Some help and tips on what makes a great website homepage.
Let The User Know What You Offer
As a website owner you will no doubt be aware that your site and homepage are great ways to attract new custom to your company. Despite this however it is amazing how many homepages actually don't include enough of the right information that a new visitor will need to know. A very clear description of what your service or product is all about is of great importance. Far too many sites have a homepage which is flashy, displaying loads of adverts and perhaps the project that the company is currently working on, however none of this really tells the user quickly what they need to know. If the user doesn't understand quickly and clearly what your site is for then it is likely they will quickly leave your homepage and visit one of your many competitors.
Preferably in the headline or first paragraph you should give your site visitors a clear and concise picture of what it is you do, this should include who you are, what you offer and why they should choose you.
The homepage shouldn't be one huge long sales letter, which screams unprofessional, instead include the important information about your company and what you offer.
The design should be attractive and catchy but not overdone, websites that include too much flashy content that may well be attractive can distract a user from finding the information that they really want. Your design therefore should be attractive yet clear.
Navigation
Navigation on the site is one of the areas where so many websites go wrong, your navigation should be clear to the user, that way they can quickly and easily find the information they want. Navigation should be kept in the same place throughout the site; it is also a good idea to include a footer which can include links to other pages of your site also.
Links to other parts of your site that should be included on your homepage are "about us", "contact us" and "services". The user should be able to quickly get to any of these pages, the about us page should describe in more detail about your company. The contact us page will let your site visitor quickly raise any queries, a services link is absolutely necessary in order for the user to find out more about your services. If you have an ecommerce site then instead of services a navigation menu with all your categories should be included. A site map link would also be a good idea for if the user wants to try to find something, if your site is large enough a search box could also be included.
A homepage should not be full of adverts as this will only distract the user from what they are on your site for, promotions to other parts of your site are fine as long as they are kept to a minimum.
Basically a homepage needs to be clear, give the user enough information about what it is you offer but not too much as the page will be cluttered. It should be easy to navigate and have links to more information about your company and services.
Good luck in creating your homepage in the future.
Article created by Blue Ice Web Design
Author Information
This article was created by Blue Ice Web Design Limited, they are a website design company based in the UK that offers many website design services at competitive prices.
