Don’t Make Me Think, Revisited a common Sense Approach to Web Usability Steve Krug

Step 2:
Hold it at arm’s length or squint so you can’t really study it
closely.
Step 3:
As quickly as possible, try to find and circle each of these items:
Site ID
Page name
Sections (Primary navigation)
Local navigation
“You are here” indicator(s)

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 Search
Try it on your own site and see how well it works. Then ask some friends to
try it, too. You may be surprised by the results.

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Chapter 7. The Big Bang Theory of Web Design
THE IMPORTANCE OF GETTING PEOPLE OFF ON THE RIGHT
FOOT
Lucy, you got some ’splainin’ to do.
—DESI ARNAZ, AS RICKY RICARDO
Designing a Home page often reminds me of the classic TV game show 
Beat
the Clock
.
Each contestant would listen patiently while emcee Bud Collyer explained
the “stunt” she had to perform. For instance, “You have 45 seconds to toss
five of these water balloons into the colander strapped to your head.”
The stunt always looked tricky, but doable with a little luck.
But then just as the contestant was ready to begin, Bud would always add,
“Oh, there’s just one more thing: you have to do it...blindfolded.” Or
“...under water.” Or “...in the fifth dimension.”
Bud Collyer offers words of encouragement to a plucky contestant
It’s that way with the Home page. Just when you think you’ve covered all
the bases, there’s always just 
one...more...thing.
Think about all the things the Home page has to accommodate:

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Site identity and mission.
Right off the bat, the Home page has to tell
me what site this is and what it’s for—and if possible, why I should be
here and not at some other site.
Site hierarchy.
The Home page has to give an overview of what the
site has to offer—both content (“What can I find here?”) and features
(“What can I do here?”)—and how it’s all organized. This is usually
handled by the persistent navigation.