commanderW - 10:48 pm on Dec 12, 2009 (gmt 0)

Tedsters 2 rules are very good. I think #3 might be "How do I do it?".

Navigation, ads, and actual content are not easily discernible on most landing pages ( or internal ones).

Personally I see 3 typical 'schools' to web design.
1-"Code Up"
2-"Pretty Picture Down"
3- "Rat Maze"

THe first is the style I learned here on webmasterworld from gurus like 'Pageoneresults'. SuzyUK, and many others. SEO and usability go hand in hand. "Content is king". The code frames and presents the 'content. Pproper page architecture applies h tags, the various lists, and any other html tag definitions that can be applied to the text to make it readable and usable by humans, and searchable by the various bots. Then the styling is applied. This styling is also done mainly in the service of navigability and usability. The web page is a device. It has a job to do.

The second is what I see most often. THe design is done by an artist. A photoshop expert. The "look and feel" of the site is preeminent in the design. Here 'branding is king'. The logo, header, or masthead gets all the attention. Navigability goes out the window. Content is squished and scattered in the service of the pretty picture that the designer wants the surfer to be affected by. This type of site is dictated by 2 kinds of clients. An individual who has very little personal experience surfing the web, and corporate department heads who have very little experience surfing the web. Each envisions their web site as an attractive piece of art that is supposed to impact the visitor with imagery and atmosphere and esthetics. I hate the "pretty picture down" school because my clients all want it and have no respect for solid code and content based architecture. When I try to explain why they should want it, their eyes glaze over. Appearance is all most people care about or understand.

The third is how Made For Adsense scraper sites are done. The landing page is a rat maze constructed to confuse and extort behavior out of the visitor. Either to get them to click on an ad, or even download malware, etc.

These 3 different schools don't have to be mutually exclusive. Everyone wants a fully functional landing page, a beautiful looking landing page, and a monetized landing page. I believe it is possible to design for usability and SEO, 'branding'and 'look and feel', and monetization and advertising, all at the same time. This is my idea of the 'perfect homepage'. But it must be done intelligently, respectfully, subtly, and deftly. Iit must be done following all of the good advice given out here on webmasterworld. I only wish my clients could read and understand the posts here, and stop asking me for flash intros, youtube videos and animated banners.