Description

In the KU CMS - Sunflower there is no content type or section specifically for homepages. We suggest that you use the Start  cloneable template or Landing Page content type for your homepage.

The homepage is typically the most important page on your website and it will likely get more page views than any other page on your site.

You never get a second chance at a first impression. Many viewers will make meaningful assumptions based on their first experiences on your homepage

How To Create a Homepage

See the documentation for Start and Landing Page for detailed instructions.

Set the Site Homepage

1. To designate the site's home page go to Configuration > Basic Site Settings
2. Under Front Page enter the node of the home page proceeded by a /

NOTE: Designating the home page from the Promotion Options tab within the node does not work

Guidelines and Best Practices

• Be Audience-Focused
  Design your homepage with your primary audience(s) in mind for every choice. Make sure everything on the page adds value for your primary audience(s).
• Purpose
  Your homepage should make the purpose of your site clear. Include a one-sentence tagline. Tag lines should be brief, simple and to the point. Emphasize what your site provides that is valuable from the user's point of view.
• Avoid Welcome Messages
  Don't literally welcome users to your site.The best welcome you can give users is a concrete definition of what they can do on the site and a clear starting point from which to begin. Welcomes and Messages from Chairs should be moved to About sections.
• Focus on Most Important Tasks
  Give prominence to high-priority tasks so that users have a clear starting point and can find the information they seek more quickly. Give these tasks a prominent location, such as the upper-middle of the page, and don't give them a lot of visual competition. Place less important content lower on the page.
• Make it Special
  Design the homepage to be clearly different from all the other pages on the site. In the KU CMS - Sunflower that means using the Start cloneable template or using the Landing Page content type. Homepages should be designed assuming that it is the only page viewers will see.
• Link Titles
  Users scan web pages, trying to find the area that will serve their current goal. Links are the action items on a homepage, and when you start each link with a relevant word, you make it easier for scanning eyes to differentiate it from other links on the page. Additionally, begin links with the information-carrying word, because users often scan through the first word or two of links to compare them. Don't use generic instructions, such as "Click Here" as a link name. Instead, use meaningful text in the link names to tell users what they'll get when they click. See Links for more information, including guidelines and best practices.
• Choose Meaningful Images
  Images are powerful communicators when they show items of interest to site visitors.
• Avoid Elements That Look Like Ads
  You might think that important homepage items require elaborate illustrations, boxes, and colors. However, users often dismiss graphics as ads - also called "banner blindness" - and focus on the parts of the homepage that look more likely to be useful.
• Write for Web
  Effective content writing is one of the most critical aspects of all web design. Most users scan online content, rather than carefully reading, so you must optimize content for scannability and craft it to convey maximum information in few words. See Web Writing for more information, including guidelines and best practices.
• Use the Words Your Audience Uses
  Use site audience-focused language. Label sections and categories according to the value they hold for your specific audiences.
• Keep it Current and Fresh
  Don't just describe what lies beneath the homepage. Show some of your best or most recent content on the homepage.
• Move In-Depth Unit/Department Information to About
  Finding out about the unit/department is rarely a user's first task. An About page is the best way to connect users to more in-depth information than can be presented on the homepage.
• Avoid Redundant Content
  Repeating identical items, such as categories or links, on the homepage in order to emphasize their importance actually reduces their impact. Redundant items also clutter the page; all items lose impact because they are competing with so many elements. In order to feature something prominently, feature it clearly in one place.
• Pay Attention to Location
  The most important information should be above or just below the fold. Anything that appears significantly below the fold should be of secondary importance.
• Avoid Secondary Information and Clutter
  Move secondary information to an appropriate section to bring greater focus to the primary information.

Accessibility

All content on KU CMS sites must meet accessibility standards. See Accessibility for information, including guidelines and best practices.

Support

• Top 10 Guidelines for Homepage Usability (Nielsen Norman Group)
• 113 Design Guidelines for Homepage Usability (Nielsen Norman Group)