In this post I’d like to talk about the home page. The home page is the page that gives you a first impression what this website is all about. There are certain requirements that need to be fulfilled.
I started to analyze how what I see, or better what I’m looking for to find…so…
For me having a successful experience on the web is to:
- find what I need
- understand what I find
- act appropriately on what I understand
Let me real quick explain the structure. I’m talking here about the Home page, which is a multipurpose page.
There are pathway pages, which I consider being the navigation and there are information pages, which I’ll call destination page…gotcha?
I’m focusing on the Home page, which serves a multiple purposes.
Now the Home page should serve different functions:
- identify the site, establish the brand
- setting the tone and personality of the site
- help people get a sense what’s all about
- let people start their key tasks immediately
- send each person on the right way
All this without making people read too much!
Identifying the site, establishing the brand
Your site’s logo, name and tag line identify it. Don’t use paragraph to explain the site. Don’t put paragraph-long mission statements on the home page.
Instead encapsulate your company’s or organization’s mission in a memorable tag line – a short phrase that tells people how to think about the site.
Setting the tone and personality of the site
Deciding on the personality that you want your site to project is part of developing your “brand”.
Who decides on the site’s personality?
If you own the site (it’s your blog; it’s your company), you decide on the tone and personality you want your site to have. However, if you are part of a larger organization, it’s not your decision alone. Another division of the organization may dictate aspects of the site’s brand – colors, templates, and writing style.
A web site is the whole organization’s face to the world.
Helping people get a sense of what the site is all about
Many people coming to your site for the first time want to know:
- Whose site is this?
- Who are these people
- What is this site all about?
But they want to grab that information quickly!
A useful home page makes it instantly clear what the site is about
If a web site is going to help a company market itself successfully, it must speak to people who do not yet know the company. You need to show at a glance what businesses the company is in and what it offers.
A useful home page is mostly links and short descriptions
A useful home page for both new and returning site visitors is almost all links with just a few brief descriptions to help people very quickly understand what the site is all about and to know which link to choose to move on.
Letting people start key tasks immediately
When people come to a web site to do a task, they usually want to start that task right away. If people need a form, putting the form on the home page is a good strategy.
Put Search near the top – where site visitors expect it
Always put the Search box near the top of the page. People expect that the Search box will be either at the top right or at the top of the left navigation column. Screen-readers start to read from the top of the page. If the Search box is before other content, blind web users get to what they need quickly.
Don’t make people fill out forms they don’t want
Think carefully about the benefits and perils of asking for information when people are not ready to give it to you.
Sending each person on the right way, effectively and efficiently
Most people want to move off the home page quickly. Therefore
- Use your site visitor’s words
- Don’t make people wonder which link to click on
Building your site up from the content – not only down from the home page
Most web users who come to your site are looking for information that is a few clicks down in the site. Do a content inventory/content analysis by listing all the content you now have on the site.
