Actionable Insights On How To Design A Website Homepage
26 August 2022
[Video Transcript]
Designing A Great Homepage
Insights From 'Don't Make Me Think' by Steve Krug
Besides adding a name and purpose on your website's homepage design, there are other key must-have features that self-explanatory websites need to include. Learn what they're and get insights on how to design trustworthy, self-explanatory, and stress-free websites, from this best-seller.
The most important thing to establish on a homepage is the name and purpose of the website.
Ideally, a user will also be able to determine why they should be on that website versus a competitor's.
Once this has been taken care of, there are other key items every user expects to find on a homepage.
The first is the site's organizational hierarchy how to navigate to different pages within the site.
Both the content and the features should be easily found.
Persistent navigation, the existence of the same navigation in the same place on each page, will accomplish this.
Second, you always need a search bar.
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This ensures that when there is something that isn't self-explanatory about a homepage, a user will have an alternate route to their destination.
Next, it's a good practice to include some sort of marketing preview for what you can find on this particular website.
You should use this to get your customers excited about what they can find on your website by using this tactic.
A bit further down on the page, include feature and content promotions.
These should serve to highlight your newest or most popular content and products.
These may inspire your customers to read content they wouldn't have otherwise read or purchase a new product.
If you have a service or product that is most requested, you may want to create a shortcut to that page.
This will immediately improve the customer experience for a significant percentage of customers who visit your site.
Another necessary feature on the homepage is the link to any registration or login page.
If a website requires this type of entry, a link to this page should be apparent on the homepage.
As Don't Make Me Think points out, an organization's website is the ideal opportunity for building trust with customers.
It may even be the first time a customer is interacting with a particular organization.
By making a clear and self-explanatory website with these features, you'll set the stage for an excellent customer experience and increase the likelihood that they'll return in the future.
