A site's signup page is the second most important page on a site (the most important is the home page itself) because this is where you're asking for committment. Everyone worries about the home page (and still don't do a good job), but most companies do a poor job with the signup page. For example, HAMweather's is aesthetically-challenged, and Last.fm's doesn't convey enough information. This article about signup pages by Tim Bednar is a good read. His list of important signup-page elements is:

• Logo

• Elevator pitch

• Descriptive copy

• List of key features

• List of key benefits

• Call to action

• Testimonials

• Tours

• Examples of users

• Screen shots

• Life-style images

• Link to more information

However, you can clearly be successful without a great signup page.

Guy Kawasaki

This piece was originally published on Guy’s blog How to Change the World and is posted on DMW with the author's permission. Guy’s bio can be viewed here.