“Instead of a link… put a search box on your home page.” (UseIT.com)
I e-mailed web guru Jakob Nielsen on 13 March 2000, telling him that 6 out of 6 college freshman couldn’t find the “search” feature on his website. I wrote: “I think it might help if, instead of a link, you actually put a search box on your home page.”
See the change on Jakob’s home page; Jakob reported that use of his search engine went up 91%.
That tip is now #5 on Jakob’s list of 113 home page usability guidelines.