Most B2B websites look like a junk drawer.

Founders want to show off everything they’ve built. Marketing managers want to link to every whitepaper and case study. Small business owners want to be helpful by offering twenty different options in the header.

The result? Your visitors are overwhelmed. Instead of taking the next step, they bounce.

If you want more demo requests and sign-ups, you need to simplify. Here is how to prune your navigation for growth.

The Paradox of Choice in B2B

When you give humans too many options, they choose nothing. This is a psychological fact.

On a website, every extra link in your menu is a distraction. Every distraction is a leak in your conversion funnel. Your navigation should not be a map of your entire company. It should be a guided path toward a single goal.

The “Rule of Five”

Look at your main navigation bar right now. How many links do you see?

If you have more than five, you are likely losing money. Aim for 3 to 5 high-level categories. Usually, these include:

  1. Product/Features: What you do.
  2. Solutions: Who you do it for.
  3. Pricing: What it costs (don’t hide this).
  4. Resources: Social proof or education.
  5. The CTA: Your primary button.

Anything else belongs in the footer.

Stop Being “Creative” With Labels

Clear beats clever every single time.

Avoid vague labels like “The Journey,” “Our Philosophy,” or “The Ecosystem.” Your visitors are busy. They don’t want to solve a riddle to find out what you do.

Use standard, recognizable terms. If you sell project management software, use “Features.” If you offer consulting, use “Services.” Your navigation is a tool, not a creative writing project.

Prioritize the “Big Yellow Button”

Your primary Call to Action (CTA) should be the most visually distinct element in your header.

If your “Book a Demo” button looks exactly like your “Login” link, you have a problem. Use a high-contrast color that isn’t used elsewhere in the nav bar. Make it look like a button, not just underlined text.

The goal is for the visitor’s eyes to naturally settle on the action you want them to take.

Pro Tip: The Squint Test

Step back from your monitor and squint your eyes until the text becomes blurry. Which part of your header stands out the most? If it isn’t your primary CTA button, your visual hierarchy is off. Re-design the header so that the “Get Started” or “Audit My Site” button is the only thing that pops through the blur.

If you are worried about SEO or “hidden” pages, move them to the footer.

The footer is where people look for the “boring” stuff:

  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Career pages
  • Address and Contact info
  • Social media links

By moving these out of the header, you clear the mental clutter. You allow your visitor to focus on your value proposition and your CTA.

Audit Your Path to Conversion

Every link on your homepage should answer one question: “Does this help the user decide to buy?”

If the answer is “maybe” or “no,” remove it. A lean website is a high-converting website.

Is your navigation helping or hurting your growth?

Get a clear, objective look at your website’s performance. Use our free tool at hmpgr.com to run an audit today and see exactly where you’re losing potential customers.