Web Site Design: Planning Your Home Page

A well-constructed home page will project a good first impression to all who visit your website.

All websites are organized around a home page that serves as a logical point of entry into the rest of your site. The home page sits at the top of the hierarchical chart of pages, and helps to divide your audience and provide clear pathways to their particular area of interest.

It is important that your home page clearly communicates your site's purpose, and provide all of the major options available on your site. Information on your home page should be visible "above the fold", and the content should focus on what your site offers that is of value to the visitor, and how it differs from your competition.

When a visitor arrives at your site, the first thing they do is scan your home page for links and major headings. Requiring visitors to read large passages of text can slow them down, or frustrate them to the point of leaving your site, so your website home page should enable easy navigation so that visitors can quickly browse for information they want without any hassles.

Invest a little time planning the organizational structure of your home page and think about who your audience is, and what they would expect to see on your site. Successful sites inform, engage and meet visitor expectations.