diff --git a/public/content/developers/docs/index.md b/public/content/developers/docs/index.md
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@@ -6,7 +6,16 @@ lang: en
 
 This documentation is designed to help you build with [Ethereum](/). It covers Ethereum as a concept, explains the Ethereum tech stack, and documents advanced topics for more complex applications and use cases.
 
-This is an open-source community effort, so feel free to suggest new topics, add new content, and provide examples wherever you think it might be helpful. All documentation can be edited via GitHub – if you're unsure how, [follow these instructions](https://github.com/ethereum/ethereum-org-website/blob/dev/docs/editing-markdown.md).
+Everything here is open-source and community-maintained, so if a page is out of date or missing something useful, open an issue or a pull request. The [editing guide](https://github.com/ethereum/ethereum-org-website/blob/dev/docs/editing-markdown.md) walks through how.
+
+## Pick a starting point {#pick-a-starting-point}
+
+Readers arrive with different goals, and the fastest path through these docs depends on what you want to build. A few common entry points:
+
+- **Building a dapp that talks to Ethereum.** Start with the [technical intro](/developers/docs/intro-to-ethereum/), then work through [accounts](/developers/docs/accounts/) and [transactions](/developers/docs/transactions/). Pick a [framework](/developers/docs/frameworks/) when you're ready to write code.
+- **Writing a smart contract.** Skim the [intro](/developers/docs/intro-to-ethereum/) if EVM concepts are new, then jump to [smart contracts](/developers/docs/smart-contracts/) and a [programming language](/developers/docs/programming-languages/).
+- **Running a node or staking.** Go to [nodes and clients](/developers/docs/nodes-and-clients/), then [networking](/developers/docs/networking-layer/) and [consensus mechanisms](/developers/docs/consensus-mechanisms/).
+- **Understanding the protocol from the bottom up.** The modules below are ordered for this. Read them in sequence.
 
 ## Development modules {#development-modules}
 
diff --git a/public/content/developers/docs/intro-to-ethereum/index.md b/public/content/developers/docs/intro-to-ethereum/index.md
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@@ -104,6 +104,14 @@ A reusable snippet of code (a program) which a developer publishes into EVM stat
 
 [More on smart contracts](/developers/docs/smart-contracts/)
 
+## Where to go next {#where-to-go-next}
+
+Most readers follow the docs in order, but the shortest path depends on what you're trying to build:
+
+- **Dapps that interact with Ethereum:** [accounts](/developers/docs/accounts/) and [transactions](/developers/docs/transactions/), then pick a [framework](/developers/docs/frameworks/).
+- **Smart contract development:** [smart contracts](/developers/docs/smart-contracts/) and [programming languages](/developers/docs/programming-languages/).
+- **Nodes and staking:** [nodes and clients](/developers/docs/nodes-and-clients/), then [consensus mechanisms](/developers/docs/consensus-mechanisms/).
+
 ## Further reading {#further-reading}
 
 - [Ethereum Whitepaper](/whitepaper/)