“Summary: A site logo linking to the homepage is not enough. Logo design and placement, as well as the presence of a text link to the homepage affect success of navigation to homepage.”
“Homepage Links Remain a Necessity”
Nielsen Norman Group, July 23, 2017
Web Usability, Navigation
By Hoa Loranger
People Rely on Links to the Homepage
A direct, one-click link to the homepage is a must-have on websites. There are several reasons why:
- Going back to the homepage is a common task. People often go to the homepage when they’re disoriented, they have gone too deep into a site, or they’re ready to start a new task.
- Because of their dependency on search engines, most users enter websites through an interior page and bypass the homepage entirely. Easy access to the homepage provides a new starting point for those who are on the wrong page or want to explore other parts of the site.
How to Present Links to Homepages
There are two ways to present links to homepage: implicit, through logos, and explicit, through a link labeled Home or similar. You should use both these types of links. Below are guidelines for their use.
Want the latest in your Inbox from the Nielsen Norman Group? Sign up for their weekly newsletter. Always short insightful and useful. (No they didn’t pay me to say that nor include this link. It’s simply that I find it very useful and informative and want to share it at-large.)
Alertbox E-Mail Newsletter – “The latest articles about interface usability, website design, and UX research from the Nielsen Norman Group. You will receive one brief email every week containing summaries of our latest articles and information about upcoming events and research.“
