Homepage

"Home page" redirects here. For other uses, see Home Page (disambiguation).

For Wikipedia's home page, see Main Page.

The homepage (often written as home page) is the URL or local file that automatically loads when a web browser starts or when the browser's "home" button is pressed. One can turn this feature off and on, as well as specify a URL for the page to be loaded.

The term is also used to refer to the front page, webserver directory index, or main web page of a website of a group, company, organization, or individual. In some countries, such as Germany, Japan, and South Korea, and formerly in the US, the term "homepage" commonly refers to a complete website (of a company or other organization) rather than to a single web page. By the late 1990s this usage had died out in the US, replaced by the more comprehensive term "web site".

In the same category of homepage are now websites that attempt to be a start page (more accurately a personal web portal). A start page is a website or page meant to organize links or information for the user when a web browser starts. Start pages generally consist of information like news, weather, games, and other web widgets and web gadgets. Start pages also aggregate information like RSS feeds or collect and manage web page links. Examples of Start pages include iGoogle, Netvibes, Sthrt, Pageflakes, and icon based home page poggogum.

Most homepages for personal or low-recognized websites start with a welcome and a little information about their site. However, larger websites designed for browsing; such as stores, free-entertainment collections, and informational websites; feature special things on the frontpage such as "Featured", "Most Liked", "Spotlight", "Great Deals" and so on.

See also

• Index.html
• Personal web page, a web page featuring an individual user