| People like search engines because they're convenient, fast and focused. But with more users entering your site via Google, Bing or Yahoo -- odds are they're bypassing your traditional time-honored front door -- the home page -- more than ever before.
Engines are funneling traffic with great accuracy and speed to the content users are searching for -- which in many cases takes them directly to story/product pages matching that search query. So what does that mean for webmasters and web designers who labor, obsess and generally dote on the home page even though search referrals are breezing right past it?
Well for starters, don't guess or assume. Your analytics should be able to detail your site's top entry points, Your analytics will tell you exactly what's going on, but you have to refer them. See this post about measuring the value of your landing pages. Study the entry pages for your site. Based on my experience dating back to (dallasnews.com and khou.com) circa 2004, users that entered via the home page hovered around 50 percent or higher. But that number has dropped significantly -- especially for media based sites that feature deeper levels of content. The term for this measurement is the Deep Link Ratio -- it details the number of inbound links to a site that are not pointed to the home page. And a high ratio can be a good indicator of a wide variety of relevant content.
This is not a new development though. The advent of RSS caused some to declare the death of the home page back in 2004. RSS still hasn't gained the widespread adoption in the general public that some expected, but there's no question that search has. And the results of both are similar -- users being pointed straight to the content they care most about. Therefore, many of the points made in this post are still valid today.
If you're an online publisher with a website or blogsite, where should you be investing your resources? On a beautifully designed home page, packed to the seams with as many revenue generating advertising and sponsorship messages as you can fit there? Or should you be thinking very carefully about the design of each and every single article page?
It increases the importance of your story level pages, landing pages and product pages, because most haven't traditionally thought of those as your visitors' first (and too often only) view of your site. It shifts the focus of how and where you position your ads, related content, and conversion opportunities (sales, sign-ups, sharing, UGC contributions, etc.) significantly.
As search engines drive more traffic beyond your home page, the bounce rate (% of people who visited one page and left) of your story level pages is as important, if not more so, than your home page. The good news is because these visits are deeper and more direct -- you have a better idea of what they are looking for. It's acutally a great opportunity to know that somone reading "Shuttle Launch Delayed Again" came there specifically for that information. Use that information to integrate related content (NASA news feed), logical calls to action (sign up for breaking news alerts and be notified prior to the next launch), targeted promotions (watch our live stream of the launch at 4 pm), and anticipate the next-step question such as "When is the next attempt scheduled?"
Caring for the SEO and customization of these page templates is critical due to this growing traffic shift. By working to ensure these pages are not dead-end streets and by reviewing the effects of your changes regularly, you can stem the flow of visitors exiting your site and funnel them back into the other great content new visitors are likely unaware of.
Anyone willing to share their percentage of home page entries would be welcome in the comments. Thanks in advance.
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