I have been in the e-commerce selling online business for the past 20 years. You don't necessarily need to have a link on the top of your site that says home, but it's understood that the company logo should take you back to your main home page. It makes it easy for users to reset and go back to the main page and you don't have to compromise your design by making the logo your home link. The other advantage of this is that it's uniform across your whole site. Google will see that there is a link on all the pages going back to your home pages and give that page more strength in googles eyes.
Yes, websites need a "home" link in their main navigation. The reason for this is that a website's purpose is to provide information to its users. To do this, the website needs to have a home page that can be found by all users who visit the site. A "home" link makes it easy for users to find the site's home page and provides them with an effective way of getting there.
My short answer is “no”. However I feel it’s important to explain why. Many websites feel they need a “Home” link in the navigation to make it easy for the user to always be able to get back to the home page. However this is not necessary, and can actually be more confusing for the user. If you have a good structure to your website and navigation, users should be able to easily find their way back to the home page no matter where they are on the site. If they can’t, then your navigation and structure needs work.
Founder of Life and My Finances and Financial Expert at Life and My Finances
Answered 3 years ago
While it's not needed, a "home" link is very useful for both the site owner and site user, so, it is generally a good idea for websites to include a "home" link in their main navigation. The home link serves as a way for users to easily return to the homepage from any other page on the site. It improves the UX of the site and makes it a lot easier to navigate. This can help to reduce confusion and make it easier for users to find what they are looking for. In addition, a home link can also be useful for search engine optimization (SEO) purposes. By including a link to the homepage, you can help to increase the visibility and authority of the homepage, which can in turn improve the overall ranking of the site in search engine results.
Yes, websites definitely need a "home" link in their main navigation. I recently encountered a website while searching online that had no such link and ended up circling around the same pages to get back to the home page over and over again, which was a frustrating experience. Having a home page link as part of the main navigation gives users an easy way to go back and start from scratch whenever they want, allowing them to more easily explore the other content on the website. It also provides familiarity for experienced web users who are used to this format for most websites and expect it; not having it can create confusion and therefore less engagement from those users.
While websites don't need a link that actually says "home", they do need a link that takes you directly to their home page. The best way to implement this organically is to link the name of your brand. For instance, it doesn't matter what page our customers are on, they can click "Furtuna Skin" at the top of the page and be redirected to our home page. This creates a pleasant user experience and eliminates any possible frustration a customer may feel if they can't get back to the home page quickly.
While developers, designers, and content strategists can guide you on the need for the "home" link on a website, there’s no better indicator than user behavior. If tracking the analytics on a website relays the constant use of the link, it is advisable to include it and keep it in the prominent position it usually finds on a page. On the other hand, if users ignore this link and do not find any practical use for it while interacting with the site, developers can get rid of it without worrying about adversely affecting the page's usability. This behavior can also be determined during the testing phase when a large test audience is available to provide dependable recommendations.
A "home" link in the main navigation of a website allows users to easily return to the website's main or starting page from any other page on the site. This can be especially useful for users who have navigated several levels deep into the site's structure, as it provides a quick and convenient way to return to the starting point without having to manually retrace their steps through the site's hierarchy. Additionally, a "home" link can also help users who are familiar with the website to quickly access the main page again without having to type the URL in their browser.
It's important for user experience that the homepage can be easily navigated to at any moment and the best way to do so is by including it in the main menu. The homepage is the gateway to a website and can often provide information unavailable on other pages as well as navigational shortcuts to make finding what users need that much easier. It can also provide the latest news and offers that users may want to take advantage of. If a user cannot easily locate a link back to the homepage after moving away from it, the user may decide to exit the website. Some web designers choose to hyperlink the logo of a website to the homepage instead of placing a link in the main navigation, but in my opinion this should be done in addition, not as a replacement.
A link to your home page is not necessary to put in your main navigation, however, it is necessary to include a way back to your home page somewhere. I recommend setting it up so that clicking up your site logo will get them back there, which typically sits above the main navigation. When a user is ready to leave the page they are on they will likely look to the menu on where to go and if they aren't on your home page it will help them resist the urge to start over needlessly from there and explore other pages to find what they are looking for next. You can gain valuable insights on your traffic and the effectiveness of your pages by analyzing how they land on each page and from where, including internal linking. This also makes your site look more credible and keeps your navigation menu from becoming too busy, especially as your website grows in content.
The annoying answer here is it depends on your audiences, but in general, no. You do not need a separate HOME button in your navigation. That said, you most definitely need your logo to be linked to your homepage, or some other visual mechanism to navigate home. Think about the fact that the majority of your traffic SHOULD be coming from organic (non paid) search traffic, which most likely will land them on the page on your website that is most relevant to what they searched for. They should see the answer to their search query within seconds or they'll bounce. Let's say you satisfied their need, answered their question — and now they want to learn more about you. Make it easy for them to get home. The majority of web (and app) users know to click your logo in the upper (typically left-hand) corner for navigation. Unless your target audiences are unsophisticated users, or perhaps dealing with some type of impairment/ability issues, you can probably dispense with a HOME button.
