Your website's navigation is crucial for guiding visitors to the content they seek—ensuring the user experience of your website is frictionless and that patrons can find the tickets they want quickly and easily.
While Peppered CMS handles many technical aspects of accessibility automatically, understanding how to structure your content for clear navigation benefits everyone—from first-time visitors to regular patrons using assistive technologies.
Before diving into specific elements, remember that people rarely view single pages in isolation. They follow journeys through your site, whether browsing casually or searching for specific information. Good navigation helps both types of people reach their goals.
Make navigation clear with logical headings
Headings do more than organise content. They create a map that helps all visitors understand and navigate your pages, ensuring they know where they are and can find the tickets they want. It also has the bonus benefit of boosting SEO performance.
Good heading structure:
- Creates clear content hierarchy
- Helps screen readers understand page organisation
- Makes content scannable for all users
While Peppered handles the technical implementation, you control the content structure.
Heading best practices
- Use one clear H1 per page (Peppered handles this automatically)
- Create logical progression through subheadings (H2-H6)
- Never skip heading levels
- Keep headings concise but descriptive
Poor example
H1: Welcome
H2: Click Here For Info
H4: More Details (skipped H3)
Good example
H1: 2025 Classical Season
H2: Featured Performances
H3: Chamber Music Series
H3: Symphony Concerts
Creating effective buttons and links
Interactive elements are crucial touchpoints in your patrons’ online journey. While Peppered ensures technical accessibility, your button and link text choices make a big difference.
Buttons are a gateway to interaction – booking tickets, making donations, joining mailing lists. They need to be:
1. Clearly identifiable
- Consistent styling across your site
- Distinct from non-interactive elements
- Clear hover/focus states
2. Properly sized and spaced
- Minimum size of 44x44 pixels for touch targets on mobile devices
- Adequate spacing between interactive elements
- Clear boundaries between buttons
3. Specific about the button's action
Poor: "Click Here"
Better: "Book Tickets for Wicked"
Poor: "Submit"
Better: "Send Donation"
Structuring navigation for maximum accessibility
Peppered offers two main page types for clear navigation.
Landing pages
- Act as signposts to guide users deeper
- Use clear section headings
- Include cards and media that link to detailed content
- Examples: Visit, About, Performance pages
Article pages
- Contain detailed information on specific topics
- Use clear headings to break up content
- Include relevant links to related content
Mobile considerations
While Peppered handles technical mobile optimisation, consider these content aspects:
- Keep navigation labels concise but clear
- Ensure touch targets are easily distinguished
- Test your content structure on mobile devices
Visual design tips
Peppered provides consistent styling, but you can enhance navigation through:
- Clear visual hierarchy in your content
- Adequate spacing between elements
- Logical grouping of related items
- Consistent navigation patterns
Examples from real venues
Here's some Peppered-powered websites have structured their pages and labelled their buttons.
Remember: While Peppered handles the technical aspects of accessibility, your thoughtful content structure and clear labelling help create an intuitive journey for all users.
Let’s make culture accessible to all
- Want to make your website more accessible?
All CultureSuite customers can take advantage of our comprehensive accessibility audit at discounted rates. Just get in touch to register your interest and we’ll get you onto the programme. Get in touch. - Need guidance on accessibility for your venue?
If you're not currently a CultureSuite customer, we recommend connecting with our trusted accessibility partners in your region. For venues in the Netherlands and Belgium, reach out to Digitaal Toegankelijk. UK venues should contact Accessible by Design. - Want to see how Peppered works?
We’re proud of how easy we make it for venues to manage their website. That’s why live event venues around the world trust Peppered. Book a personalised demo. - Looking to partner with us?
If you’re a technology provider, design agency or supplier for the arts and culture sector, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us here. - Want to learn more about digital tools for venues?
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