The homepage is traditionally seen as the gateway or front door to any web site. While this is less true today, as we see more and more people coming into a site via search, etc., the home page will always be important. To a visitor it’s a place they’ll ping-pong back to if they ever feel lost and, especially in large organizations, it will always stand as a symbolic representation of what’s important to the organization.
Because of its importance the homepage seems to become the focus of many challenges, from internal political battles to simple information design problems. It’s a battleground and more often than not that’s what it ends up looking like when all is said and done.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. With some planning, some well-thought out design and a solid strategy you can have a homepage that looks great, helps people get to the information they’re looking for and keeps everyone in your organization happy.
The importance of your homepage
The homepage is especially important to large organizations. Its the starting point for information-based browsing. I’ve spoken about alternatives to the top-down hierarchical organization of information and while I think alternatives to that are important (related item linking, search, etc.) I feel that this is a good way to organize a site. If people don’t start at the homepage, many times they’ll jump to the homepage if they get lost. Top down or hub, it’s a place to start. Or re-start, as the case may be.
(As well, I think with many large organizations you’ll see many people going directly to the homepage to start their experience with the site. They’ll have either bookmarked the page or will have typed the address in to the address bar.)
And then there are internal politics, messaging, marketing and branding. If the homepage isn’t all that important from a user perspective, you can bet your ass it’s important from a business and organizational perspective.
Challenges
All of the above create unique challenges. You’re dealing with a large amount of information, multiple stakeholders who’ve got conflicting goals and too much to say. You’re also usually stuck with multiple audiences all looking for something different. This usually leads to a shotgun approach that leaves the homepage cluttered and unfocused. Your internal stakeholders aren’t happy, your visitors can’t find anything and you’re left with a hard to manage mess.
Nobody wants that, yet it’s all to common when you’re talking about the homepage of a large organization.
These problems can be overcome with a solid plan and strategy for your content and messaging and a solid, balanced design.
Start with a plan
If we start with the content (and I think this is usually the best place to start when it comes to building a web experience) the goal should be to narrow down the messaging to something manageable. One of the ways this can be done is with a strategic plan for content. The idea is that you focus your messaging on one or two key areas at a time and change that up as needed.
It sounds easy but it actually takes quite a bit of planning and a willingness across the organization to compromise. Setting up an editorial calendar, for example, and having someone who is empowered to make decisions about the messaging that gets pushed to the top is a great way to start. Oftentimes the content management plan for the homepage gets mucked up with too many hands trying to stir the pot. This leads to that shotgun approach that generally muddies the message and leaves site visitors confused.
And remember, good content management is about people, not technology. It’s key to have empowered people around to ensure the homepages is saying what it should. Having a point person and some well thought-out documentation that all stakeholders have agreed to is a great way to begin.
Balanced design
A clean, clutter-free design can also work wonders. In working with Azusa Pacific University we were actually able to show them how to add information to their homepage while also clarifying the message and making it easier to negotiate to content.
You may have heard people talk about doing a lot with a little. Well, on your homepage you should be doing a little with a lot. You’ll have lots of information, too many calls to action and conflicting goals. The key is to find a design that simplifies and brings clarity and focus.
Using the plan I talked about above you can design your page with areas specifically for messaging that don’t get in the way of a visitors ability to find what they’re looking for. This will not only make it easier to navigate, but will act to increase the power and clarity of your chosen messaging.
The overall layout should be open, inviting and well thought-out. Consistent navigation, good use of white space, visual hierarchy, weight and color can all be used to take a load of information and display it in a way that clearly makes for a quick snapshot of the information contained within your site.
I once heard Jared Spool talk about the homepage in regards to the “Scent of Information” and he said the homepage should serve as a window to the whole site. That can be hard to do, especially considering the challenges I’m talking about here. It’s about keeping it simple and seeking balance and focus. It’s easier said than done, but trust me, it’s doable.
Ahhh… a great look at some basics, with some super-practical tips and ideas for approaching home page design. Great job, Keith, and thank you.
Good article. As an Information Architect, one the biggest hurdles is getting all the stakeholders in agreement as to what content gets placed at what positions on the page. Thanks for the insights.
Interesting article - a good reminder that effective design of the homepage is still an outright priority. This is what site visitors see first, and you want it to be good enough to make them want to return. Poor homepage/main page design is where there’s too little or too much of all aspects - it really is a balancing act!