This article will show you how the Mega Menu Structure is determined and how we can use current knowledge to help achieve a better balance.
Things That Help
We know the left-hand column will be the longest
Sections will not wrap to the next column
Ensure that any lengthy sections are moved to their own column or to a smaller section
You can choose to show 1 or 2 levels of pages to help avoid extremely long sections
We know Government and Departments are usually the exceptions and it is best practice to continue showing the sub-pages here in alphabetical order
Long Page titles will wrap
You can change your Mega Menu Text to be shorter and keep your Page Title lengthier if needed
Some Final Thoughts
Having your Parent Pages alphabetized was a best practice we are moving away from
Note: This does not apply to subpages. It is helpful for those to be in a particular order, for example, departments or boards/committees.
Moving away from an alphabetical parent page structure gives you more freedom to customize your Mega Menus for desired aesthetics and to move the most visited topics to the top
Note: You do want to limit the frequency in which you make changes to your navigation structure as this could frustrate visitors who are familiar with navigating your site.