You've created a new page or have a link to an external site... now you just need your site visitors to be able to find it!
Sections in this article:
Getting Started
To get started on making changes to your site navigation, go to the Static Content tab in the admin and click Website Navigation.
You'll see two columns displayed and an Add Manual Link button.
The items in the left column are added to the right column (Navigation) to create your website's navigation. Any items that are not available there can be set up as a Manual Link.
Left Column
The left column consists of items that will make up the navigation menu.
Folders & Pages
Manual Links
Events
Products
Blog
Right Column
The right column represents the way the items will display on the frontend navigation. This is where you'll set that up by dragging and dropping items over from the left side.
Pages vs. Manual Links vs. Categories
Pages
Before you begin making changes, it's important to understand what can go in the navigation and where to find it. Any pages on your site can be found in the left column:
Search by name in the search bar
OR in the appropriate folder below the search bar
>> Note: Folders can not be added to the navigation (only the pages within the folders). If you need a non-clickable link, which can be named the same thing as the folder, see the info below for Manual Links.
>> If you need to create a new web page first, follow these steps.
Manual Links
You can also add Manual Links by clicking the button in the top right. These links could be any of the following:
An external website
A file or image (that's saved to Novi Files or Secure Files)
An internal link to your own site that's not available in the left column - When creating the manual link, enter ONLY the URL path after your domain name. For example, if the website link is "https://www.noviams.com/events/?PastEvents=1" you only need to enter the "/events/?PastEvents=1" part.
Non-clickable items you can use to organize your menu (these are recommended for the main navigation items) - Example: If you want an Education item in your navigation, but don't want to create an actual page for it, you can create a manual link. For this use case, you would check the Non-clickable Navigation Item checkbox when creating the manual link.
After creating a manual link, it will show up in the left column under Manual Links. It will then need to be added to the right column. See the section below for how to add items to the navigation.
Categories
In addition to pages and manual links, you can also drag and drop any categories that you've set up for your events, products, and blog.
Updating the Navigation
Add Item to Navigation
Once you know what needs to be updated, adding to your site's navigation is as simple as searching for the page/event/product/blog/manual link (in the left column) and dragging and dropping it where you want it to appear (in the right column). The video below will show you how to add and remove items in the navigation.
*Keep a close eye on the placement of the item, which is determined by the location of the arrow:
Dropping it above or below another item will place it appropriately.
Example: Above another item
(Add "Classes" above "Events")
Example: Below another item
(Add "Classes" below "Events")
Dropping an item IN another item (the arrow is in the middle) will create a sub-menu under the first item.
Example: Within another item (sub-navigation)
(Add "Classes" as an item within "Events")
Remove Item from Navigation
To remove items, find the page that is currently showing in the navigation (right column). Hover over the item and click the drop-down arrow that appears. Then click Remove. This will only remove the item from the navigation - it will not be deleted from the left column.
Items of Note:
Items that are in the left column (folders & pages) but are not in the right column (navigation) are either "hidden" but still active, or they may be linked within another page on the site.
In order for your navigation to display properly without causing the layout to shift, we recommend using 6 or fewer main navigation items (if possible). Also, keep in mind that the length (i.e. number of characters) in each navigation item can affect the display/layout as well.
Your website's footer, which displays on all web pages, is not part of the navigation. The footer content can be edited from the frontend - for the middle and right regions. The footer content in the left region is pulled from your Association Settings on the backend.
Learn More
Watch: Update Your Website's Navigation in Novi AMS
AE Tip™: Keep your navigation simple! Visitors don't want to search through 100 links and sub-menus to find what they need. Remember - Every page doesn't need to be in the navigation. You can always link to a page from another page.