Good home page design
Your home page is probably the most important page in the web site. A successful home page should:
- provide an entry point to every part of your web site
- give the user enough information to know what the site is about
- deliver valuable content to search engines
- convey your brand image
Define the goals for your home page
You should define the goals for your home page before you define the objectives
for your web site and then look at how the home page will help
achieve these objectives.
- Define the most important areas of your web site (the parts that are central to achieving your objectives).
- Try to write an introduction to your company or organisation as well as the purpose of your web site in a few words.
- Identify those parts of your branding that you want to highlight.
How to make the home page achieve your goals
Home page content
The home page needs to communicate your web site’s purpose. Users are
unlikely to read a long introduction, so you should offer them a short ‘strap
line’ that clearly identifies what you do and what your web site
can offer them.
Use clear and concise language, and clearly identify this strap line on the page. It may already be incorporated into your company branding or it may need to appear within the text. The strap line has an important role to play in providing key words and phrases to search engines. It should provide both search engines and users with valuable information.
The home page should contain brief information about your company or organisation in no more than one or two short paragraphs.
The home page should point users to the most important areas of the web site, with short descriptions and clear links.
Navigation
Navigation on the home page is crucial, because it should act as a central
hub to all other areas of the site.
Navigation needs to be clear and simple on the home page. To make sure that each link is clear, use card sorting to help you categorise the content. Use plain English, not cryptic icons, so that people do not have to guess what lies behind a link
It should be clear that this is the home page and it should not link to itself.
References
Home page usability: 50 web sites deconstructed by Jakob Nielsen and Marie
Tahir – published by New Riders – available from Amazon.co.uk.
