Usability experts have long argued that the website’s home page is the most valuable Internet resource page. As a result, many web designers and programmers spend most of their time working on the home page.
User behavior and information retrieval on the Internet have changed significantly over time. Site statistics show that fewer and fewer users are viewing the home page. Over time, the home page will increasingly play the “front door” role to the site.
Visitors to the site usually look for the information they need, and it doesn’t have to be on the home page. Search engines are increasingly improving the mechanisms of ranking sites and in the TOP issue are high-quality resources, where the search query is best described. And, as a rule, this is not the main page of the site.
It is is especially true for sites that have 100 or more pages.
Home page structure
What should the site’s main page that sells to attract a visitor to win his loyalty from the first click? Consider the main components of such a main page of the site.
The main page should answer four questions of the visitor at once:
- Where am I?
- What can I find here?
- What can I do here?
- Why am I here (and not on any other site with a similar theme)?
Design. The basic rule is that plan should help, not distract. It is unnecessary to use various features that confuse the user and make everything better habitual but clear. The design should be designed to improve interactivity, not for beauty. First of all, you should focus on the potential audience of the site. For example, it is better to place graphic information instead of text on the main page in some cases. You can read more about how not to make a mistake with the design on the site here.
Logotype. It was the first to answer the visitor’s question, “Where am I?”. The company name, logo, and greeting text you located in the header of the page.
Pictures. If the product advertises on graphic images, they must demonstrate all its benefits — these images are made as detailed and high quality. If the photos show people who use your products, let it be the average resident, not a model.
Navigation. The main requirement for navigation is the organization of fast and logical transitions between sections of the site. If it is an online store with a wide range of goods, you should separately add a mini-catalog with goods on promotions, sales hits, etc.
Text. If you still decide to place the text on the main page, write it correctly, concisely, and in essence. The volume of the text should not be too large, and the information should not contain “water”. For an online store, it is better to place information about the goods on the main page than about the company. If the plan on the main page should display news and reviews, they should always be up to date. It will be evidence that the site is really “alive”.
Technical aspects. It is necessary to pay special attention to filling in the meta tags Title, Description – it will display this information in search engines. The site must meet the standards of cross-browser and platforms. The company’s name is better to make the text, instead of a picture, in a visible place in a header place phone numbers also in a text format.