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General Discussion

Dropdown or extra page?

I'm wondering, what is the most user friendly option? A dropdown menu or create an extra page where you have to choose a topic? I'm talking about small websites, where the dropdowns would have only 1 level.

I often read that dropdowns are a bad idea, but is an extra click better?

And what is the best option for SEO?

1 Answer

Hey Julie,

In my opinion, it's worthwhile to have as few clicks as possible. You want the user to have as smooth as an experience as possible. That extra page could confuse the user or cause them to leave the site. Yet I suppose it depends on the content and how integral it is to the primary navigation of the site.

I believe a lot of the past and current controversy of the hamburger menu revolves around whether or not the user will understand how to use it. It's three stacked lines which might seem to be an oddity or site decoration. It's common to have text in place, such as "Menu" or something similar. Yet normal drop-down menus, such as one that can be activated by hover, are straight forward and I don't see an issue with using them. You just have to be more careful when it comes to making the site responsive.

As far as SEO, I'm unsure whether either option would be better than the other. Maybe someone else can provide some input on that topic.

That sounds logical. Thanks for your input!