diff --git a/mkdocs.yml b/mkdocs.yml
index db3fbbfd..bbedc943 100644
--- a/mkdocs.yml
+++ b/mkdocs.yml
@@ -4,9 +4,9 @@ site_description: Project documentation with Markdown.
 
 pages:
 - ['index.md', 'Introduction']
-- ['user-guide/writing-your-docs.md', 'User Guide / Writing your docs']
-- ['user-guide/styling-your-docs.md', 'User Guide / Styling your docs']
-- ['user-guide/configuration.md', 'User Guide / Configuration']
-- ['about/license.md', 'About / License']
+- ['user-guide/writing-your-docs.md', 'User Guide', 'Writing your docs']
+- ['user-guide/styling-your-docs.md', 'User Guide', 'Styling your docs']
+- ['user-guide/configuration.md', 'User Guide', 'Configuration']
+- ['about/license.md', 'About', 'License']
 
 theme_dir: 'theme'
diff --git a/mkdocs/nav.py b/mkdocs/nav.py
index 90434720..12cc6771 100644
--- a/mkdocs/nav.py
+++ b/mkdocs/nav.py
@@ -120,11 +120,21 @@ def _generate_site_navigation(pages_config, url_context, use_directory_urls=True
     pages = []
     previous = None
 
-    for path, title in pages_config:
+    for config_line in pages_config:
+        if len(config_line) == 2:
+            path, title = config_line
+            child_title = None
+        elif len(config_line) == 3:
+            path, title, child_title = config_line
+        else:
+            msg = (
+                "Line in 'page' config contained %d items.  "
+                "Expected 2 or 3." % len(config_line)
+            )
+            assert False, msg
+
         url = utils.get_url_path(path, use_directory_urls)
-        title, sep, child_title = title.partition('/')
-        title = title.strip()
-        child_title = child_title.strip()
+
         if not child_title:
             # New top level page.
             page = Page(title=title, url=url, path=path, url_context=url_context)