By: Jonathan Sobczynski

Importance of Homepages A Homepage is the company’s “Face to the World” Most important page on a Website

Make the Site's Purpose Clear: Explain Who You Are and What You Do #1: Include a One-Sentence Tagline Summerizes what the site/company does Used to attract new customers Extremely helpful if your company's marketing slogan is bad.

Make the Site's Purpose Clear: Explain Who You Are and What You Do 2. Write a Window Title with Good Visibility in Search Engines and Bookmark Lists Begin the “Title Tag” with the Company’s Name Then have a brief description of site

Make the Site's Purpose Clear: Explain Who You Are and What You Do 3. Group all Corporate Information in One Distinct Area Create a section dedicated solely for business information Best way to link users to more in-depth info Important if the site hopes to support recruiting (ie: investor relations, public relations)

Help Users Find What They Need 4. Emphasize the Site's Top High-Priority Tasks Offer users a main starting point in the site Tell the users the main 1-4 tasks they will undertake when visiting your site.

Help Users Find What They Need 5. Include a Search Input Box Search Box is extremely important to any big website Users usually scan the homepage looking for “the little box where I can type” Make the box at least 27 characters wide to accommodate multiple words

Reveal Site Content 6. Show Examples of Real Site Content Don’t just use the Homepage as just a mask Show some of your company’s best or most recent work Show off your company and be proud of it

Reveal Site Content 7. Begin Link Names with the Most Important Keyword Links are action items on a homepage Start a link with a relevant word Most common violation is starting links with the company name

Reveal Site Content 8. Offer Easy Access to Recent Homepage Features Users will often remember articles, products, etc. that were featured prominently on the homepage Keep a short list of recent figures on the homepage Also supplement it with a permanent link to other archives in homepage

Use Visual Design to Enhance, not Define, Interaction Design 9. Don't Over-Format Critical Content, Such as Navigation Areas Homepage items do not require elaborate illustrations, boxes, and colors. Focus on the parts of the homepage that looks more likely to be useful

Use Visual Design to Enhance, not Define, Interaction Design 10. Use Meaningful Graphics Don't decorate the page with fancy art Images are powerful communicators when they show items of interest to users It is best to show photos of real people actually connected to the topic