Chapter 9: Managing the Home Page of Your Site
IN THIS CHAPTER
Selecting a page to be your home page
Identifying appropriate menu item types for your home page
Managing the layout of your home page
Using articles on your home page
Publishing component output to your home page
Assigning modules to your home page
In Joomla! terms, the front page of your site is known as the home page. Your home page gives visitors their first impression of your website. Because the home page has such an important role, Joomla! provides special tools for managing its contents and layout. Gaining command of the tools and techniques that can help you create a positive first impression is the goal of this chapter.
The tools built into the admin system give you a great deal of control over the home page of your site. You can assign articles to your home page, as well as component output and module output. Although optimizing the contents that appear on the home page is the easiest way to make it more effective, you should also consider the layout of the page. The parameters associated with your menu items and articles give you a measure of control over the layout, but if you want to do even more, you can assign a unique template to provide the home page with its own distinct look and feel. In the pages that follow, I look at the various options for the home page, including the role of featured articles, how to use components and modules on the home page, and how to tailor the layout to achieve more ...
