LINMO

Guidelines: Home Page Design

A home page is the top page in the hierarchy of pages that constitute a web site and the main entry point to a site. Its purpose is to provide an overview of the content of a site as well as links to key pages. This role is similar to that of a combination of the cover, copyright page and brief table of contents of a hard copy (i.e., printed on paper) book.

The LINMO guidelines for designing home pages are similar to those for designing other pages in that they emphasize simplicity, usability and consistency (both internal and with the other pages). A home page should include the following, preferably in the same order:

(1) The name of the site. This should be horizontally centered near the top of the page and in large letters, such as those produced by HTML (hypertext markup language) <H1> tags. This can be followed by a subtitle using smaller letters, such as those created with <H3> tags.

(2) A brief paragraph or two briefly explaining the topic or purpose of the site.

(3) A set of links to other key pages on the site. These links should include, at a minimum, (a) an about page, which explains about the site in more detail, and (b) a comprehensive index (but not a conventional site map). It can also be useful to have links to (c) a FAQ (frequently asked questions) page and (d) a page listing new additions to the site in chronological order.

(4) Optionally, a list of links to the most recently added and modified pages. The contents of this list would be the same as the first few entries on the page listing new additions to the site.

(5) A sentence or two acknowledging and thanking any major sponsors and containing links to on-site pages about them or to their main web sites.

(6) The name of the author, or authors if it is a joint work. This can be omitted if the author(s) prefers to remain anonymous.

(7) Information about how to contact the author. This is important for several reasons, including the fact that feedback from users can be invaluable for locating errors and providing suggestions for improvements. Usually an e-mail address will be sufficient. (It is wise to avoid the at symbol in the e-mail address in order to frustrate the automated harvesting of e-mail addresses for use by spammers.)

(8) The date of page creation.

(9) A copyright notice. While technically not necessary (because copyright applies to web sites and other creative works by default), this is a convenient means of reminding users that the material is copyrighted and thus subject to certain restrictions (e.g., republishing without permission).