The most important page of your website: tips for a great homepage

The home page is the most important part of the majority of websites, and it gets the most page views. Not all visitors enter the site through the home page; websites are accessed via links from a variety of sources. Here are some things you can do to enhance your home page's usability, and enhance the business value of your website.

Explain what your site and your business aim to do

Begin your home page with a mission statement or tag line that lets people know what you're offering. Even more well known companies want to attract new customers; it's important to have a catchy tagline if your marketing strategy doesn't tell site users what they will gain from their visit.

Group your company's information in one area

Finding out about your company isn't the first thing on most users' minds, but most will want to know something about it. A good information section can increase a new company's credibility, and it is the best way to direct users to the home page.

Write your titles so that they'll be more visible to bookmark lists and search engines

Begin your "title" tags with your company's name; you shouldn't start with words such as "the" or "welcome" unless you want to be indexed near the end of the alphabet.

Include a search box

When one of your site visitors wants to search, they normally look at the home page to find a search box. Make it at least 25 characters wide, so it can hold more than one word.

Show what's really on your site

Don't just offer a short description; show off some of your most recent or best content. Begin link text with important keywords. Most users scan the page, trying to find the most relevant area. Links are actionable home page items, and when they are started with relevant words, you make the scanning process easier.

Offer quick access to recent features

Your users will remember promotions and products that were featured on the home page, but they won't know how to get them once the features are moved elsewhere. To help site visitors find important items, keep a "Recently Added" list on your home page and add a link to an archive of previous features.

Keep your home page simple

You may think that it needs elaborate pictures, lots of color and a multitude of boxes. The truth is, most site visitors dismiss pictures as mere advertisements. Don't just use basic clip art; show photos of actual users whenever possible.

Your home page can be some of your business' most valuable real estate. Knowing how to design it properly will help you attract more visitors to your site, and once they are there, keep them on the site.