Top horizontal navigation has a menu that usually spans across the top of the page with links to all of the different pages on the site. If you want your site to allow equal access to all pages, this might be the most practical for you. Just keep in mind that, while having easy access to all pages across the board is good, it may be more difficult to funnel users to the pages you want them to visit using this method.
This is why many website creators and business owners are opting for the minimalist automatic scroll web pages, because you get to lead the visitor through your website and direct them to the pages you want them to land on, rather than ones they choose.
There are advantages and disadvantages to both, but most visitors are going to prefer to navigate your site in their own way and in their own time and rather than being forced to go to the sales page. Perhaps they are there for information and are not ready to purchase yet. Using a system that is so highly automated may frustrate a customer who is just on your site for information and you may miss an opportunity to influence them to purchase later.
Gone are the days of the fast sale. You need to win your visitor over first and let them view you as a friend, someone who is interested in helping them first. Then you can provide links for them to purchase when they are ready.
The dropdown menu includes a list of various choices that a customer can select. You see this more often within the shopping part of a site, where you can navigate through products and services based on different categories and criteria. But a dropdown navigation menu is often used on homepages as well, as it allows visitors to quickly view the different pages your site has to offer.
This type of navigation is seen on mobile device software, so using this type of navigation may increase the UI experience for mobile users. It is also used for shoppers using a desktop or Mac and presents itself with three horizontal lines in the upper right-hand corner. When users click this, they will automatically see a menu of options they can select to navigate to a specific page.
Vertical side navigation bar
With the vertical side bar, you have all of the pages on your site listed in a neat order, depending perhaps on the level of importance. Some thought should go into the order of this, however, since people tend to choose one of the first 5 options they see most of the time and may not look all the way down your menu.
A great strategy is to list the options you want visitors to click in order of importance. That way, you can direct them where you want them to go without them feeling the pressure of being led along to the sales page.
