Planning the Home Page

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Planning the Home Page

• Writing for the Web

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Contents

• Background
• Site introduction
• Links

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Background
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Purpose of the Home Page

• An introduction to your site that
• Sets the tone
• Creates a first impression

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Purpose of the Home Page

• The location of the main menu/table of contents,
  where readers can find information.
• A home base to which readers can return when they
  are lost.

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Home Page Filename

• Home.html
• Index.html
• Contents.html

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Home Page Checklist

• Logo
• Site name
• Whats new
• Purpose
• Scope
• Audience

• Annotated menu
• Navigation
• Date
• Author
• Sponsor
• Footer/contact info

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Links to the Following

• Site index
• Table of contents
• Site map
• Shortcuts
• Search engine
• Site help/guide
• Glossary

• Whats new
• Mission
• About us
• Author info
• Page for different browsers
• Printer-friendly page

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Home Page Elements

• Top of page
• Banner/logo/graphic
• Site title
• Navigation
• Introduction
• Bottom of page
• Footer/contact information

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Techniques to Use

• Keep the home page simple.
• Focus on the purpose of your site.

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Techniques to Use

• Keep the home page one screen long.
• Put the important information within the focal
  point. Draw peoples eyes to it.

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Scrolling

• Minimize the need to scroll by fitting
  information on one screen.
• Put the most important information at the top.

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Techniques to Use

• Size page so it fits within the screen
  dimensions.
• Balance information.
• Group related information.

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Techniques to Use

• Include a link to the home page from every page
  in your site.

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Site Introduction
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Top of Page

• Every page should make it clear
• What the page is about
• How it relates to the site as a whole
• What is available
• Who is responsible for the info
• How to get there (navigation)

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Writing and Formatting Page Introductions

• Word each introduction the same.
• Format each introduction the same.

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Purpose of Site Introduction

• Get attention by providing a hook.
• Give readers the idea of the
• Purpose
• Scope
• Target audience
• Content
• Briefly describe contents (advance organizer).

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Purpose

• Help readers decide whether to continue reading.
• Attract Web spiders that create keyword
  databases for search engines.

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Ways to Begin

• Welcome.
• Invitation to explore the site, interact,
  participate.
• Hook to get attention.

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Ways to Begin

• Why site is important.
• Sites benefits.
• Who is responsible for the site.
• Statement of how often the site is maintained.

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Techniques to Use

• Get right to the point.
• Use direct, simple sentences.
• Use lively text.
• Use links immediately.
• Keep it short.

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Parts of the Introduction

• Purpose
• Scope
• Audience

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Purpose Statement

• State the purpose of the Web site--your
  objectives.
• The purpose of this site is to . . .

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Scope Statement

• State what is and what is not covered in your
  site.
• Explain your criteria for including and excluding
  information.
• Be specific.

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Example
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Audience

• Describe intended primary audience.

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Examples
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Intros to Avoid

• Ads
• Counters
• Apologies
• Dull facts or quotes
• Jumping right into the content

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Intros to Avoid

• Hi, Im . . .
• Lists of awards you have received
• Requiring registration
• Requiring that readers adjust their browsers
• Overemphasis on self

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Overdone Phrases to Avoid

• I hope that. . .
• This site focuses on. . .
• This site is designed to. . .
• This site is intended to. . .

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Links
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Links to Include

• Link to each major Web page in your site.
• Annotate menu items.

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Link to the Following

• Introduction (if long)
• The following optional sections
• Mission statement
• Whats New (if long)
• Glossary
• Site map or index
• Site help
• About us
• Pages for separate audiences
• Table of Contents (if long)

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Example

• Links for various audience types

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Table of Contents

• Use to show
• The length of the document.
• Organization and hierarchy of topics and
  subtopics.
• Type of information.
• Overview or map of site.
• If a viewer has visited all topics.

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Table of Contents Options Levels
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Table of Contents Options Expandable/Collapsible
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Table of Contents Options Organizational Chart
Style
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Table of Contents Organization

• Pick a logical organization
• Simple to complex
• Alphabetical, etc.
• Keep the structure fairly shallow (no more than
  three links deep).
• Have no more than about fifteen choices for any
  one group of topics.
• Consider providing several tables of contents,
  each organized in a different way.

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Writing a Separate Table of Contents Page

• Put Table of Contents in the page title to help
  readers when they refer to their bookmarks ( ____
  Table of Contents Page or Table of Contents
  ______ ).
• This name will also appear at the top of the
  browser.

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Linking to the Table of Contents

• Always provide a link to the table of contents on
  each Web page.

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