Do You Need A Home Button In Your Website Menu?

Over the last few years, we’ve seen an increase in the number of websites without a homepage button. But is taking design inspiration from sites like Facebook and Amazon actually devaluing their website?

The home page of a website is the page that people visit the most, receiving much more traffic than any other page on your website. So, surely, shouldn’t this afford it the prime position in your main navigation?

It’s the hub of the website, and where users go if they get lost or want to re-navigate to somewhere else on the website. Giving it the prominence it deserves means you’ll garner more clicks. This means more users can easily get to where they need to be, in turn improving your website traffic.

Unlike many years ago when websites and search engines were relatively new, most of your users won’t actually be landing on the homepage. They’ll be going directly to a landing page from an advert or link that they’ve clicked. The page they land on may not be where they want to end up, so they’ll use the home page button to get to where they need to be.

Offering an easy way for users to find the homepage button reduces something called friction. In UX speak, friction is when a user is looking for something and can’t find it easily. Making the home page prominent reduces the risk of this, thus reducing the risk of drop off rates due to friction frustration.

Some, if not most, of the customers coming to your website will be new. They won’t be familiar with the layout and design of your website. Because of “familiarity bias”, users will be looking for the homepage button in the top left-hand corner, as this is where it’s usually placed. Be sure to put your home page button in this area and make sure it’s clearly labelled. Doing so will ensure users feel comfortable while browsing, making them more likely to stick around and engage with your services.

It’s also great for SEO. It gives you more above the fold content and somewhere to direct search bots. As well as this, it also redirects links and helps with the internal structure of your website. It gives you a more authoritative page and site, which can help you in the Google rankings.