Why Your B2B Site Needs a Mega Menu

why your B2B site needs a mega menu
If you’ve ever been on Amazon or Walmart.com, then you’ve likely navigated a mega menu — a selection of various categories and subcategories all organized into one easy-to-navigate menu. Mega menus are fairly common for e-commerce sites, but not seen as frequently on business to business (B2B) sites. However, B2B sites benefit from mega menus in a variety of positive ways. A mere 50 percent of small businesses have their own website, but many people do research online before choosing to do business with a company. No matter what type of business you run, an online presence is vital and you must work hard to ensure your website meets the needs of users. There are a number of reasons why a B2B business might need a mega menu on its website. Special thanks to Bruce Mars for the cover photo.

1. Serve Multiple Business Types

If you serve a number of different types of businesses, a mega menu helps you segment the different categories. You simply create a category for each type of business and then add subcategories specific to those users. While you might not have the time or resources to create endless landing pages or websites, a mega menu is fairly easy to maintain. You can even divide your menu into columns, each aimed at a specific audience. Envelopes.com breaks down their offerings into categories such as Mailroom Supplies, Custom Printing and Paper & Cardstock. Hover over any of the categories and you’ll get a mega menu that drops down and offers additional subcategories. For example, if you hover over the Mailroom Supplies tab, you’ll see subcategories of Envelopes, Mailers and Packaging. Under each subcategory are additional choices.

2. Personalize Your Website

Adding a mega menu also gives you an opportunity to personalize your website. You know your customers better than anyone else. Study your internal data and poll your current users and figure out what areas each buyer persona uses most. This allows you to personalize the organization of your menu to best suit the needs of your target audience.

3. Combine Images and Text

A mega menu gives you the opportunity to combine both images and text and make a lasting impression on users. People only remember a little of what they read, but if you combine text with an image, they are much more likely to remember your website. A mega menu gives you the extra space to add photos, icons or other visual images to really connect with users. Advantage Outfitters offers a mega menu highlighting the different vehicle choices and the products for outfitting those vans for custom work, such as adding shelving or partitions. No matter what the needs of the business, they can go straight to the accessory and see the available options.

4. Make Your Menu Mobile

The majority of people now access the Internet via their mobile devices. Create a mobile responsive menu so users can see what you have available at a glance. Today’s mega menus can become mobile responsive by offering clickable categories which break down into further categories. Leave easy breadcrumbs so your users can navigate back to the main menu easily if they click on the wrong category.

5. Follow Typical Structure

When you have a lot of categories to cover, it can seem overwhelming at first. Around 80 percent of sites have a navigation structure with four to six sections. However, a mega menu allows you to use four to six categories and then break them down into as many different sections as you’d like. A mega menu allows you to create a limited number of categories and then expand on those as widely as you’d like. TigerDirect Business offers a mega menu that highlights the different categories of what they offer. Even though they do go over the traditional six categories, they still limit the number. As you hover over each category, additional sub categories and sub sub categories appear.

6. Create a More Intuitive Mega Menu

A mega menu gives you options to highlight some text and reduce the less important text to a normal, non-bolded font. For example, you can take a hamburger menu, which works well on mobile devices and expand it into a mega menu with specific categories and further subcategories. You also have the option of using images rather than text to highlight which sections users should click on for specific features.

7. Make Your Site Interactive

A mega menu adds the opportunity for engagement. When users hover over a specific word, further options appear. You can highlight text with a background color, add animated images, create pop-up options and so much more. Mega menus are like an additional window into the navigational structure of your website and provide the opportunity for interactivity where users might otherwise grow bored and leave your page.

Are Mega Menus Right for Your Business?

If you have a lot of different categories to cover, mega menus might be what your business needs to get more organized and push users toward the areas of your site you most want them to visit. If you have very limited categories and no subcategories, then a mega menu gives you an opportunity to add images and visuals to drive better engagement with site visitors. Either way, consider mega menus as a way to take your site to the next level. What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with the idea of using mega menus for your B2B business? Leave a comment below to share your opinion, we’d love to hear from you. Or chime in on the discussion in our Facebook Group and on Twitter.

Author Bio

Lexie Lu is a designer and writer. She constantly researches trends in the web and graphic design industry. She writes weekly on Design Roast and can be followed on Twitter @lexieludesigner.

Read next: 16 B2B Marketing Tips to Help Any Business Succeed in 2019

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