How to Add Navigation on an Online Store in Shopify

Navigation is one of the most underrated parts of a Shopify store. Many store owners focus heavily on product pages, ads, and pricing, but forget that customers can only buy when they can find things easily.

If your navigation is confusing, cluttered, or poorly structured, visitors get frustrated and leave. This directly affects sales, bounce rate, and even SEO.

Common navigation problems in Shopify stores include:

Too many menu items
Unclear menu labels
Important pages hidden deep inside dropdowns
No proper mobile navigation

This guide will walk you through how to add, manage, and optimize navigation in a Shopify online store, step by step. By the end, you’ll be able to create clean menus that help customers find products faster and move smoothly from browsing to checkout.

Table of Contents

What Is Navigation in Shopify?

Navigation is the system of menus and links that helps users move around your online store.

In a Shopify store, navigation usually includes:

The header menu at the top
Dropdown or mega menus under main categories
Footer menus with support and policy links
Mobile navigation drawers

Types of navigation in Shopify

Shopify allows you to create multiple menus and assign them to different parts of your theme. These menus control how users discover products, collections, pages, and content.

How navigation affects usability, SEO, and conversions

Good navigation:

Improves user experience by reducing confusion
Helps search engines understand your site structure
Improves internal linking
Increases product discovery
Boosts conversion rates

Bad navigation does the opposite. That’s why it’s not just a design task, it’s a growth decision.

Types of Menus in Shopify Navigation

Main Menu

The main menu is the primary navigation shown in your store header.

It usually includes:

Product categories
Main collections
Core pages like About or Contact

Best use cases

Highlight main product categories
Direct users to best-selling collections
Keep it short and focused

A good main menu answers one question: Where should the customer go next?

Footer Menu

Footer menus appear at the bottom of your store and support trust and usability.

They usually include:

Contact page
About page
Shipping and returns
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions
FAQs

Footer navigation is not for selling. It’s for reassurance, transparency, and support.

Dropdown and Mega Menus

Dropdown menus appear when users hover or click on a main menu item.

Dropdown menus

Simple nested links
Best for small to medium catalogs

Mega menus

Large panels with multiple columns
Can include headings, images, and grouped links
Best for large catalogs with many categories

If your store has many products, mega menus can improve discoverability. If not, they can feel overwhelming.

Where to Manage Navigation in Shopify Admin

To manage navigation in Shopify:

Go to Online Store
Click Navigation

This section shows all menus in your store.

Navigation dashboard overview

Here you can:

Create new menus
Edit existing menus
Add, remove, or reorder links

Default menus Shopify provides

Most stores start with:

Main menu
Footer menu

You can create as many additional menus as needed.

Step 1: Create a New Menu in Shopify

Add a New Menu

Inside Online Store → Navigation, click Add menu.

When naming your menu:

Use clear internal names
Example: “Header Categories” or “Footer Support Links”

The name is for admin use, customers won’t see it.

Choose the menu purpose:

Header
Footer
Sidebar or drawer (theme-dependent)

Add Menu Items

Once the menu is created, start adding links.

You can link to:

Products: specific product pages
Collections: recommended for navigation
Pages: About, Contact, FAQ
Blog posts
External URLs

Best practice
Use collections instead of individual products. This keeps navigation scalable as your catalog grows.

Step 2: Organize Menu Items Properly

Reorder Menu Items

Shopify allows drag-and-drop ordering.

Why order matters:

Items at the top get more clicks
Important categories should be visible without scrolling
Logical order improves scanning

Place high-priority items first.

Create Dropdown Menus

Dropdown menus are created by nesting links.

How it works:

Add a main menu item
Drag another item slightly to the right under it

Rules to follow:

Parent items should be categories
Child items should be subcategories
Avoid more than two levels deep

Too many layers confuse users, especially on mobile.

Step 3: Add Navigation Menu to Your Online Store

Using Shopify Theme Editor (No-Code Method)

Most modern Shopify themes support menu assignment without code.

Steps:

Go to Online Store → Themes
Click Customize
Open the header or footer section
Select the menu you created

You can switch menus anytime without editing content.

Assign Menus to Different Theme Sections

Depending on your theme, you can assign menus to:

Header navigation

Main categories and collections

Footer navigation

Policies, support, brand pages

Sidebar or drawer navigation

Often used on mobile
Helpful for stores with large catalogs

Always preview changes on both desktop and mobile.

Step 4: Create Collection-Based Navigation

Linking collections instead of products

Collections automatically update when products are added or removed. This makes them perfect for navigation.

Instead of linking:

Individual T-shirts

Link:

“Men’s T-shirts” collection

Smart collections vs manual collections

Manual collections

You choose products manually
More control

Smart collections

Products are added automatically based on rules
Best for large stores

Use smart collections when possible to reduce maintenance.

Best practice for category-based menus

Group products logically
Avoid overlapping categories
Use clear naming
Match navigation structure with customer intent

Navigation should reflect how customers think, not how products are stored internally.

How to Create Mega Menus in Shopify

What is a mega menu?

A mega menu is a large dropdown that displays:

Multiple columns
Category headings
Subcategories
Sometimes images

Theme requirements for mega menus

Not all themes support mega menus out of the box.

Check your theme:

Theme documentation
Header menu settings
Demo examples

Some themes enable mega menus based on menu structure alone.

Basic setup logic

Common logic:

Parent menu item triggers mega menu
Child items act as columns
Sub-items appear as links under headings

When mega menus improve UX (and when they don’t)

Use mega menus if:

You have many categories
Customers need quick overview

Avoid mega menus if:

You sell only a few products
Your catalog is simple

More is not always better.

Best Practices for Shopify Navigation

Keep menu labels short and clear
Avoid jargon and internal terms
Limit main menu items to what matters
Group related items logically
Ensure navigation works well on mobile
Highlight best-selling or high-converting pages

Navigation should guide, not overwhelm.

Common Shopify Navigation Mistakes to Avoid

Too many dropdown levels

Deep nesting makes navigation hard to use, especially on mobile.

Linking to individual products

Products change, collections scale better.

Ignoring mobile navigation

Most traffic is mobile. Always test menus on small screens.

Not updating menus

When new collections are added, navigation should reflect that.

SEO Tips for Shopify Navigation

How navigation helps internal linking

Menus create internal links across your site, helping search engines crawl pages more effectively.

Using keyword-friendly menu labels

Instead of:

“Shop”

Use:

“Men’s Shoes”
“Wireless Headphones”

This helps both users and search engines.

Avoiding duplicate links

Too many repeated links dilute link value and clutter navigation.

Improving crawlability with clean menus

Simple, structured menus:

Improve site hierarchy
Make important pages easier to find
Support long-term SEO growth

How Good Navigation Improves Your Shopify Store

Good navigation is not just about looks. It’s about helping customers reach the right product with the least effort.

When navigation is done right:

Users stay longer
Products are easier to discover
SEO improves naturally
Sales increase without extra ads

Treat navigation as a strategy, not a one-time setup. Review it regularly, test changes, and optimize based on how customers behave in your store.