navigation-menu-generator
npx machina-cli add skill kostja94/marketing-skills/navigation-menu --openclawComponents: Navigation Menu
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 product marketing context first: If .claude/product-marketing-context.md or .cursor/product-marketing-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 |
|---|---|
| Semantic HTML | <nav>, <ul>, <li>; 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 |
| 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 |
|---|---|
| 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
- breadcrumb-generator: Breadcrumb navigation; BreadcrumbList schema
Source
git clone https://github.com/kostja94/marketing-skills/blob/main/skills/components/navigation-menu/SKILL.mdView on GitHub Overview
Guides the design, optimization, and auditing of site navigation menus (header, main menu, mega menus, dropdowns, and mobile nav). It helps users find content quickly while signaling site structure to search engines, supporting SEO, UX, and accessibility goals. The skill covers structure, semantics, crawlability, and responsive behavior.
How This Skill Works
Begin with an initial assessment of site structure, goals, and platform. Define the menu size, hierarchy, and pattern (horizontal top nav or vertical side nav). Implement semantic HTML (<nav>, <ul>, <li>), descriptive anchor text, and accessibility basics (keyboard navigation, ARIA), and ensure submenus stay in the DOM for crawlability; validate with mobile and desktop tests.
When to Use It
- Design a new site navigation structure aligned with main sections and conversion goals.
- Audit an existing navigation for SEO, crawlability, and usability.
- Optimize navigation for mobile users with proper touch targets and usable patterns (hamburger or alternatives).
- Update header navigation when new pages or sections are added (including mega menus or dropdowns).
- Reorganize navigation after a major site restructure to better reflect the sitemap and user tasks.
Quick Start
- Step 1: Do an initial assessment of site structure, audience, and key pages.
- Step 2: Define menu size, hierarchy, and pattern (header, mega menu, mobile).
- Step 3: Implement semantic HTML, descriptive anchor text, and accessibility features; test crawlability and responsive behavior.
Best Practices
- Semantic HTML: Use <nav>, <ul>, <li> and proper landmark roles to define navigation.
- Descriptive anchor text: Use keyword-relevant, specific labels; avoid generic terms like 'Click here'.
- Text links and visibility: Prefer text links over images to aid crawlers and accessibility.
- Initial render: Include all nav HTML in the first paint; avoid relying on JS-only menus for critical links.
- Accessibility & responsive design: Ensure keyboard navigation, skip links, clear focus styles, adequate touch targets (>=44x44px), and that hamburger patterns are usable when opened.
Example Use Cases
- E-commerce site restructures the header into 7-9 primary items with a product-category mega menu for quick discovery.
- News portal adds section-specific submenus and a sticky header to improve access to breaking stories.
- SaaS site implements a feature-focused mega menu with a resources dropdown and clear pricing CTA.
- A site moves to mobile-first navigation, adopting a usable hamburger menu with persistent important links.
- Breadcrumbs implemented via breadcrumb-generator to improve discoverability and schema markup.
