“The Top Ten Guidelines for Homepage Usability” Written by: Jakob Nielsen Presented by: Jeff Wenck Source:

Introduction ► Why Having a Homepage is Important ► Include a One-Sentence Tagline ► Write a Window Title with Good Visibility in Search Engines and Bookmark Lists ► Group all Corporate Information in One Distinct Area ► Emphasize the Site's Top High-Priority Tasks ► Include a Search Input Box ► Show Examples of Real Site Content ► Begin Link Names with the Most Important Keyword ► Offer Easy Access to Recent Homepage Features ► Don't Over-Format Critical Content, Such as Navigation Areas ► Use Meaningful Graphics

Why Having a Homepage is Important ► Homepages are the most valuable real estate in the world. ► The homepage is your company's face to the world. ► The homepage is the most important page on most websites.  It gets more page views than any other page.

Include a One-Sentence Tagline ► A good tagline should:  Summarizes what the site or company does. ► Especially if it is a new or less famous one.  Tell first-time visitors about the site's purpose. ► Well-known companies are always looking to attract new customers.

Write a Window Title with Good Visibility in Search Engines and Bookmark Lists ► Search Engines display their results in alphabetical order. ► For this reason it’s important not to begin the page or window title with words like:  “The”  “Welcome to” ► This will result in your page being alphabetized at the bottom of the list. Source: optimization.htm

Group all Corporate Information in One Distinct Area ► Sometimes people do need details about who you are. ► Good corporate information is especially important for:  PR  Increasing a new companies credibility. ► Having an “About” section is the best way to link users to more in-depth information than can be presented on the homepage.

Emphasize the Site's Top High- Priority Tasks ► Your homepage should offer users a clear starting point for the main one to four tasks they'll undertake when visiting your site. Source:

Include a Search Input Box ► Search is an important part of any big website. ► “The little box where I can type" ► Your search box at least 27 characters wide.  As to accommodate multiple words without obscuring parts of the user's query. Source:

Show Examples of Real Site Content ► Don't just describe what lies beneath the homepage.  Specifics beat abstractions.  Show some of your best or most recent content.

Begin Link Names with the Most Important Keyword ► Links are the action items on a homepage. ► Start each link with a relevant word helps:  Make it easier for scanning eyes to differentiate it from other links on the page. ► A common violation is to start all links with the company name  This adds little value  Impairs users' ability to quickly find what they need.

Offer Easy Access to Recent Homepage Features ► Users will often remember articles, products, or promotions that were featured prominently on the homepage. ► Unfortunately they won't know how to find them once you move the features inside the site. ► Keep a short list of recent features on the homepage. ► Supplement with a link to a permanent archive of all other homepage features.

Don't Over-Format Critical Content, Such as Navigation Areas ► Users often focus on the parts of the homepage that look more likely to be useful. ► Users tend to dismiss graphics as ads. ► Therefore important homepage items do not require elaborate illustrations, boxes, and colors. Source:

Use Meaningful Graphics ► Images are powerful communicators when they show items of interest to users.  Don't just decorate the page with stock art.  But they can backfire if they seem frivolous or irrelevant. ► Example: Show photos of real people actually connected to the topic, rather than pictures of models.

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