Your Home page is prime real estate!

By Paula Mariedaughter and Jeanne Neath

Consider “curb appeal” when designing your Home page. In real estate sales, curb appeal refers to how inviting your property appears from the curb , and it is considered a critical factor in real estate sales. Your Home page is prime real estate where your visitors form their first impressions and decide whether your site is worthy of their time and interest. What is the first impression of a visitor to your web site? Have you carefully considered each element of your Home page? The opening screen, that is, the top section of your Home page, deserves critical attention because visitors often make an immediate decision as whether to stay or to leave at that point!

The purpose of any web site is to communicate. Be clear about what you want to communicate to your visitor. Your pictures or graphics are a powerful nonverbal, visual communication about your site. If you are a quilt related business, you can use pictures of quilt blocks or quilts to visually send that message before the visitor has read the first word. If you are a sewing or embroidery related site, use relevant graphics to emphasize that fact.

For example, the owner of Quilt Hawaiian (quilthawaiian.com) recently approached us about redesigning the web site for her Hawaiian quilting pattern business. We discussed with the owner the possibility of emphasizing the Hawaiian location on the opening screen of the Home page. The business owner lives amidst the giant ferns of the rain forest and we used her picture of a lush tropical forest behind her house to convey the authentic Hawaiian source for the Hawaiian quilting patterns. This successful redesign integrates Hawaiian quilts into the logo area as well, and offers a memorable visual impression to the visitor.

The visual theme established on the Home page should be repeated throughout the site. A well designed logo area is critical for establishing your central message and for visual continuity. Don’t scream the name of your business by using very large type. Consider the personality of the type you use to present your business name. For example, if you feature contemporary designer fabrics, use a contemporary sans serif type font. Make your logo easily readable! If necessary, use a subtitle to describe your business to your customers. “Paula’s Pretty Quilts, the Best of Reproduction Fabrics” tells potential customers the specialty of the shop.

But, where is the front door?
Have you ever been to a house where you’re not sure which is the front door? Some web sites have a similar problem. The navigation allows visitors to move around the site at their own pace, but can they find the “door” or rather the means to navigate your site? Make sure your navigation system is obvious to the first time visitor. Once the visitor has begun to explore the site be sure that the navigation to return to the Home page and to each of the other pages is quite clear. Consistent navigation is one measure of a well done site.

Welcoming Your Visitors
The text on the opening screen of your web page offers you a chance to greet your visitors and to give them introductory information about the site. Make sure that every visitor knows shopping online is available and make it easy to find your shopping area. Interesting pictures help break up the text and convey the personality of the shop. Text on the Home page must include the appropriate key phrases you believe you customers will use at the search engines to find your site. For example, if you carry rayon batiks this key phrase would be one of the key phrases used as many times as possible.

Positive “curb appeal” will invite visitors to roam the site and to learn what you have to offer. Each component of the design should relate to the other components and each has a particular reason for being included. Your goal for your Home page is an integrated whole.