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Menus: Building Site Navigation

Last updated on May 21, 2026 05:09

A clear and intuitive navigation menu is essential for a good user experience. If visitors can't find what they are looking for quickly, they will leave.

PolyCMS includes a powerful, drag-and-drop Menu Builder that makes organizing your website's structure incredibly simple.

The Menu Builder Interface

To create or edit your navigation, go to Appearance > Menus.

The screen is divided into two parts:

  • Left Column (Available Content): This lists all the Pages, Posts, Categories, Products, and Tags currently on your website.

  • Right Column (Menu Structure): This is where you actually build and arrange your menu visually.

Creating a New Menu

  • Click the Create a new menu link at the top.

  • Give your menu a recognizable name (e.g., "Main Header Menu" or "Footer Links").

  • Click Save Menu.

Adding Links to Your Menu

Now it's time to add items to the menu you just created.

  • Look at the Left Column. Click the tabs to find the content you want to link to (for example, click the "Pages" tab to find your "About Us" page).

  • Check the box next to the items you want to include.

  • Click the Add to Menu button.

  • The items will appear in the Right Column.

Note: You can also use the "Custom Links" tab to create a link to an external website or a specific URL that isn't a page on your site.

Arranging and Creating Dropdowns

This is where the automatic happens. In the Right Column, you can visually organize your navigation:

  • Reorder: Click and drag an item up or down to change its position in the menu.

  • Create Dropdowns (Sub-menus): Click and drag an item slightly to the right so it sits underneath another item. It will snap into an indented position. The indented item is now a dropdown sub-menu of the item above it!

Assigning Menu Locations

Building the menu is only half the job. You need to tell your Theme where to display it.

Every theme registers specific "Menu Locations" (like "Primary Header", "Footer Column 1", or "Mobile Menu").

  • Scroll to the bottom of the Menu Structure area.

  • Look for the Menu Settings / Display Location section.

  • Check the box corresponding to where you want this specific menu to appear (e.g., check "Primary Header").

  • Finally, click the big Save Menu button.

Go to the front end of your website (click "View Site" in the topbar) to see your new navigation in action!