Homepage

• Each page should have a distinct title.
• An introtext enables the visitor to quickly access the contents of the respective page
• Use informative subheadings in longer texts. Many internet users just browse a website and look at the headings or links to find relevant contents.
• When using coloured background boxes a suitable contrast between text, foreground and background must be considered.
• Images and graphics should be suitable for the topic of the respective website.

• The navigation should be simple and comprehensible.
• The main navigation should contain central terms of your AHK offer. The main navigation of the microsites can be reached via the button "Menu". The menu has two columns, to assign pages to the right or left column, they must be created in the backend below the folder "Hauptnavigation links" or "Hauptnavigation rechts". Please pay attention to the length of the page titles when naming your pages, so that they are completely displayed in the menu. Find concise and meaningful keywords to present your information offering.
• As a rule of thumb, the website should not exceed a maximum depth of four levels.
• Pages that should appear in the metanavigation are created in the backend below the "Metanavigation" folder and appear in the top right-hand corner of the microsite. Only important information about your online offering (such as contact, data protection and imprint) should appear here.
• Pages that should appear in the subnavigation are maintained in the backend below the "Subnavigation" folder. The pages Privacy and Imprint must appear here (If these pages already exist in the meta navigation, the pages can be created here as a reference to them).
• Use a descriptive phrase, consisting of a term or a few words, as a link.
• Regularly test whether all links are working.
• Indicate links to external pages as well as download links.
• Establish in which cases a new browser window is opened.
• Links, which lead to a website within your website, should always be opened in the same browser window.
• Links, which lead away from your website, should always be opened in a new browser window.

• It should be possible to find your contact information (telephone number, email address, address) in the footer area on the website.
• Create a contact page in the metanavigation and don’t hide contact information in the site notice.
• Put the relevant AHK contact persons on the respective subpages. Provided that the contact partners are not responsible for different locations, only one contact person should be listed and that should be the one who is also to accept enquiries from the website.
• Publish your working hours so that interested parties do not have to speak to your answer phone.
• Encourage visitors to make an enquiry via a contact form by emphasising the benefit and the non-binding nature to the interested party.
• If interested parties or customers come to you personally, offer them a location map and directions.
• The fewer fields you use in online forms, the more likely are interested parties to complete the form.
• Make sure that the first input field is easy to find. The visitor should immediately be able to start filling in the form.
• Make sure that users can fill in a form in the correct and logical order using the tab key.

Clicking is out, scrolling is in – this can easily be seen not least in Onepagers and the more extensive Responsive Designs. Scrolling is more intuitive, prevents a lot of clicking around on different subpages and also saves loading times. Even when the user is visiting the homepage of a website he should find all relevant information at a glance. Anyone who wants to delve deeper into the material, should in turn have the option to learn more at a click.

«Storytelling» is a development that likewise is connected to the development of a Onepager – the user scrolls through the homepage and reads an exciting story about the organisation and its services. The laborious trawling of information on many different subpages is replaced by a story in a nutshell. This storytelling is supported by the trend for scrolling (scrollytelling), so that the Internet user is taken into a pleasant reading flow.

• In the page properties of the home page you have the possibility to make different settings that influence the look of your microsite.
• Tab Resources:
  • The home page always needs a header image that expressively represents the theme of the microsite. The required size is 2000x500px.
• Tab Appearance:
  • Theme of Hero Section: you have the possibility to choose between 4 different themes. These the layout and appearance of the header.
  • Colors of Hero-Section: You also have the possibility to change the color of the header and the menu button. The following colors are available: Blue, Green, Red and Yellow
  • Layout of Hero-Section: In addition, you can display a date or a counter in the header of microsites that are created, for example, as part of an event. If you have selected one of these two options, you must enter the date of the event in the Tab "General" under "Date/Time".
    • If you set the date, a "Save the Date" stamp will also appear in the header in the color you selected.
• Linkbuttons: Here you have the option to direct the user from the home page directly to the two most important pages of your microsite. For this purpose, you assign a meaningful link title under the label of the button and in the field of the link you refer to the desired page.
• In the footer area of the microsite, the logos of the partners who promote your presence appear. If you don't have any or if you don't want them to be displayed, you can set a check mark at Hide Footer.

Detailed information about the setting options

• Content that you want to put on your home page is created in the main column. Furthermore, these must always be created within a "Multicolumn container". This can be configured with 2, 3 and 4 columns.
• Exceptions to this are the plug-ins for events and news, these do not require a multi-column container.
• You can also maintain content in the footer area, which is configured with 3 columns. You create content in the content areas "Footer left", "Footer Center" and "Footer right". The content appears in the lower area of the web page on a dark blue background.