Are "Home" links dead?

[Christiano]

I tend to use a "main" text/graphic link as well as the logo being an obvious way to return to the main page. Home sounds so non-technical!

-martin

[Gamermk]

It all depends on your audience.

Places like aListApart and Sitepoint can get away ignoring the home convenient because they know their audience is web developers and generally speaking web sauvy people. This is also why aListApart can justify their page not working in 800x600.

[Trent Reimer]

Links are for sissies! I force the visitor to type each URI directly into the address bar.

To ensure against site abuses I display the URI in an image file generated by an assembler program via CGI. Opposing, complementary colours are used to make doubly sure that not only blind users but also colour blind users have absolutely no chance to use the site. And yes, the font is tiny.

I also strip out all the CSS and semantically correct tags so that the site can be properly divided into a hundreds upon hundreds of table cells - a handy technique I learned from reading code generated by FrontPage.

[Weon]

Links are for sissies! I force the visitor to type each URI directly into the address bar.

To ensure against site abuses I display the URI in an image file generated by an assembler program via CGI. Opposing, complementary colours are used to make doubly sure that not only blind users but also colour blind users have absolutely no chance to use the site. And yes, the font is tiny.

I also strip out all the CSS and semantically correct tags so that the site can be properly divided into a hundreds upon hundreds of table cells - a handy technique I learned from reading code generated by FrontPage.

Nice - I think I've seen some of your work!

For the record I use both (although it has occured to me that my business site doen't have a home link, only the logo )

[Tijmen]

It all depends on your audience.

Places like aListApart and Sitepoint can get away ignoring the home convenient because they know their audience is web developers and generally speaking web sauvy people. This is also why aListApart can justify their page not working in 800x600.

So far i have always used a clickable logo and a home link, but if i would have to build a website which would target webdesigners. I would only make a clickable logo.

I personally always click first on the logo, and if that doesn't work then i use the home button.

[That's Me]

A home link is best, aesthetically speaking, in the breadcrumb menu. I don't like to see it in the site's menu bar. It makes me feel cheap and dirty. I always put it in the mini-site-map-footer-thingy at the bottom of the page, but I don't really like it and it's hard to look at myself in the mirror afterward.

Do so many people really not know that the logo can be clicked? Oh, people. Silly, silly people.

[dancing-mathilde]

Are we talking about the idea of having a 'home link', or about the creative way you can use it? Is your 'home' page your index one, or, a real home and start?

Using the logo is possible but just one of the ways to allow your visitors to go back to the start page. A text link is part of clear navigation. Home=site subject and that is a different look

[Pavel_Nedved]

What it comes down to is good usability. Do you think it is good to assume that every single visitor to your web site will know that your logo is a link to your home page?

Of course not. It's just a version of "Mystery Meat Navigation".

And what happens (and I know nowadays this doesn't happen often, but it happens) if the visitor has images turned off???

[That's Me]

What it comes down to is good usability. Do you think it is good to assume that every single visitor to your web site will know that your logo is a link to your home page?

Of course not. It's just a version of "Mystery Meat Navigation".

And what happens (and I know nowadays this doesn't happen often, but it happens) if the visitor has images turned off???

That's where the breadcrumbs backward navigation thing comes in. But some of those sites just sucked because they were 100%, pure flash sites with very little or no text/text-links at all. That's a whole separate (and colossally annoying) issue...

[WealthStream]

I always have some sort of text link pointing to my home page for SEO reasons. It doesn't necessarily have to say "Home" (actually it's better to use the opportunity to build in a relevant keyword or two), but it really should be there.

[mcsolas]

I always try and make my users feel at home. Easy link backs to the main page is a key to designing sticky sites. Link the logo, links in the text, a breadcrumbs linkback. What more can I say?

[sputza]

depends on the audiance of the website. If its an IT website the average user would be more likley to use the logo as a "home" link. If the audiance is non-tech they would rather have a home link.

[peach]

You should build your site to cater the need of your user, and I think that te majority of users of non-tech sites and a whole bunch of people who form the audience of sites like sitepoint would like to have a text version of the home link.

A good way to find out is starting out with both options and then log the clicks on both links, according to the "Don't make me think" principle the users will click the link their intuition tells them to click. Then, if your statistics show that only like 4% of your users use the text link and the rest clicks on your logo, you could consider removing the text link, allthough personally I would never remove the text link because I just think it's more clear...

