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Posted by: Dathan Nicholson 2/20/2007 10:50 PM

Homepage / Template Design to Make Visitors Stop

There are of course different reasons for designing a website - to make money, to disseminate information, or to stroke your ego – this article is geared toward the first more then the latter two. Its primary focus is on homepage design but the website's template should also use several of these principles since, not only are they best practices in web design, but you don't know from which page visitors are arriving to your site and you'll still want to hook them in.

You have a lot of competition on the Internet. Web surfers know this and the average web surfer will stay on your website for about 36 seconds and will visit approximately 66 domains per surfing session. (Nielsen//NetRatings, Average U.S. Web Usage Month ending in January, 2007).

About the Guidelines

This is by no means an extensive list. There are probably more items that could be added. This should be viewed as a guide to help you in the planning of the website's design.

The List of Guidelines

  1. Design your homepage after you've outlined your site
  2. Don't use excessive graphics and flashy crap
  3. Communicate to your users what they want to know
    1. Announce who you are and what you offer
    2. Show your credentials where they matter
  4. Identify with your users
    1. Gain their trust
    2. Don't just be one of them, be an authority of them
    3. Know their goals
    4. Use images of people
  5. Make the site easy to use
    1. Use a familiar layout
    2. Easy navigation
  6. Make them stop with a great offer
    1. Use you Unique Selling Point (USP)
    2. Use Flash or a catchy picture of sale items with a link
    3. Feature any time-sensitive features

  1. Design your homepage after you've outlined your site

    The sub-pages make the sale – they contain the content that matters most. The homepage is just a hub to connect the users to them. Know how your site will be organized first then organize the homepage to effectively connect the users to the rest of the site. View the article on Information Architecture for information on how to organize, plan and outline your site.

  2. Don't use excessive graphics and flashy crap

    A good site communicates effectively and functions simplistically. A simple design is not boring. It brings emphasis to the content which can help engage the user rather then distract them or slow them down.

    Although homepage minimalism may confuse a visitor, if a site becomes too busy, visitors "block out" sections of the page that seem less important or the user will get annoyed and exit the site altogether.

  3. Communicate to your users what they want to know

    1. 3.1 Announce who you are and what you offer

      • What the site is about
      • Whom the site is intended
      • Why they should stick around
      • Who is behind the website
      • Any necessary details about your product or service so they are not misled and do not waste their time

    2. 3.2 Show your credentials where they matter

      People get more interested when they are significant but don't over-sell. Users are NOT stupid. If you claim your product or service is "the best" or is far superior to everything else, it is likely to put them off buying at all, unless you can back that up with evidence.

  4. Identify with your users

    1. 4.1 Gain their trust

      • Honesty communicates integrity

        When you are small, emulate a design that people know by association to be a trusted company but know that they may be oversimplified because people already know and trust their brand.

      • "Truths" that we feel should be self-evident on the homepage:
        • Nations or states to which your product cannot be shipped (such as with alcohol, tabacco, or pharmaceuticals)
        • Products you offer that are not available online
        • Products and services not available
        • Areas of the nation/world that aren't yet covered by the service in question
      • Be upfront about your prices
        • Estimated delivery date and cost
        • Testimonials and what they paid
      • Clear return policy
      • Be upfront about the process
      • Easy and secure shopping
        • Provide sufficient, intelligent, and correct information
        • Offer different payment options
      • Don't overly promote

        Promoting Benefits that should come standard with the service, such as "free installation", will make them think "if that's the best you've got then you're not that good."

    2. 4.2 Don't just be one of them, be an authority of them

      Show them you're savvy of their trends (i.e. lifestyle, arts, dress, learning, manners, vocabulary, speech patterns, accomplishments, etc.).

      • Use their design style and their symbolic colors. Emulate the design styles of their magazines, music, clothing, etc. Browse monster templates
      • Refer to your target group by the name they call themselves
      • Give each audience its proper "weight." Design sub-sections of the homepage for that particular group
      • Use advertising that appeals each audience
      • Use visuals as a guide that connects with and leads each group to its own section of the site
      • Cite benefits of interest to each target audience

    3. 4.3 Know their goals

      Know why your visitors are there and make that the easiest thing to do.

    4. 4.4 Use images of people

      Show people using your product who have the attitude of your target market. Use photos that illustrate the emotional benefits that could result from using your service.

  5. Make the site easy to use

    1. 5.1 Use a familiar layout

      • Use a familiar layout (See Feature 1)
      • Prioritize key features (such as by page location and emphasis)
        • If the page height is greater then 768px then place the least important information beneath the fold
        • Reduce clutter and don't feature too much

    2. 5.2 Easy navigation

      • An expanded navigation menu tree in a left column (since the right side could be cropped by a narrow viewport) is the best since this enables the user to view the site's contents at a glace. The next best method would be pop out menus since this would still enable the user to access any page in the site regardless of their location
      • A search field clearly located at the top is the best location
      • Provide a site map as a separate page
      • Provide text links in the footer to at least the main sections

  6. Make them stop with a great offer

    1. 6.1 Use you Unique Selling Point (USP):

      • Great customer service
      • Low prices
      • Products that can't be bought elsewhere
      • Free delivery

    2. 6.2 Use Flash or a catchy picture of sale items with a link

    3. 6.3 Feature any time-sensitive features, such as a holiday package or a featured story on alternative medicine

Feature 1

Web surfers have grown accustomed to looking in certain locations in web page to find specific web elements (Bernard, 2001). The 10 images below show the location that web surfers expect to find some common web elements.

Table 1: The expected location of common web elements.

Figure 1. Location for internal web page links
Figure 2. Location for external website links

Figure 3. Location for "back to home" link
Figure 4. Location for internal search engine

Figure 5. Location for advertisement banners
Figure 6. Location for the login/register button

Figure 7. Location for the shopping cart (basket) button
Figure 8. Location for the help button

Figure 9. Location for links to merchandise items
Figure 10. Location for the account/order button
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