The homepage might be the most important page on your site. Most people who don’t know much about web design or marketing will think that an obvious comment. And when you work in a company where many people have an opinion about the home page but few have the experience and know-how to say what is and is not appropriate, you end up with a mess on your hands.

The key to any good homepage is two things:

1. Simplicity
2. Action Steps

When someone lands on the homepage, the first thing you want them to do is establish themselves, get some general information on who you are, and then get them off the page and onto the next step in the “funnel”.

The worst thing that can happen to a homepage is clutter. Clutter happens when one person wants to emphasize everything there is to know about the company on the homepage, or when many people each want something directly related to their department on the homepage. Clutter is what happens when there is not one person, usually near the top of the marketing department, who has final say on all website updates.

Think of the homepage as a lobby or entranceway. You want them to feel like they’ve arrived, like what they see, and then keep moving. You don’t want to bombard them with messages the second they walk in the door. Show them the path, how to get to step 2 or find out more, and let them take it.

That’s a perfect homepage.