Consider this. You Google a question to get a quick answer. The snippet you get makes you curious, so you click the link below it and begin reading. You came for a quick answer, but a dozen minutes later you're still reading the post. You think to yourself; “whoever wrote this knows what they are talking about”. You instinctively bookmark the post and save it on Pocket or Google Keep for later reference. When you complete the blog, you want to know more about this writer’s expertise, blog, or website; however, you cannot find the home page. Moral of the story: A home button on your site nav makes it easier for customers to navigate to what you have to offer, so add one.
AI, SEO & Digital Marketing Consultant from Toronto at Emanuel P
Answered 3 years ago
I've been working in digital marketing for a while (4 of which with serving family lawyers across the US - helping them with their websites, among many other digital marketing stuff). A website is the main point where you want your prospects to come. And yet users still don't "behave" as you want them o a website and if you use tools such as Hotjar or Microsoft Clarity, you will see exactly what I mean (these tools record video sessions). That said, many visitors still have a hard time finding their way around any website or simply having their own framework that they operate under. That means, many times, going back to the homepage and, from there, checking another service page, for example. This is one of the reasons why I suggest implementing a "home" button in the navigation.
We should all strive to constantly improve the user experience on our sites, but not just for the sake of being different. Website visitors come with one goal in mind—to find what they’re looking for quickly and easily. Changing the “home” page navigation structure without considering its purpose can do more harm than good. It's clear that those who suggest removing “home” are focused mainly on design aesthetics rather than user experience. This shouldn't be a priority over usability. A website should be designed with users in mind. It's important to provide users with what they're looking for and make sure that the navigation is intuitive so they can easily access the information they need. Removing the “home” link could cause confusion and frustration among users who are familiar with standard navigation design patterns that provide a quick way to return to the homepage.
Your website is a marketing tool, so you should make it as easy to navigate as possible. Nearly every website would function without a "home" link, as clicking on the logo or name at the top will take you home. But the best practice is to include the "home" link anyway. First, there are people in your audience who likely don't readily know they can just click the logo to go to the home page. If they are multiple clicks deep into your website and want to go "home," they may find themselves confused. That is not good. Second, even digital natives who know they can click the logo to go home will generally have to think (even if only for a split second) if they have to click the logo rather than seeing a simple "home" link. Ultimately, including a "home" link is the best practice because it simplifies usability.
Websites must provide a "home" link in their primary navigation to offer visitors a clear and quick method to return to the homepage. If such a link is not included, visitors to the website may become confused since there may be no clear method for them to access the primary landing page if they wind up browsing away from it throughout their stay. Furthermore, having such an indicator may much more immediately remind users of the information easily available on the homepage, rather than having to navigate through numerous pages to get back there. A "home" link is critical for a positive user experience and should never be disregarded when developing a website.
Whether or not websites need a "home" link in their main navigation is largely dependent upon the purpose of the website and how it will be used. For example, if the website serves as a portal for multiple services, products, or topics, then it might make sense to provide a “home” link which allows users to easily navigate back to the home page. This could be especially useful if users will frequently be navigating between different areas of a website. On the other hand, if the website is focused on a single topic or service, then it may not make sense to include a "home" link in the main navigation as visitors may already know where they are and may not need to return to the home page. Ultimately, it is up to the website's creator to decide whether or not a “home” link should be included in their main navigation – and this will depend on their goals for the site and its intended use.
There's no doubt that clicking on a home link is something most visitors are fairly used to and it makes their navigation a lot more user-friendly. But if you look at most websites today, their hyperlinked logos pretty much suffice when it comes to returning to the Home page. And users have picked up on this very fast — in fact most of them will intuitively click on your logo to see if it redirects them.
Hi there, My name is Tim Walsh and I'm the founder and managing partner at Vetted, a recruiting firm working in the marketing and technology sector. Working with some of the best marketing firms in the nation means I've picked up a few tips and tricks for myself over the years. One thing I've learned? When it comes to a link strategy, there is no one size fits all approach. As a boutique recruiting firm serving the tech industry, I've eliminated my home link button and designed my website to best present on a phone or small device. That's because data analytics show that that's the way most clients view my website. But eschewing a home link isn't for every company. Consider your target demographic. Are they over the age of forty? More likely to be viewing your page on a computer? This is the case for many law firms. If so, keep that home link obvious. Banishing it may only confuse your clientele. Best regards, Tim Walsh Managing Partner, Vetted https://www.vettedboston.com/
The home page is important for customers to navigate effectively. It works like a point where you can start navigation and end it. Even software development companies work more diligently to make the home page impressive. Since the home page is important its link is also important, but not in the main navigation. It is because the home page itself is the point of navigation where navigation begins. Well, most of the users know clicking on this link will return them to the home page, but still, more than 90% of users do this. It makes them feel that they have completed a process of navigation. But, according to me putting ‘Home’ in the main navigation is an outdated concept, because most of the users know what is a home page and how it generally looks. So, removing ‘Home’ can’t affect much of your website traffic. Even you can have more space on your website to show other features. The website would have more space which is crucial for any business.