Not all IMA-designed Web sites contain news headlines on the home page. Sometimes we determine that a site (and client) simply doesn't generate enough news to make it practical or effective. Sometimes the idea of headlines conflicts with the brand image or objective of the site.

But it is clear that one of the most successful ways of getting readers to come back to your site again and again is by putting headlines on the home page – and then changing them often.
 
It doesn’t seem to matter how much home page real estate is allotted for this feature – as long as it’s there and active. Just a few IMA-designed examples illustrate the different ways in which these can be accomplished. New York City Ballet, for instance, has a two-line space through which 3-4 headlines rotate each day. This “ticker” is changed using IMA’s content management tool, which enables the company to post the items days or weeks in advance, and display them at the appointed time. The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey has an Onstage! area to focus attention on current and upcoming events, which generally includes one to two items. And the Summit Area YMCA depends on the home page to get members to sign up for classes and attend special events. They maintain this themselves, using IMA's most sophisticated content management solution.
 
Perhaps our most compelling success story in terms of home page headlines is IATSE Local One, the theatrical stage employees of New York. Having previously suffered with a site that was refreshed infrequently at best, the redesigned site contains two layers of headlines – one for the public, viewable by all, that focuses on news items, and a second in the members-only area, which includes notices of member meetings, special events, classes, new benefits -– the list is endless. IATSE Local One officers tell us that members greatly appreciate the fact that they can get instant news from the headlines -– and that this, as much as the content behind the dynamic headlines, has been instrumental in driving traffic to the site on an ongoing basis.