A homepage is a landmark, a billboard & a calling card
Although decreasing numbers of visitors to most sites now start their visit via a homepage (thanks Google), they remain important.
The main challenge is to recognise how a successful homepage works & then stay focussed.
A homepage is primarily a LANDMARK for findability (by your users)
Eg, Lost on a website? Go to the most familiar landmark (homepage) & start your task again.
It's also as a BILLBOARD for communication (by you)
Eg, Got something very important to say? Pull in some eyeballs on the homepage.
Finally, it can be a CALLING CARD for familiarisation (by first-time users)
Eg, Not sure who these guys are? The homepage gives you an "at-a-glance" summary.
Overall, you must remember that a homepage is never "finished". Just like a new car coming out of a garage, it begins to depreciate and decline from the very moment it is published.
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