How do you come to know if a website is good or bad even before exploring it? It's the homepage that gives you the idea about a company or an organization. A well designed and impeccably done homepage creates a trust about the organization. If you are going to use your website for Internet business, then the homepage can bring new customers and allow you to retain the old ones. On the contrary, a shoddy design can turn off your potential customers and can make you lose money. Tips and Ideas Keep it Simple Why do all of us are simply addicted to Google? Along with its ability to present any information within seconds, it is the simple homepage that attracts us. If you have a closer look at its homepage, you will find that there is almost nothing there, except a search box and a few links. Yet you find everything you want within seconds! The beauty of a great homepage lies in its simplicity. The more simple and user-friendly your homepage, the more likely it will gather a positive response from users. Most web designers go for fancy layout with lot of graphics and numerous functions on the homepage. As a result, the end user often gets lost in such confusing design. However, it is to be noted that, the design of a website depends on its genre and the target audience as well. Include a Suitable Tagline Not everyone visiting your website knows what you do. Most people visit it as a result of their query after which the search engine directs them to your page. Hence, your homepage should have a suitable tagline which precisely explains what you do. Well Distributed Content Many websites have a large graphic occupying major portion of their homepage and the important information is cluttered in minuscule font. Such websites can fail to gather a positive feedback from users. Hence, it is important to collect and distribute your content on the homepage. For instance, you need not provide separate links for company history, its management, policies, etc. You can simply put it all under one common tab 'About Us'. Emphasize High Priority Tasks Remember, a portal is a huge success if it delivers what exactly its users want. Thus, if you have a design that readily presents your users with the information that they are looking for, they will be more than happy to come back to your site. If you know that they visit for performing certain tasks, it would make sense to highlight those tasks on your homepage. Optimum Use of Links Links are the main action items. When users visit the homepage, their eyes will be invariably looking for relevant links. Hence, it is important to include important keywords in your links. Starting every link with a company name could be avoided. In short, help your user find what he is looking for. Provide Easy Navigation A homepage that allows an easy access to the content and provides swift navigation, is indeed the best one. Providing a site map is a great way of making the task of exploring your website easier. This way, users know exactly where they are supposed to look for the desired information. Provide a Search Box No matter what the website deals in, its visitors will always look for a search box to enter their queries. Hence, allow a search box where they can type at least a 25 character query. Meaningful Use of Graphics An image is indeed more effective form of expression than the text. However, it is important to include only meaningful graphics or images. If you unnecessarily include the photos of celebrities or fashion models, who do not have anything to do with your portal, the visitors will find it difficult to connect with it. Thus, the key to design a great homepage lies in knowing what your user exactly wants from the website. The rest is easy as you simply have to provide him with the necessary controls to accomplish his job.