how do i put a menu on my website that people use?

design · 2026-09-12 · 3 min

a menu is a short list of places, not a map of your company. the best menus answer the question a visitor is already asking: what do you do, can i see it, what does it cost, how do i reach you. four to seven items is the usual range; more than that and the labels start competing.

the structure should come from the pages that sell, not from the org chart. "chi siamo" is often less useful than "lavori" for a first-time visitor.

what goes in it

home is the logo, not a menu item, though including it is not a crime. then the one or two pages that carry the offer, a proof page if you have real work to show, and contact. a blog goes last, and only if it is updated.

labels should be the words customers use. "servizi" is fine; "soluzioni integrate" is not. keep them short enough to fit on one line on a phone.

desktop and mobile

on a phone, the menu collapses into a button. make sure the button is at least 44 by 44 pixels, opens on tap, closes on tap outside, and traps the focus while open if you care about keyboard users. the panel should scroll if it has many items.

on desktop, a horizontal bar is still the clearest pattern. a mega-menu with columns is a solution to a problem most small sites do not have.

anchors and accessibility

if the site is one page, the menu links to sections and the browser scrolls. if it is many pages, the menu links to urls. mixing the two in one bar confuses people: a link that jumps down and a link that loads a page look identical.

use a nav element, a list of links, and aria-current on the active page. test with the keyboard: tab through the menu, press enter, and make sure the focus is visible. this is not extra credit; it is the difference between a menu and a decoration. the same rules are what a ux review checks first: ux designer a parma.

faq

how many items should a menu have?

four to seven is the comfortable range. if you need more, group them under one label instead of shrinking the font.

should the logo link to the home page?

yes, on every page, including the home page. it is the convention people use to reset.

do i need a hamburger menu on desktop?

no. it hides navigation that has room to be visible. use it on small screens, where space is the actual constraint.