1.1 Provide a text equivalent for every non-text element (e.g., via "alt", "longdesc", or in element content). This includes: images, graphical representations of text (including symbols), image map regions, animations (e.g., animated GIFs), applets and programmatic objects, ascii art, frames, scripts, images used as list bullets, spacers, graphical buttons, sounds (played with or without user interaction), stand-alone audio files, audio tracks of video, and video. [Priority 1]
For example, in HTML:
Use "alt" for the IMG, INPUT, and APPLET elements, or provide a text equivalent in the content of the OBJECT and APPLET elements.
For complex content (e.g., a chart) where the "alt" text does not provide a complete text equivalent, provide an additional description using, for example, "longdesc" with IMG or FRAME, a link inside an OBJECT element, or a description link.
For image maps, either use the "alt" attribute with AREA, or use the MAP element with A elements (and other text) as content.

and accoring to WCAG 1.0.. strictly speaking the conflict of your alt tags description of the image's content (logo) does not in itself desscribe the page it links to (WCAG checkpoint 13.1). This would exlude your site from validating WCAG 1.0 compliancy.. but that's not really fair to say because people who use screenreaders would be treated equally to normal viewers since both groups would have to learn that clicking the logo would take them to the home page.

[chrisranjana]

Sometimes people in a hurry do access your websites from command line browsers like lynx etc so it is always better to have text equivalent of images.

[smnoel]

Ever eat at a Chinese place without knives or only one napkin? Sure, it works but offering simple solutions just makes more sense to me. Somehow, I don't think offering it cheapens the experience.

[That's Me]

Ever eat at a Chinese place without knives or only one napkin? Sure, it works but offering simple solutions just makes more sense to me. Somehow, I don't think offering it cheapens the experience.

Yeah, I guess I agree, now that I think about it; a home link is acceptable in the menubar. And, yes, definitely use something more descriptive than "Home". Thanks, smnoel, for helping me think about this from another perspective

[peach]

Sometimes people in a hurry do access your websites from command line browsers like lynx etc so it is always better to have text equivalent of images.

uhhm, not anyone I know lol.

[TurtleX]

I have both. I link my logo and I have a "Home" link.

[edwardgnt]

Of course you are supposed to create a home link.
One of the biggest problems today are web designers, and programmers get too technical or tech-savvy. Remember your audience. Not everyone is tech-savvy. Userability is a must.

thank you,

eddiegnt

asp.net guru

[mattalexx]

You should build your site to cater the need of your user, and I think that te majority of users of non-tech sites and a whole bunch of people who form the audience of sites like sitepoint would like to have a text version of the home link.

A good way to find out is starting out with both options and then log the clicks on both links, according to the "Don't make me think" principle the users will click the link their intuition tells them to click. Then, if your statistics show that only like 4% of your users use the text link and the rest clicks on your logo, you could consider removing the text link, allthough personally I would never remove the text link because I just think it's more clear...


and accoring to WCAG 1.0.. strictly speaking the conflict of your alt tags description of the image's content (logo) does not in itself desscribe the page it links to (WCAG checkpoint 13.1). This would exlude your site from validating WCAG 1.0 compliancy.. but that's not really fair to say because people who use screenreaders would be treated equally to normal viewers since both groups would have to learn that clicking the logo would take them to the home page.

by the way, you should check out your site in Opera. pretty messy.

[mcsolas]

Of course you are supposed to create a home link.
One of the biggest problems today are web designers, and programmers get too technical or tech-savvy. Remember your audience. Not everyone is tech-savvy. Userability is a must.

The worst offense I have come across is here at easy cfm's forums

At this site, very notably.. there is something missing. Try and make your way back to the home page, it might take a few seconds...

I notified the site owner about this over a year ago... no change yet. I know he is a coldfusion coding guru... but there is really no legitimate reason to not put an easily found home link somewhere at the top of a forum not sitting at the sites root. Especially in this case, because he also doesn't include the sites navigation and he has a LOT of other content.

I found that when I focused on user oriented design and took the extra steps to hold the users hand along the way.. the more and more they came back, and the better the user feedback was, thanking me for 'upgrading' my site. From a users perspective (and in this case) , adding a home page link in the right place is considered an upgrade!

[StinkyStrawberry]

Does labeling the "home" link something else still mean its the home link? If you have the home link labeled with another word other than "home" would it be a good idea to add home?

[Webmaster7]

Some users prefer a logo link, and others only recognize a text home link, so I think it's beter to use them both...

[motion-ex]

Making the logo a link to the main page is a common practice, and I think it's a good idea. However, there is usually nothing that visually indicates that the logo is a link, and people who aren't 'Net savvy may not be aware of this common practice. Therefore I think you should use a regular text link, too.

If, for some reason, it's 'one or the other,' I'd use the text link.

peale read text, they don't guess the function of an image, plus 905 of the web has a home link, and it is not recommended to force users to learn how to use your site

[Fara0^]

Actually also something I have been thinking about.
I usually links from the logo