Navigating your WordPress website via the navigation menu is one of the most crucial elements for making your site user-friendly.
After all, why would you stay if your site visitors cannot maneuver your website’s content?
By default, WordPress has a basic built-in menu system to help you create a simple navigation menu. However, it is outdated and does not hold the power that some website owners wish it would. More importantly, it is not readily responsive, causing users on the go a lot of frustration.
Luckily, some fantastic WordPress menu plugins today can enhance your website’s navigation. By integrating seamlessly into your website and offering an exceptional mobile viewing experience, these menu plugins are sure to wow your site visitors and impress them with their advanced functionality.
The Best WordPress Menu Plugins for Improved Site Navigation
1. UberMenu
UberMenu is a user-friendly and highly customizable Mega Menu WordPress plugin. It is easy to use with the WordPress 3-Menu Management System and allows for creative personalization that packs a punch. It is designed as a full-grid system, allowing columns, rows, tabs, images, maps, and icons.
Each menu item has its own individual layout controls, and of course, it is fully responsive with a touch interface for the ultimate in mobile optimization. Lastly, you can add images of any size to your menu items to improve your WordPress website’s navigation and visual appeal.
Additional features include:
- Add any HTML, shortcode, or widget to menu items
- 50+ configurable settings and pre-defined skins for customizing your menus
- FontAwesome icons included
- Mega Menu or Flyout styles available
- Create static or dynamic content in tabbed submenus
PRICE: $19
2. Mega Main Menu
Mega Main Menu is a multifunctional, fully responsive WordPress menu plugin with many options for creating custom drop-down menus. However, it maintains a simple interface that even new website owners can handle. Start by placing content in your drop-down menus – links, text, widgets, and shortcodes – using one of 10+ dropdown combinations.
Next, change your color schemes, add background images, and choose from over 600 custom Google Fonts and 1600+ vector icons guaranteed to look good on all mobile devices. Ultimately, Mega Main Menu has all the features you need to create a completely customized menu without all the hassle of configuring complex settings.
Additional features include:
- Translation-ready and compatible with WPML plugin
- Create a sticky navigation menu for improved navigation
- Add a logo, search bar, and any other content all in one menu item
- WooCommerce and BuddyPress support
- Cross-browser friendly
PRICE: $14
3. LMM
Liquida Mega Menu (LMM) is a flexible menu plugin for novice website owners or advanced developers. Based on the solid Bootstrap 3.3 foundation, this menu plugin has an intuitive interface that integrates directly into the WordPress dashboard.
From there, you can create unlimited menus with zero coding skills, customize using unlimited skin options, and even add cool animation effects to your dropdown menu items. Responding to all screen sizes, LMM is the perfect option for improving the user experience amongst your site visitors no matter what device they access you from.
Additional features include:
- Touch interface
- Horizontal and vertical mega menu layouts
- WooCommerce and Easy Digital Downloads (EDD) support
- Sticky menu on scroll capability
- Google Fonts and FontAwesome icon support
PRICE: $19
4. Max Mega Menu
Max Mega Menu automatically converts your existing WordPress menus into mega menus. You can then take control of your existing menus and make them more intuitive, accessible, and touch-ready for site visitors.
For example, you can add standard WordPress widgets to any menu item, use the Live WordPress Customizer to make real-time changes to the style and behavior of your menus and rest assured that you can manage multiple menus from one convenient location. Creating menus is easy with the drag-and-drop menu builder, so you can make sure every menu element you want to include is perfectly placed for site visitors to view.
Additional features include:
- Flyout or traditional submenu styles
- Hover, hover intent or click events to open menu items
- Animated menu transitions – fade, fade up, slide, or slide up
- Responsive, touch, and Retina-ready
- Cleanly coded and lightweight
PRICE: FREE
5. Hero Menu
Hero Menu requires only a few easy steps to create a customized, slick, and professional-looking WordPress menu. From highly complex mega menus to simple dropdowns, this plugin can do it all. For example, you can add WooCommerce items to the mega and main menus using the drag-and-drop menu builder.
