Website Navigation Card Sort Template
Use this template to organize your website navigation through card sorting. The template includes a ready card list for a typical business site, a participant script, and a step-by-step process from card sort results to a validated menu structure.
Free plan: 3 studies. Unlock the full analysis for a single study for $15, or choose Starter at $19/mo.
Used by 1,800+ users.
When to Card Sort Your Website Navigation
Card sort your website navigation when you are launching a new site, redesigning an existing one, adding a lot of new content, or noticing that users cannot find what they need. Card sorting reveals how your audience naturally groups pages, which helps you build a menu that matches their mental model.
How to Pick Cards from Your Sitemap
Start with a content inventory or sitemap. List all your pages, then remove login screens, thank-you pages, and legal fine print. Focus on pages users actively look for. Aim for 20 to 40 page cards. If you have more than 40 pages, prioritize the most visited or most important pages, or group minor pages under broader labels like 'Resources' before the sort.
Ready Card List
Website Navigation Cards
Ready card list for a typical business website.
- Home
- About Us
- Services
- Products
- Portfolio
- Case Studies
- Team
- Careers
- Contact
- Blog
- FAQ
- Pricing
- Testimonials
- Privacy Policy
- Terms of Service
- Support
- Downloads
- Partners
- News
- Events
Copy the cards to paste into a spreadsheet, or download the CSV to import directly.
Free plan: 3 studies. Unlock the full analysis for a single study for $15, or choose Starter at $19/mo.
Used by 1,800+ users.
From Card Sort to Tested Navigation
1. Run an open card sort
Let participants group pages and create category names. This reveals how users naturally think about your content.
2. Analyze the results
Merge similar category labels, read the similarity matrix, and check the dendrogram for natural clusters.
3. Draft your navigation
Turn the top clusters into a menu structure. Use the most common participant labels as your menu names.
4. Run a closed card sort to refine
Test your draft menu by asking participants to place pages into your proposed categories. Look for placement agreement above 70%.
5. Validate with a tree test
Build your menu structure in a tree test and ask participants to find specific pages. This confirms your navigation works in practice.
After you validate your navigation with a tree test, move on to tree testing on ValidateThat.
Participant Instructions Script
Welcome! We are organizing our website navigation and need your help. You will see cards representing pages on our site. Please group these pages into categories that make sense to you.
- Read through all the page names first.
- Create groups by dragging related pages together.
- Give each group a name that describes what those pages have in common.
- Think about how you would look for these pages if you visited our website.
- There are no wrong answers - we want to see your natural thinking.
Once you have grouped all the pages and named your categories, click Submit. Thank you for helping us build a better website!
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I include every page on my site?
No. Focus on the pages users actively look for. Leave out login screens, thank-you pages, error pages, and legal fine print. If you have more than 40 pages, prioritize the most visited or most important ones.
Can I test a mega menu structure with card sorting?
Yes. Run an open sort to discover the top-level categories, then run a closed sort for each top-level category to validate where subcategory pages belong. This two-stage approach works well for large sites.
What comes after the card sort?
Turn the card sort results into a draft menu structure, then validate it with a tree test. A tree test asks participants to find specific pages in your proposed navigation, which confirms the structure works in practice.
Related Guides
Free plan: 3 studies. Unlock the full analysis for a single study for $15, or choose Starter at $19/mo.
Used by 1,800+ users.