Fact 1.
Every link to your website adds a little bit of credibility to your site. The more links that point at a page, the more credible the page.

This is the basis upon which Google and other search engines have built their search results.

Fact 2.
The more credible the page, the more credibility it passes to the pages it links to.

Getting a link from a highly credible website can really improve a website’s search engine position.

Fact 3.
Most links point to a website homepage. So search engines regard most homepages as being the most credible on the site.

What the search engines find on your homepage carries the most weight with them. It is crucial to make the most of that opportunity.

Fact 4.
Most homepages have the potential to pass a lot of credibility to the pages they link to.

Fact 5.
Lots of homepages waste that potential.

Search engines need to find text that they can read on your homepage. So make sure that your homepage contains a few of the better keywords and phrases that you’d like to be found for.

Can the search engines find links on your homepage to your best content? Drop-down navigation bars, made with JavaScript or Flash, can completely hide links from the search engines. That can make all of the other pages on your site almost invisible to the search engines.

In the next article on this subject I’ll explain what to test to see how good a job your homepage is doing.