latest three regardless of topic. Cutting to six categories and showing related posts plus the relevant service at the end of each article gives readers an obvious next step.

• See client work
• Website Design & Development for UK businesses

Blog navigation checklist

• Five to eight topic categories.
• Related articles at the end of each post.
• A link to the relevant service on each post.
• Contextual links within the text.
• Search once the blog is large.
• No date archives or tag clouds.

• Breadcrumb navigation: does your website need it?
• Section navigation: help visitors move within a topic

Next step

Open your most visited blog post and check what it offers a reader who reaches the end.