“Top Ten Guidelines for Homepage Usability” Article Author: Jakob Nielsen Presenter: Amish Patel Date of Presentation Sept. 16, 2008

Overview 1. One-sentence Tagline 2. Good visibility of Title tag 3. Grouping corporate information 4. Emphasize site’s top high-priority tasks 5. Search input box 6. Examples of real site content 7. Link names with keywords 8. Easy access to homepage features 9. Don’t over-format content 10. Use meaningful graphics

One-Sentence Tagline The first step to do is make a one-sentence tagline, which is a branding slogan, that explains to the user what the site or company is about. This should explain to the user why they should be at your website.

Good Visibility of Title Tag The title tag, which is displayed in the search results, are the most important information available to the searchers. This should be the company name followed by a brief description of the site. Try to avoid words like “The” and “Welcome to” if possible since they would be alphabetized under the letters “T” and “W.”

Grouping Corporate Information The “About ” sections helps users get information about important corporate information, which may help the site with recruiting, relationships with investors and public relations. This can also help users determine the credibility of the website, especially for small, unknown companies.

Emphasize the Site’s Top High-Priority Tasks The homepage should have a clear starting point which will help the users undertake the tasks they wish to perform while visiting your site.

Search Input Box Having a search box helps users find things on your website. When most people come to a website, they tend to look for a search box. Search boxes should be a box that would hold at least characters in width.

Examples of Real Site Content Having examples is far better than abstractions. These examples should be the most up-to- date content that reflect what the website is about.

Link Names with Keywords Links help guide the user through the webpage. They should begin with important keywords and should be distinguishable from other links on the page. Avoid starting all the links with the company name. This has very little value and impairs the users’ ability to find what they need quickly.

Easy Access to Homepage Features Articles, products, or promotions that were once on the homepage should be keep accessible in a short list with a permanent link so that when the user wants to look back at it after it has been removed, the information is still accessible from the website.

Don’t Over-Format Content Over-formatting critical content may make the site harder to navigate. Elaborate illustrations, boxes, and colors sometimes confuse users into thinking they are nothing more than just ads.

Use meaningful graphics Unique images are very useful when they are relevant to the site instead of just using stock art. Having photos of real people connected to the topic is better than pictures of models. As a caution, having irrelevant or frivolous images may deter users from the website.

Summary Key things to remember when designing a webpage is, make it user-friendly, unique, distinguishable, informative, and organized.

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