Navigation
Orient the visitor and stay out of the way of the page's one job.
- +Logo, at most 3 to 5 links, and a single primary action; nothing competing with the page CTA
- +The nav CTA matches the page CTA (same verb, same destination)
- +Nothing in the nav answers a question the page hasn't raised yet
The nav becomes a sitemap: every product page, resource and login variant crammed in. Visitors leak out through links before the page has made its argument. That's especially deadly on low-awareness pages, where any exit ramp beats reading.
Where it appears
The same section, different positions. Each archetype asks something different of it.
The Manifesto
Get out of the way. On an essay the navigation only has to prove there's a real company behind this, and then disappear.
The Mechanism-Led Page
Hold the visitor inside the argument. They arrived with a pain, not a shopping list, and every link is a way to leave before the mechanism lands.
The Workflow Narrative
Stay out of the story. The page works as one continuous read, and navigation is the easiest way to break it.
The Product-Led Page
Be part of the craft. This audience reads the header as the first piece of interface you're showing them.
The Conversion Page
Barely exist. Every link is an exit, and this page has no room for exits.
The Outcome / ROI Page
Serve a committee. Different people land here with different questions, and the header is how each of them finds their own.