Home page

A home page (or homepage) is the main web page of a website.[1] The term may also refer to the start page shown in a web browser when the application first opens.[2] Usually, the home page is located at the root of the website's domain or subdomain. For example, if the domain is example.com, the home page is likely located at www.example.com/.

A home page of Wikipedia (in 2014) is displayed in a web browser. The small house-shaped button in the upper left is for the browser's start page.

Function

A home page is the primary web page that a visitor will view when they navigate to a website via a search engine, and it may also function as a landing page to attract visitors..[3][4] In some cases, the home page is a site directory, particularly when a website has multiple home pages.

Good home page design is usually a high priority for a website;[5] for example, a news website may curate headlines and first paragraphs of top stories, with links to full articles.[6][7] According to Homepage Usability, the homepage is the "most important page on any website" and receives the most views of any page.[8] A poorly designed home page can overwhelm and deter visitors from the site.[7] One important use of home pages is communicating the identity and value of a company.[9]

Elements

A homepage is oftentimes designed to catch attention, and as such, important elements are positioned at the top in a strict hierarchy of importance.[10] Curating which content to display on a homepage, as to not overwhelm visitors, is important to a well-designed page.[11]

Hero image

One of the commonly found aspects of a homepage is a hero image, a large eye-catching banner image often containing a photograph or drawing depicting the webpage owner's values, services, etc. as a message.[12][13] Hero images are immediately visible above the fold, without scrolling the page down.[14] A hero image may have several complementary elements as an overlay, such as the website's logo, a call to action, and a brief description.

  • A website with a wide hero image.
  • Homepage featuring a prominent hero image with logo and description overlaid.
  • A biographical website with a full-sized image.

A descendant of the hero image is a carousel, also known as a slider. It is a slideshow-like element of the homepage with multiple images rotating every few seconds.[15] Carousels are frequently accompanied by dots and buttons in order to select different images.[16] Carousels are generally made using JavaScript but can also be made through CSS animations.[17][18] In 2013, carousels were a popular element of a homepage, with 52% of top e-commerce websites using the design feature. However, in 2016 only 32% of websites used one.[19]

Image of an online shop's homepage showing a carousel with left/right icons

See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Home pages.
  • Contact page
  • Site map

References
  1. "What is a Home Page? - Definition from Techopedia". Techopedia.com. Retrieved 2022-08-10.
  2. "Start page". TheFreeDictionary.com. Retrieved 2022-08-10.
  3. "Home Page as Landing Page examples - Smart Insights Digital Marketing Advice". 2014-05-23. Retrieved 2016-07-01.
  4. Nielsen 2002, p. 7.
  5. Jakob Nielsen (12 May 2002). "Top 10 Guidelines for Homepage Usability". nngroup.com. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  6. Kalbach 2007, p. 106.
  7. Nielsen 2002, p. 3.
  8. Nielsen 2002, p. 1.
  9. Nielsen 2002, p. 2.
  10. "How to structure your content for a better homepage". 99designs.
  11. Nielsen 2002, p. 8.
  12. "Hero Images in Web Design: When, Why, and How to Use". Design4Users. January 4, 2021.
  13. Kirsch, Katrina. "Ultimate Guide to Hero Images [Best Practices + Examples]". blog.hubspot.com.
  14. Leva, Myles. "Hero Image: What it is, why you need one & how to create it". Pik Wizard.
  15. "Everything You Need to Know About Website Carousels". The Creative Momentum.
  16. "Designing a User-Friendly Homepage Carousel". Medium.
  17. "CSS Carousels Examples 2022". Avada Blog.
  18. "CSS-Only Carousel". CSS-Tricks.
  19. "9 UX Requirements for a User-Friendly Homepage Carousel Design". Baymard Institute.

Bibliography
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