# Testing a Website's Navigation: A Small, Repeatable Checklist

By ABDS — Auckland Business Digital Solutions

A navigation change can look finished while leaving an important route broken. A service link may point to an old address, a mobile panel may cover the page after closing, or a keyboard user may lose track of the selected control.

A short, repeatable review helps a team describe what should happen and recognise when it does not. Start with a few important journeys, then repeat them after each relevant change.

## 1. Agree the destinations first

Write down each visible label, its destination and its purpose. Include the logo, header, footer and prominent page links. If a parent item both opens a submenu and leads to an overview page, decide how people reach each action.

Here is a fictional planning record, not a result from a deployed website:

```json
{
  "case_id": "NAV-03",
  "start": "/services/",
  "label": "Contact",
  "expected_path": "/contact/",
  "expected_heading": "Talk about your project",
  "status": "not_tested"
}
```

Check the destination's meaning as well as its address. A page can load successfully while presenting the wrong service or an outdated enquiry route. Give each case an owner so an unresolved decision does not silently become the expected behaviour.

## 2. Walk through desktop and mobile

Open the site at a desktop width, then on a phone. A narrow desktop window is useful during development, but include a real touch device in the agreed review when possible.

- Follow every top-level destination and a representative submenu route.
- Open and close the mobile panel several times, including after scrolling.
- Check whether long labels remain readable when text is enlarged.
- Confirm that links are distinguishable and touch targets are sufficiently separated.
- Follow a link, return with the browser's Back control and inspect the restored menu state.

Look for clipping, overlapping controls and content that remains blocked by an invisible overlay. WAI's [Menu Styling guidance](https://www.w3.org/WAI/tutorials/menus/styling/) explains why readable labels, usable spacing and distinct interaction states matter.

## 3. Repeat without the mouse

Put the pointer aside. Use Tab and Shift+Tab to move through navigation, watching the visible focus indicator. Activate links with Enter. For a disclosure button, test Enter and Space. Check that closed content does not leave invisible links in the tab sequence.

For navigation following WAI's [disclosure example](https://www.w3.org/WAI/ARIA/apg/patterns/disclosure/examples/disclosure-navigation/), also check Escape: the open dropdown should close and focus return to its controlling button. Confirm that the button's expanded state matches what is visible. Typical site navigation does not automatically need application-style menu roles or arrow-key behaviour.

Record the browser and any assistive technology used. This checklist is a practical starting point; passing it alone does not establish accessibility conformance.

## 4. Check arrival and recovery

For links to sections within a page, confirm that the correct section exists and its heading is not hidden behind a fixed header. Test a route back to the main content or page top where the design provides one.

Open a deliberately nonexistent address on your test site. Check that the missing-page screen explains the problem and provides working routes home or to useful content. For replaced addresses, compare the actual destination with the agreed redirect map. Do not treat every redirect as a successful result.

## 5. Keep failures reproducible

A useful failure record includes the case ID, starting URL, device, browser, steps, expected result and observed result. Add a screenshot when it clarifies the problem. “Menu broken” gives the next person very little to reproduce.

After a fix, repeat the failed case and nearby routes that share the same navigation component. Keep preview results separate from checks made on the published site, and record the version and date of each review.

ABDS plans business websites around agreed pages, mobile navigation and customer journeys. To discuss the checks your project needs, explore our [website design service](https://abds.co.nz/services/website-design/) or call 0279088880.