Your home page is your store window

Think of the home page on your web storefront as the store's window: it's a display that instantly tells shoppers what kind of goods you sell and why they should investigate further. This means explaining these things in plain language. When you use a full-page image map or graphic on your home page, you're asking customers to give up 30 seconds or more of their time (waiting for the image to load) before they can investigate your store further. There are too many places to visit in cyberspace for you to assume that your customers are willing to do this. Your home page should:

* clearly explain your company name and what your company does.

* list the main departments of your site so visitors can tell at a glance how it's organized.

* load as quickly as possible so customers don't have to wait to find out who you are or what you do.

Big graphics look nice, but customers on the Net want information. Make sure your home page is packed with it.