Top Ten Guidelines for Homepage Usability

1
Top Ten Guidelines for Homepage Usability

• Jakob Nielsen
• Presented by Joe Southall

2
Introduction

• Your homepage represents your company
• The homepage is the most important page on
  websites
• The homepage is extremely important to a
  companys total revenue

3
Include a One-Sentence Tagline

• Begin the page with a tagline that tells visitors
  what your company does
• You especially need a good tagline if
• Your company is not well-known
• Your companys slogan is bland

4
Write a Window Title with Good Visibility in
Search Engines and Bookmark Lists

• Start the TITLE tag with the company name
  followed by a brief description of the site
• Dont begin with words such as The or Welcome

5
Group All Corporate Information in One Distinct
Area

• People need to know about who you are (as a
  company)
• An About section is the best way
  to link users to more information that you cant
  fit on the homepage.
• Can increase a less popular companys credibility

6
Emphasize the Sites Top High-Priority Tasks

• Help users get what they want
• Offer a clear starting point for the main one to
  four tasks a user will perform while at your site

7
Include a Search Input Box

• Search feature is important to any website
• Users look for the little box where I can type

8
Show Examples of Real Site Content

• Show off some of the deeper site content
• You have good material
• Display some of the best or most recent content
  on the homepage

9
Begin Link Names with the Most Important Keyword

• Start each link with a relevant word
• Dont start all links with the company name!

10
Offer Easy Access to Recent Homepage Features

• Users remember content that has been featured on
  the homepage in the past
• Keep a short list of recent features on the
  homepage
• Link a permanent archive of homepage features

11
Dont Over-Format Critical Content, Such as
Navigation Areas

• Homepage items dont require flashy images and
  colors
• Users often dismiss graphics as ads
• Dont clutter your page

12
Use Meaningful Graphics

• Images are powerful communication tools when
  showing interesting items
• Will not be useful if they are irrelevant
• Show photos of real people, not models

13
Conclusion

• Make sure users understand what your company is
  about
• Make sure users are able to find what they are
  looking for
• Display site content
• Use graphics as visual aids, but dont overdo
  them
• Questions?