{"id":934,"date":"2023-11-03T11:54:54","date_gmt":"2023-11-03T15:54:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/cutheme-docs\/?page_id=934"},"modified":"2026-08-10T21:15:54","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T01:15:54","slug":"homepage-purpose","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/cutheme-docs\/advanced-training\/advanced-training-module-1-homepage-design\/homepage-purpose\/","title":{"rendered":"Homepage Purpose"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n Homepage Purpose\n <\/h1>\n \n \n \n\n

Advanced Training Module 1: Homepage Design<\/p>\n\n\n <\/header>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

Your homepage is often the first impression visitors have of your website. It serves as the front door to your department, service, program, or organization and helps visitors quickly understand who you are, what you offer, and where they should go next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A successful homepage is not intended to contain everything. Instead, it should guide visitors toward the information, resources, and actions that matter most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you design your homepage, think less about what your department wants to say and more about what your visitors need to accomplish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Should a Homepage Do?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

An effective homepage typically serves five important functions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Introduce Your Department or Service<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Visitors should be able to quickly answer:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Who are you?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • What do you do?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Who do you serve?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    This information should be visible near the top of the page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Many visitors will decide within a few seconds whether your site is relevant to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    2. Help Visitors Find Information<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Your homepage should act as a gateway to the rest of your website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Visitors should be able to easily navigate to your most important content, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • Programs and services<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Research<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • News and events<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Contact information<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Resources and support<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      Think of the homepage as a guide rather than a destination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      3. Highlight Important Content<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      Your homepage is a great place to showcase content that supports your goals and priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Examples include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      • Featured services<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Upcoming events<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • News and announcements<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Research highlights<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Student success stories<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Important deadlines<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        Dynamic content blocks such as Cards and Listings can help keep this information current.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        4. Support Key Audiences<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

        Different visitors arrive with different goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        For example, a departmental website might need to support:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n
        • Future students<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Current students<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Faculty and staff<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Researchers<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Community partners<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

          Your homepage should help these audiences quickly identify where to go next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          5. Encourage Action<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

          Most homepages should include clear calls to action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Examples include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \n
          • Apply Now<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Contact Us<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Explore Programs<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • View Events<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Learn More<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

            Visitors should never be left wondering what they should do next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Common Homepage Components<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

            While every homepage is different, most successful homepages contain some combination of the following elements:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Banner or Hero Section<\/strong>
            Introduces the site and communicates its primary purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Featured Content<\/strong>
            Highlights important services, programs, or information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            News and Events<\/strong>
            Displays recent content and keeps the homepage current.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Calls to Action<\/strong>
            Directs visitors toward important tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Contact Information<\/strong>
            Provides easy access to support and assistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            What Makes a Homepage Successful?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

            A successful homepage is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              \n
            • \u2705 Easy to scan<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • \u2705 Focused on visitor needs<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • \u2705 Clear about its purpose<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • \u2705 Visually engaging<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • \u2705 Easy to navigate<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • \u2705 Updated regularly<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

              A homepage does not<\/strong> need to contain everything. In many cases, removing content is more effective than adding more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              Homepage Evaluation Checklist<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

              Review your homepage and ask:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                \n
              • Can a visitor quickly understand what my department or service does?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Is it obvious who the site is for?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Are the most important tasks easy to find?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Does the homepage highlight current and relevant content?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Are there clear calls to action?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Is the page visually balanced and easy to scan?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                If you answer “no” to any of these questions, your homepage may be an opportunity for improvement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                Try It Out<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                Review your homepage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  \n
                1. Identify the primary audience for your website.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                2. Determine the three most important tasks visitors need to complete.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                3. Evaluate whether those tasks are easy to find from the homepage.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                4. Remove one piece of content that does not support your homepage goals.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                5. Add or improve one call to action.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                  Learn the purpose of a homepage and how to use it to introduce your site, guide visitors, and highlight important content.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":532,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_cu_dining_location_slug":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"cu_page_type":[67],"class_list":["post-934","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","cu_page_type-advanced-training-module-1"],"acf":{"cu_post_thumbnail":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/cutheme-docs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/934","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/cutheme-docs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/cutheme-docs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/cutheme-docs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/cutheme-docs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=934"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/cutheme-docs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/934\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4291,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/cutheme-docs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/934\/revisions\/4291"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/cutheme-docs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/532"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/cutheme-docs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=934"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"cu_page_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/cutheme-docs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_page_type?post=934"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}