Company information 'should be clearer'

01/10/2008

Companies should consider putting a tagline on their homepage to explain what they do, according to an internet expert.

The suggestion was one of a number made by Nielsen Norman Group's Jakob Nielsen following a study examining the About Us sections of corporate websites.

Researchers found that the usability of the sections has generally improved since a similar study was conducted five years ago, with the ease of access to contact details a major plus point.

However, the proportion of corporate websites which offered a clear explanation of what the organisation does had fallen.

Writing in his blog, Dr Nielsen said that companies should consider changing their website design in order to feature easily accessible information about their business.

He recommended starting with a tagline in the form of a brief description of the company on the homepage, together with a two-paragraph summary at the top of the About Us section.

A fact sheet detailing key information about the company is also useful to website visitors, Dr Nielsen continued, while subsidiary pages containing more detail should be available.

This structure will enable everyone from casual visitors to journalists to find the information they want, he concluded.

E-consultancy recently said that journalists look for three links on the homepage of a corporate website - About Us, Press and Blog.