When your Search Atlas website grows beyond 8 pages, the Website Builder automatically reorganizes your navigation bar from a flat list of links into grouped dropdown categories. No settings to configure — you add pages and your navigation stays clean.
🗂️ What Automatic Navigation Grouping Does
On a small site, a flat list of navigation links works fine. On a larger site, that flat list becomes cluttered and hard for visitors to scan. Automatic navigation grouping solves this by organizing your pages under category labels in the navigation bar, each of which expands into a dropdown menu when a visitor interacts with it.
⚡ When Navigation Grouping Activates
Grouping is triggered entirely by your page count — no manual step is required:
- 8 pages or fewer: Every page appears as an individual link in the navigation bar.
- More than 8 pages: Pages are automatically organized into dropdown category groups in the navigation bar.
The Website Builder detects your page count and applies the correct navigation layout for you. You will see the change reflected as soon as your site crosses the 8-page threshold.
👁️ How Grouped Navigation Appears to Your Visitors
Once grouping is active, your navigation bar displays category labels at the top level instead of individual page links. Visitors can click or hover on a category label to open the dropdown menu listing the pages within that group — both interactions are supported. Your header stays organized regardless of how many pages your site contains.
💡 Tips for Making Grouped Navigation Clear for Visitors
Because grouping activates automatically, how intuitive your navigation feels depends on how your pages are named. Keep these points in mind as your site grows:
- Use short, descriptive page names so visitors can quickly identify which dropdown category contains the page they need.
- After adding your 9th page, preview your site to review how the grouped navigation looks from a visitor's perspective.
- If a category label or grouping feels unclear, consider renaming the relevant pages to better reflect their content.
Clear page naming makes grouped dropdowns immediately scannable and reduces the clicks visitors need to find what they are looking for.
🎯 You now know that the Website Builder automatically switches your navigation to grouped dropdown categories the moment your site exceeds 8 pages — keeping your header organized as your content scales. To learn more about building and structuring your site, explore the Website Builder overview.