I've been noticing that the inclusion of the 'Home' link in web site navigation is no longer a given. Sites are increasingly relegating it to a subordinate position or even removing this once standard web page element altogether.

Some sites, such as Sony, Parenting, eBay and US News & World Report have axed it altogether.

While others — BP, child.com, USA.gov — have relegated it to the utility navbar above the main navigation.

There seems to be an increasing recognition that users understand that the logo is a link back to the home page, with a number of sites incorporating the logo into their main navigation in order to maximize the use of this element (and presumably the real estate it occupies).

Apple, Motorola and Nintendo exemplify this convention.

Of course, many other sites, such as WebMD, CNN and IBM, still stick with the traditional 'Home" tab.

So, while it's clear that more and more sites are dispensing with the traditional 'Home' link, what's less clear is the reasoning behind this decision.

It doesn't seem to be audience-based from what I can tell. Personally, I wouldn't miss the absence of the 'Home' link as I am trained to use the logo to get back. However, I would never base any design decisions on my own web proclivities.

I can see how you might consider removing the home page link if real estate was at a premium in your main nav. However, in the examples above that doesn't seem to an issue (and CNN, with their 19 tab navbar, still managed to include it).

There's an old saying, "No one ever got fired for including a link to the home page." Well, actually there isn't, but it's probably not a bad maxim to follow.

I'd love to hear what anyone else thinks. Is the 'Home' link becoming a relic of a bygone era?

Posted on: June 10, 2007 | 14 Comments

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