Skip to main content
School of Medicine IT

Top Navigation

The primary navigation is the main menu that appears across the top of your website. It helps visitors understand the main sections of your site and provides consistent access to important pages.

Screenshot of a page on the TEACCH website, highlighting their top nav. Links to larger version of same image.

The top navigation does not update automatically when pages are added or removed — changes must be made manually.

Only editors assigned the Administrator role can manage the top navigation. If you don’t have this role, contact your site administrator for assistance.

Avoid Overcrowding the Menu

Your site’s top navigation should be simple, scannable, and focused on helping visitors quickly identify the major areas of your website (About Us, Our Faculty, Education, etc.). Too many menu items make navigation harder to use.

Effective site structure relies on grouping related content logically. The top navigation should provide a high-level overview of the primary sections of the site, while the left-hand navigation is used to display supporting and secondary content within each section.

  • Limit links in the primary navigation to section landing pages.
  • Avoid listing every page in the top navigation. Related content should appear in the left-hand navigation instead.
  • The top navigation should never wrap to a second line when viewed on a large desktop monitor. If it does, your menu contains too many items.
  • Use short, clear titles for the section landing pages that appear in the top navigation.

How to Edit the Primary Navigation

From the Dashboard, go to Appearance → Menus. You must be assigned the Administrator role to see this.

Screenshot of the WordPress dashboard showing where to find the Menus option under Appearance.

At the top of the screen, select Primary Navigation from the menu dropdown, then click Select. Sites can have more than one menu, but the one assigned as Primary Navigation controls what appears at the top of the site.

Screenshot of the menu selection option with Primary Navigation selected.

The Menus screen is divided into two areas:

  • The right side “Menu structure” displays the site’s existing top navigation menu.
    • The order in which the items are listed is the order in which they appear in the navigation.
    • Drag and drop items to reorder them but do not indent items — keep them flush left.
  • The Left side “Add menu items” displays the types of items that can be added to the menu.
    • Note: most of these options, such as individual events, event venues and organizers, will not be used in the primary navigation.
    • The two things typically added to the top navigation are pages and custom links (external links).

The menus screen displays a sites existing navigation on the right and the items you can add to the menu on the left, links to a larger version of the image.

Add Items to the Top Navigation

Most menu items link to Pages, with the occasional Custom Link (external link).

Add a Page to the Top Navigation

Pages are the most common items added to the top navigation.

  1. In the Pages panel on the left, check the box next to the page you want to add.
    • You can use the Most Recent, View All, or Search tabs to find it.
  2. Click Add to Menu.
  3. The new page will appear at the bottom of the menu on the right.
  4. Drag and drop the new menu item to the desired position in the list.
    • Keep items left-aligned (no indentation).
  5. Click Save Menu to apply your changes.
  6. From the front end of your site, refresh the browser window to confirm the new link appears in the top navigation.

Screenshot of the Pages panel, links to a larger version of the image.

Add a Custom Link to the Top Navigation

Use a custom link when you need to include a link to an external resource.

  1. Expand Custom Links in the left-hand “Add menu items” panel.
  2. In the URL field, enter the full web address (e.g., https://example.com).
  3. In the Link Text field, enter the text that should appear in the navigation.
  4. Click Add to Menu.
  5. The custom link will appear at the bottom of the menu on the right.
  6. Drag and drop it to the desired position in the list.
    • Keep items left-aligned (no indentation).
  7. Click Save Menu to apply your changes.
  8. From the front end of your site, refresh the browser window to confirm the new link appears in the top navigation.

Screenshot of the Custom Links panel, links to larger version of the image.

Reordering Items

The sequence in which menu items are listed is the order in which they will display in the navigation. Drag and drop menu items to change their order. Keep the menu items left-aligned (no indentation).

Remove a Menu Item

  1. In the “Menu structure” panel on the right, click the down arrow next to the item you want to remove.
  2. Click Remove.
  3. Click Save Menu to apply the change.

Screenshot of the "Menu structure" panel highlighting where the Remove link can be found.