When the user wants to design, optimize, or audit site navigation menus. Also use when the user mentions "navigation," "nav menu," "header menu," "site struc...
Guides navigation menu design for SEO, UX, and accessibility. Navigation helps users find content and signals site structure to search engines.
When invoking: On first use, if helpful, open with 1-2 sentences on what this skill covers and why it matters, then provide the main output. On subsequent use or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output.
Initial Assessment
Check for project context first: If .claude/project-context.md or .cursor/project-context.md exists, read it for key pages and audience.
Identify:
Site structure: Main sections, hierarchy
Primary goals: Conversion paths, key pages
Platform: Web, mobile, both
Structure & Organization
Menu Size
Primary nav: 7-9 items; avoid overwhelming users
Sub-navigation: Up to 2 levels; deeper topics in sub-menus
Pattern: Horizontal top nav or vertical side nav; avoid novel patterns
Hierarchy
Reflect sitemap structure; need not match exactly
Prioritize what visitors need most
Logical grouping by topic or task
SEO Best Practices
Practice
Purpose
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Semantic HTML
,
, ; proper landmark roles
Descriptive anchor text
Target keywords; avoid "Click here"
Text links
Prefer text over images; crawlers need readable links
Initial render
All nav HTML in first paint; no JS-only menus for critical links. See rendering-strategies
Visible links
Prefer visible over hidden; helps crawlers understand structure
Crawlability
Sub-menus: Ensure HTML is in DOM (e.g., CSS-hidden, not JS-injected)
Footer nav: Include secondary links
Breadcrumbs: See breadcrumb-generator for implementation
UX Guidelines
Visibility & Location
Desktop: Visible nav; avoid hiding behind hamburger when space allows
Expected placement: Primary nav in header; footer nav at bottom
Current location: Indicate active page/section in menu
Accessibility
Requirement
Practice
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Labels
Clear, intuitive wording
Contrast
4.5:1 for link text
Touch targets
>=44x44px; adequate spacing
Keyboard
Full keyboard navigation; focus visible
Screen readers
Proper ARIA; skip links for long menus
Design
Simple, clear; avoid covering entire screen with open menus on desktop
Consistent across pages
Mobile: Hamburger acceptable; ensure menu is usable when open
Output Format
Structure (primary items, sub-items)
Anchor text suggestions
HTML/ARIA notes
SEO checklist
Accessibility checklist
Related Skills
website-structure: Plan structure and nav hierarchy; nav reflects planned sections
xml-sitemap: Nav should reflect discoverable pages
internal-links: Nav is primary internal linking
site-crawlability: Nav affects crawl paths
category-page-generator: Category hierarchy in nav
footer-generator: Footer nav complements header nav
logo-generator: Logo typically sits in header with nav