Section navigation: help visitors move within a topic

Key takeaways

Section navigation, also called local navigation, is a menu that lists the pages within the section a visitor is in, such as all the treatments in a clinic's skin section. It lets visitors move sideways between related pages without going back to the main menu, and shows where they are. Add it when a section has more than three or four pages.

• Lists pages within the current section, not the whole site.
• Lets visitors move sideways between related pages.
• Highlights the current page to show location.
• Useful when a section has more than three or four pages.

What is section navigation?

Section navigation is a secondary menu showing the pages that belong to the current section of a site, usually displayed beside or above the content. Nielsen Norman Group describes local navigation as a valuable orientation and wayfinding aid, because it shows nearby content and the visitor's place within it.

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• Primary vs secondary navigation: what goes where

Why does section navigation help?

Visitors comparing options want to move between related pages: one service and the next, one location and another. Without section navigation, they must go back to the main menu or the hub page each time. A local menu keeps the options in view and makes comparison easy.

• 'You are here': show visitors where they are

How should section navigation look?

A short list with a heading naming the section, the current page highlighted, placed consistently in every page of that section. On desktop, a column beside the content works well; on phones, a compact list above or below the content, or a dropdown labelled with the section name.

• Heading that names the section.
• Current page highlighted.
• Same position on every page in the section.
• Compact version on phones.
• Only pages within the section.

• Vertical vs horizontal navigation: side menu or top menu?

How is it different from breadcrumbs?

Breadcrumbs show the path upwards, from the homepage to the current page. Section navigation shows the pages beside the current one. They work well together on deeper sites: breadcrumbs answer 'where am I?', section menus answer 'what else is here?'.

• Breadcrumb navigation: does your website need it?

When is section navigation unnecessary?

Small sites with a handful of pages per section do not need it; the main dropdown already shows the options. Adding it there just repeats links. Use contextual links between related pages instead.

• Internal links that guide buyers, not just search engines

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see: a law firm has eight pages on family law, each reachable only from the main dropdown. Visitors reading about divorce cannot see the related pages on finances and children. A family law section menu on each page links the eight together.

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Section navigation checklist

• Add it to sections with four or more pages.
• Name the section in a heading.
• Highlight the current page.
• Keep the same position on every page.
• Pair with breadcrumbs on deeper sites.

• Flat vs deep site structure: which is easier to navigate?
• Resource hubs: navigation for guides, downloads and help

Next step

Find your largest section and check whether visitors can move between its pages directly.