Recent research by web site usability guru Jakob Nielsen re-confirms that whilst there are more and more new designs and applications on the web, users still predominantly focus on the left side of a webpage.

His research found users spend 69% percent of their time looking at the left side of a web page and only 30% of their time looking at the right.  This applies to English and other languages that are read from left to right.  This confirms a couple of key points:

1) Keep your most important information on the left side of the page.  Less important information can go on the right and in the case of a homepage you may need to use imagery or other techniques to attract attention for information on the right.

2) Stick to traditional webpage layouts.  It can be tempting on the web to try and be innovative or different but when it comes to usability there are some rules that should be followed for good reason. 

There are many ways to demonstrate your creativity and uniqueness on the internet with content, techniques and tools. However, when it comes to presenting information and providing a simple, effective user experience, the latest research reconfirms that it is a safe bet to still stick with traditional page layouts that have the most important information on the left.