.floatimg-left-hort { float:left; } .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 12px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 12px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 12px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;}
Most Web sites start out pretty well. The design is simple. The navigation is well thought out. And then it happens. You add something to the home page. Nothing big. Just a really important link to a really important article or calendar.

Then you decide to add another. Pretty soon, rather than having a clean Web page, your home page looks like a grocery list, with links to articles and bios and just about anything else you could think of. After all, you don’t want anyone to miss anything, so you stick everything on the home page.

Go ahead, pull up your company’s Web site, and let’s check.

Do you have a primary navigation system? If those 4-8 buttons/categories are not enough, it’s time to rethink them. Look at your home page with a critical and objective eye. Do you repeat yourself? You know – a navigation button that says Contact Us and then, somewhere else on the home page, another link that says the same thing? Time to prune.

When you look at your home page, does your eye know where to start reading? If not, time to prune. Does your home page communicate your brand and what you’re all about, or does all that copy get in the way? If not, time to prune. Are your graphics (you do have something visual on your home page, don’t you?) balanced with the right amount of text? If not, time to prune.

Don’t beat yourself up if I just described your home page. You are not alone. Do the necessary pruning and then resolve to keep your site uncluttered. Your site’s visitors will stay longer, learn more about you and be more likely to venture beyond your home page.

Drew McLellan is Top Dog at McLellan Marketing Group and blogs at www.drewsmarketingminute.com. He can be reached at Drew@MclellanMarketing.com. © 2008 Drew McLellan