What does your default page say about you or your company? Chances are, if it is like many internet sites out there, little. Many firms realize that internet sites are a prime promoting channel for their business, but they forget that other folk, including future customers do not eat, drink, breathe and sleep their products. This implies that their internet site front page finishes up being a showcase for whatever company project has the focus right now.

Some of the more common parts of a company default page are:
* Products for sale
* Stories and Press Releases
* Events and reports
* Navigation
* Search

What's missing from many home pages is a concise and straightforward outline of the company. If your clients can't figure out what you are attempting to sell or do for them immediately they'd just give up and leave straight away.

What About Existing Buyers?
You may be asking, "But our existing patrons already know who we are and what we do." While that's doubtless true, your internet site should be a ready resource for attracting new customers as well as keeping existing ones. But if the new consumers are not actually sure what you offer, they would leave for a firm that is more clear.

What you need to shoot for is a balance between providing the tools returning purchasers hunger for with the info that new buyers need to make the choice to go with your company. This may be just a couple of sentences, with links to more if they want it. Leaving this out may satisfy one Dept.'s need for another sentence about their product, but risks dividing new buyers before they've even gotten to that product.

Real World Examples
I took a glance at 3 company home pages. Possibilities are you have heard of a minimum of one of them. Not one of the 3 has names that would actually tell you what the corporations do, so hopefully the home pages are a help. Let's find out...
* Symantec
* McAfee
* Google

I will be trying to find:
* An outline of what the aim of the site is. This could be textual (ideally) or it may simply be evident from the whole layout of the site.
* Products displayed prominently and obviously. This permits new shoppers (and returning) to visualise what they are going to be getting.
* Obviously outlined links to other pages with additional info. Links like "About Us" or "Company Info” are good.
* The above info should be "above the fold". This implies, on a lower resolution browser, the distinguished info should be perceivable without the client having to scroll.