Many websites use subtle location indicators that users easily miss. Designers, who know the site well, may overlook this because they don't need help navigating. However, visitors might be new or visit infrequently, making everything feel unfamiliar. Signals that seem obvious to designers often go unnoticed by users.

Here’s how to test if your website uses strong location signals:

• Show users various pages without navigating to them.
• Ask, "Pretend you just arrived at this web page. Where are you on the website?"
• If they answer, ask, "How can you tell?"
• If they’re unsure, ask, "What would you expect to see here to help you know where you are?"
• If they’re still unsure, ask, "What would you normally do to find out?"

This process will reveal if your visual location cues are strong and well-placed. Existing websites can test location signaling anytime. For new websites in progress, test during the high-fidelity stage. Use real content and include distractions like ads and photos, which tend to normally affect user attention.^[1]