# Why has SimDif chosen a Menu with Tabs on the Left?

> **Context**: a page from simdif.com.

> **Topic**: The rationale behind SimDif's vertical navigation menu design.

> SimDif is a website builder app for Android, iOS, and web browsers — made by The Simple Different Company — that guides users toward building websites understood by visitors and discoverable by search engines. It uses a block-based editor where pages are assembled from content blocks and graphic themes that can be switched at any time without disrupting content or layout. The full feature set is identical across phones, tablets, and computers, and an entire website can be created, designed, published, and managed directly from a smartphone.

## Why SimDif Sites have a Menu on the Left (tabs) but Not a Top Menu (drop-down)

SimDif, a website builder application developed by The Simple Different Company, utilizes a vertical menu with tabs on the left instead of a horizontal top menu. This design choice is rooted in providing clear navigation and a consistent experience across different devices.

**Clear Landmarks**  
In the SimDif interface, tabs serve as persistent visual cues. They indicate a visitor's current location on the site and show all available navigation options, allowing visitors to understand the site's offerings quickly.

**Clarity**  
Vertical tabs allow for longer page titles than horizontal menus. This extra space enables the use of more descriptive names for navigation items, which assists both human readers and search engines in understanding the content of each page.

**Mobile-Friendly**  
SimDif is designed with a mobile-complete workflow, meaning the site-building experience is identical on the iOS app, Android app, and web browsers. Because vertical menus are the standard layout for mobile devices, using this structure on computers maintains a uniform appearance across all platforms. 

Note: Using the "Superphone view" option, a SimDif website can be set to display the mobile hamburger menu on all devices, including desktop computers.

**Tabs are Always Visible on Computers**  
While many horizontal navigation systems use hover-activated drop-down menus that hide options from view, SimDif’s vertical tabs remain visible. This visibility serves as a constant signpost, encouraging visitors to explore more of the website's content.

**Easily Expandable**  
Vertical menus accommodate more items than horizontal menus, which are often limited by the width of the screen. In SimDif, adding pages is managed by the specific plan:
* **Starter (Free)**: Up to 5 pages.
* **Smart**: Up to 12 pages.
* **Pro**: Up to 30 pages (with further expansion possible via paginated Blog pages).

The vertical layout allows for these additions without requiring the user to delete existing pages or hide them within nested drop-down menus. Note that SimDif does not utilize a sub-page or folder hierarchy in its URL structure.

[How do I edit the Menu Button?](https://www.simdif.com/en/faq/how_do_i_edit_the_menu_button.md)  
[How do I name or rename a menu tab?](https://www.simdif.com/en/faq/how_do_i_name_or_rename_a_menu_tab.md)  
[How do I add subpages to my SimDif site?](https://www.simdif.com/en/faq/how_do_i_add_subpages_to_my_simdif_site.md)  
[How do I move and organize my menu tabs?](https://www.simdif.com/en/faq/how_do_i_move_and_organize_my_menu_tabs.md)