Great Website Content: Balancing Form and Function

How important are good directions? Have you ever received directions so bad that they got no where but all the wrong places? From a usability standpoint, a good website will always answer three basic questions:

1. Where am I?
2. Where have I been?
3. Where can I go?

Studies have proven that the navigational structure of a website is one of the most critical elements for establishing credibility with visitors. Credibility is what stands between your site and a new customer. If you succeed at delivering a visitor directly to the information he or she is looking for in the shortest amount of steps, your credibility goes up. Conversly, if your site requires a lot of guess work and back button usage, your credibilty will suffer.