diff --git a/apps/web/app/layout.tsx b/apps/web/app/layout.tsx
index 20f7b7c..c86ce41 100644
--- a/apps/web/app/layout.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/app/layout.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import type { Metadata } from 'next';
+import Link from 'next/link';
 import './globals.css';
 
 export const metadata: Metadata = {
@@ -9,7 +10,18 @@ export const metadata: Metadata = {
 export default function RootLayout({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
   return (
     <html lang="en">
-      <body className="bg-white text-gray-900 antialiased">{children}</body>
+      <body className="flex min-h-screen bg-gray-50 text-gray-900 antialiased">
+        <nav className="w-52 shrink-0 bg-white border-r border-gray-200 p-4 flex flex-col gap-1">
+          <span className="font-bold text-base mb-4">TOWER</span>
+          <Link href="/search" className="rounded px-3 py-2 text-sm hover:bg-gray-100">
+            Search
+          </Link>
+          <Link href="/groups" className="rounded px-3 py-2 text-sm hover:bg-gray-100">
+            Groups &amp; Routes
+          </Link>
+        </nav>
+        <main className="flex-1 overflow-auto p-6">{children}</main>
+      </body>
     </html>
   );
 }
diff --git a/apps/web/app/page.test.tsx b/apps/web/app/page.test.tsx
index ee0919e..88b5898 100644
--- a/apps/web/app/page.test.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/app/page.test.tsx
@@ -7,8 +7,13 @@ describe('Home page', () => {
     expect(screen.getByRole('heading', { name: /insignia tower/i })).toBeInTheDocument();
   });
 
-  it('renders the platform tagline', () => {
+  it('renders a link to the search page', () => {
     render(<Home />);
-    expect(screen.getByText(/community knowledge infrastructure/i)).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.getByRole('link', { name: /search/i })).toHaveAttribute('href', '/search');
+  });
+
+  it('renders a link to the groups page', () => {
+    render(<Home />);
+    expect(screen.getByRole('link', { name: /groups/i })).toHaveAttribute('href', '/groups');
   });
 });
diff --git a/apps/web/app/page.tsx b/apps/web/app/page.tsx
index 994ea6d..c1cf423 100644
--- a/apps/web/app/page.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/app/page.tsx
@@ -1,8 +1,26 @@
+import Link from 'next/link';
+
 export default function Home() {
   return (
-    <main className="flex min-h-screen flex-col items-center justify-center gap-4">
-      <h1 className="text-4xl font-bold tracking-tight">Insignia TOWER</h1>
-      <p className="text-lg text-gray-500">Community Knowledge Infrastructure Platform</p>
-    </main>
+    <div className="flex flex-col gap-6 max-w-xl">
+      <h1 className="text-3xl font-bold tracking-tight">Insignia TOWER</h1>
+      <p className="text-gray-500">Community Knowledge Infrastructure Platform</p>
+      <div className="flex gap-4">
+        <Link
+          href="/search"
+          className="flex-1 rounded-xl border border-gray-200 bg-white p-5 hover:border-blue-400 transition-colors"
+        >
+          <h2 className="font-semibold mb-1">Search</h2>
+          <p className="text-sm text-gray-500">Full-text search of approved messages</p>
+        </Link>
+        <Link
+          href="/groups"
+          className="flex-1 rounded-xl border border-gray-200 bg-white p-5 hover:border-blue-400 transition-colors"
+        >
+          <h2 className="font-semibold mb-1">Groups</h2>
+          <p className="text-sm text-gray-500">Manage groups and sync routes</p>
+        </Link>
+      </div>
+    </div>
   );
 }
