In considering search engine optimization, this descriptive text should be in HTML for easy
indexing by search engine robots, and should contain terms that match the page??™s title and
meta description. Too often (and this is especially true with Flash-based sites), designers
do not put enough actual content on the homepage, and what was once premium real
estate for search engine optimization becomes poorly managed, underdeveloped property.
Search
Having a search field in the vicinity of the main navigation provides another means of digging
up content from deeper pages. This is especially valuable if the architecture spans
more than 100 or so pages (a threshold that can start to strain traditional navigation).
For the homepage, keep the search functionality as simple as possible:
Provide a dedicated input field and button rather than a link to a separate search
page.
Make the input field long enough to accommodate multiword searches. Studies on
search behavior report that the average search string for websites (not search
engines) is two or more words. Twenty characters or more of space is ideal.
Avoid cluttering the interface with advanced search options.
Pages:
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224