Defining Site Elements

Although web sites vary in their content, organization, and purpose, sites designed to act as information resources share certain characteristics.

Home pages: All sites are organized around a home page, which acts as a point of entry. In a hierarchical organization, homepages sit at the top, and all other pages reside underneath it. Because it is an entrance point, a homepage should contain a menu of links that defines the navigational structure. Homepages should not, however, overwhelm the visitor with many links. Large scale web sites contain a lot of information, and it is impossible to represent all the information on a single homepage. Instead the homepage should contain well-defined links that split the audience into interest groups and send them to a more specific menu page deeper in the site. (4.8)

Site indexes and site maps: It is often difficult for users to determine the depth and extent of the content available in a site. Since the homepage cannot contain links to all the pages available in a site, users have difficulty determining what information to expect. Keyword indexes of the information in a web site give the user a sense of the extent and organization of the site's content. (4.9) Users are also able to easily interpret the information contained in site indexes, because they are familiar print conventions. Site indexes, though, do not need to be as detailed as a book's index because search engines are used to find obscure references. A site index should point the user to the most relevant use of the keyword.