In addition, use the drag-and-drop structure builder to easily add menu items to the main and submenus. With 60 color presets available, branding is not a problem, and since this menu plugin comes fully responsive, all site visitors can easily navigate your site.
Additional features include:
- Multiple content support – post, text/HTML, contact forms, maps, and images
- 270 free icons
- Sticky-menu capability
- Color, transparency, and logo can differ from main menu
- Integrates easily with most WordPress themes and plugins
PRICE: $19
6. Noo Menu
Noo Menu is a revolutionary menu plugin due to its interactive and intuitive admin interface. It allows you to change almost everything to match your web design—all from one place. Easily switch to the Noo menu builder from your WordPress dashboard and start making changes. Add text, images, video, widgets, and forms to any submenu.
In addition, utilize the built-in mega menu toolbox to manage the structure of all submenus in real time. Lastly, use this all-inclusive, feature-packed menu plugin to change things like menu height, box and text shadows, corner radius, blur distance, background gradient, and more.
Additional features include:
- 100% responsive and mobile-friendly
- Horizontal and vertical menu displays
- 9 pre-defined skins
- Option to save pre-made templates
- Support for up to 12 column grids
PRICE: $15
7. Mega Menu
Mega Menu is a powerful menu plugin brought to you by WooRockets. Focusing on user experience with its responsive design and ease of use behind the scenes with its dedicated drag-and-drop menu builder, Mega Menu gives website owners complete control over the look of their menus and site visitors complete control over their navigation.
Finally, create and save menus for later use, take advantage of the live preview feature while making changes, and add text, links, icons, widgets, or images to any menu item.
Additional features include:
- Vertical or horizontal orientation
- Unlimited color options
- Google Fonts embedded
- 100% mobile-friendly
- Custom CSS support
PRICE: FREE
8. Responsive Menu
Responsive Menu is a highly customizable menu plugin for WordPress that turns menus you create in the admin panel into hamburger menus for your site. This menu plugin does not require coding knowledge since all customizations are performed in the settings section.
Create a hamburger menu button or add a custom image that slides, pushes, or fades out. Enable sticky navigation or a scrolling effect, and add a custom logo to your menu for brand recognition.
Additional features include:
- Fully responsive design
- WPML and Polylang translation support
- Cool animation effects for menu buttons
- Customize submenu depth
- 600 free FontAwesome icons
PRICE: FREE
9. Side Menu
Side Menu adds sleek and amazing side menus to your WordPress website so visitors can easily navigate it. This plugin allows you to add unlimited menu items, customize different menus for different pages, and choose whether to display them on the right or left of your site.
In addition, internal or external links can be inserted into menu items, anchor links can be set up for in-page navigation, and social share buttons, print buttons, or back-to-top buttons can even be integrated. Lastly, pair this menu plugin with the Ultimate Modal Windows plugin and watch menu items open up in modal windows for the ultimate user experience.
Additional features include:
- Built-in FontAwesome icons
- Slide-out hover or flyout effect
- Disable side menu for mobile devices
- Generate leads with inquiry forms, CTAs, pricing calculators, email opt-ins, and more
- Easy-to-use interface for changing all style elements
PRICE: $19
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, how your site visitors interact with your website’s content should be a priority regarding web design. Without people engaging in your site’s content, there will be no loyal followers, interested customers, or sales. A great-looking website with all the bells and whistles does you no good if your visitors disappear before finding out what you have to offer because they cannot figure out how to navigate your website.
If you want to ensure your readers can access your website’s content and receive an optimal viewing experience, consider using WordPress menu plugins. Though the default WordPress menu system is adequate for those looking to keep their navigation super basic, utilizing the power of a WordPress menu plugin will propel your site’s usability far beyond that of WordPress’ built-in menu functionality.
Have you ever used any of these WordPress menu plugins for your website? Which one did you use? I would love to hear all about it in the comments below!
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