One of the keys to a good home page is structure. There are plenty of websites out there that have built popularity on being functional. Look at Wikipedia, or even Google. When you land on their home pages the main part of what you see is white, with a little information and a quirky logo.

These sites can rely on their reputation preceding them when it comes to convincing users to move into the inner pages. The average website isn’t quite so well known. The simplicity of these two exceedingly popular websites can provide a few hints as to what works well for a home page.

The first thing your home page should do is tell the user what you are there for. In marketing terms, this is a unique value proposition. It needs to be a message that you can convey clearly and easily. Sometimes, this is done in a tag line under the logo, which is also a great place to feature keywords for search engine optimisation. Wikipedia is a perfect example. Their logo is tagged with the line ‘The Free Encyclopedia.’ That’s it. Nothing more needs to be said, because they have staked their claim on knowledge. This line is excellent because of the multiple ideas it conveys. Not only is it free, not only does it have the authority of being an encyclopedia, but it is *the* free encyclopedia. The line suggests to the subconscious that there are no others.

Once you decide on your unique value proposition, support it. This can be in the form of a short explanation or images. A quote is very useful in conveying this extra information, putting it in a text form for easy understanding but drawing it away from the rest of the text and lending it authority. One or two images which support your value can also work on your user’s subconscious. A good example of this would be for a writing firm to include an image of someone working at a computer, and perhaps professionals standing chatting. These images give the impression of technology, work, skill, professionalism and consultation.

Other things that can help your home page include clearly delineated navigation and a search bar. Each of these things reassures your user at a glance that they can find their way around. Everyone has experienced the frustration of going to a site for information, then spending three hours trying to find it. It’s important that you back up the promise of easy navigation by ensuring your search tool works well and your navigation menu truly reflects your content. You can talk to us at SEO Consult about ways to structure your site that will please both users and search engine spiders.

Finally, the way you structure your content on the home page is important. A lot of sites feed fresh content into the home page with a news section. It’s good to set this section to the right hand side of the page for easy access. Content on the home page should be even briefer than normal, with clearly delineated sections and obvious links. Keep it simple, and your users can make their selection and move further into your site with ease.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 at 4:17 pm and is filed under Search Engine Optimisation Advice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.