Comparison of Hypotheses About Web Navigation Using a Bayesian Approach

Abstract

By examining the navigation records on websites that contain large amounts of information, it is possible to extract information from visitors' navigation on these sites that can facilitate users' access to the information they are looking for. One way to make sense of navigation data is to test assumptions about users' navigation. In this way, users' navigation behavior can be better understood, and the way can be opened to increase the accessibility performance of the site and, accordingly, to improve the user experience.In this study, an application was carried out to compare hypotheses regarding category-based web navigation with the Bayesian approach. The results obtained from the navigation data of the Gebze Technical University homepage showed that the site's navigation is not hierarchical; visitors generally reach the targeted area directly or in a single step and remain in that region. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.