Comments on: The Home Page – How to Write a Website, Chapter 1

By: Chris Burbridge

Chris Burbridge — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 04:16:53 +0000

Well, not to say that my own example is the best by any means — but I really like websites that tell you very simply the like THREE things they can do for you, or the SIX things … In a very readable, gettable way.

Here’s my example: http://chrisburbridge.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Picture-131.png

It’s PARTLY to actually tell them what I do, and partly to convey that I do have a CLARITY about what I do, which is relaxing.

By: Sleazy Sales & Why Your Neighbours Make You Poor | Catherine Lawson

Sleazy Sales & Why Your Neighbours Make You Poor | Catherine Lawson — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 19:44:05 +0000

[...] Paradise – Hilarious song by Hunter Nuttall about bloggers struggling to make money online. How To Write A Website – A really useful series by Brad Shorr and Karen Swim. Is Your Tribe Holding You Down? – Sonia swim [...]

By: Lorrin

Lorrin — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 00:34:12 +0000

Thanks Brad, I try to be concise in my website answers. Lorrins last blog post..My Heart is a Flutter

By: Brad Shorr

Brad Shorr — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 16:33:35 +0000

Hi Lorrin, Thank you for your comments. They make a whole lot of sense! Brad Shorrs last blog post..Twitter - The One Stop Social Media Shop

By: Lorrin

Lorrin — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 16:24:01 +0000

1. Short Versus Long Copy
There are a few different ways to balance this out, you can add in teasers which make people what more or add in media such as videos or pictures that allow for a slight breather from the actual content.

2. Formal versus Conversational Style
Formal on the homepage but go with conversational on the reviews page, people are more inclined to go with companies that make them feel special than companies that make you feel like your just another customer.

3.Outbound Links
Outbound Links are tricky but choose the right ones for your website. These should include any exclusive certifications, charities, foundations and most of all the press releases about your company. Other outbound links should go in respective places like a clients page or something like that.

4. Skipping it

5.Home Page as a Gateway Page
Don’t make the home page a gateway page, most gateway pages now are simply so cluttered that I can’t find anything. The best thing to do is have a page that has a link to everything but each link has a snippet of the content on the page so the visitor can decide where to go quickly and easily.

6. Skipping it

Thanks for the great blog post and those are my thoughts.

Thanks,
Lorrin

Lorrins last blog post..My Heart is a Flutter

By: Brad Shorr

Brad Shorr — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 12:24:49 +0000

Hi Andrew, Welcome back. Thanks for the great commentary and examples. You speak for many people when you stress simplicity. I love the Commonwealth home page. It's welcoming, clear, and establishes a strong feeling for the brand without really selling. Brad Shorrs last blog post..Best of Word Sell, Posts 400-600

By: Andrew

Andrew — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 12:24:20 +0000

Ooops, I typed an incorrect web reference in relation to the "Challenging Tomorrow" site which I referred to above. This should be the correct link. Andrews last blog post..Sign off time - Returning January 29-30

By: Andrew

Andrew — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 12:20:47 +0000

Personally, whenever I visit a web-site, there are three key criteria by which I judge the quality of its design: (1) Simplicity (2) Simplicity (3) Simplicity Personally, I don't have time to buggerize around. If I cannot find what I am looking for within five minutes, I go elsewhere and vow never to return. This is particularly important when your target market consists either of business people or adult consumers. Teenagers, students or children may have more time for browsing, but adults and business people rarely do, and I would imagine that they would be unlikely to respond positively to any web site which does not allow them to find what they are looking for without any fuss. At the larger end of the scale, I love the home page of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. It is very neatly presented, there is no clutter, and first time visitors can tell right of the bat about the types of services the bank provides and where they need to go to in order to find specifically what they are looking for. Further, with one simple picture of the Australian Cricket team, the bank achieves all this without the page appearing to be plain or boring, whilst at the same time hitting a note with their target audience (Aussies love cricket). At the smaller end of the scale, one of my favorites in terms of user friendliness is that of Challenging Tomorrow, owned and operated by my longtime good friend Lee Torrens and his wife, Flavia Bottazzini. This site oozes simplicity and enables their time poor small business clients to find out what they want with absolutely no fuss or buggerizing around at all. (OK, there may be one negative in that the home page shows the most recent blog post, which occurred as far back as April 2007. This probably doesn’t make the site appear to be particularly fresh, and I would probably say that recent blog posts should only be displayed if they continually updated. Nevertheless, this page still represents a perfect example of the simplicity of design which I feel is appropriate when trying to appeal to a clientele of small business owners) Andrews last blog post..Sign off time - Returning January 29-30

By: Ulla Hennig

Ulla Hennig — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:50:49 +0000

Brad, the proper titles and categories could help. Referring to our university sites we've got the difference between "home" (that's the page where you can read the important informations about the character of the institution - what are we, what do we do - could be compared to "about", and "news". "About" is for people who come for the first time, are attracted by the "news" page and want to know who is behind all this great informative interesting stuff. (it is supposed that there is great, informative and interesting stuff on the "news" page. People who come again know who's behind the website and want to know what's going on. Might be a bit simplifying - but that's more or less my experience (my reader experience also). Ulla Hennigs last blog post..The Blogger as an Artist?

By: Brad Shorr

Brad Shorr — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 10:55:49 +0000

Hi All, Great input so far. The comments so far bring up an important point - the need to quickly attract new visitors, and the need to attract return visitors. Both types of visitors are key, but they are looking for different content. Brad Shorrs last blog post..The Home Page - How to Write a Website, Chapter 1