Should your website navigation include a Home link, or is clicking your logo enough to take visitors back to the homepage?
It’s one of those small web design decisions that can spark surprisingly strong opinions. Some designers prefer a minimalist menu, relying on the logo to do the job. Others believe a clearly labelled Home link makes a website easier for everyone to navigate.
So, who’s right?
The answer depends on your audience, your website and how you want people to use it. Let’s look at the pros and cons of including Home in your website menu.
The Pros of Including a Home Link
1. It’s clear and familiar
Not everyone knows that clicking a website’s logo will take them back to the homepage. While it’s a widely used convention, that doesn’t mean every visitor recognises it.
A Home link is straightforward. There’s no guessing, no need to work out what the logo does and no extra effort required.
For small business websites serving a broad audience, familiar navigation labels can make the experience more comfortable for visitors.
2. It gives visitors an easy way back
Visitors don’t always enter your website through the homepage. They might arrive at a blog post from Google, land on a specific service page or follow a link someone shared on social media.
After exploring a few pages, they may want to return to the beginning and get a better overview of your business.
A Home link gives them a predictable way to do this without relying on their browser’s back button or searching for the logo.
3. It can support accessibility and usability
Clear, descriptive navigation labels can help people understand their options, particularly those who find unfamiliar interfaces difficult to navigate.
A Home link can also be useful for people with cognitive disabilities, older users and anyone who benefits from predictable website navigation.
It’s worth remembering that accessibility involves much more than a single menu item. Keyboard navigation, visible focus states, readable text and properly labelled controls all matter, too.
4. It makes sense for larger websites
If your website has multiple service pages, a blog, an About page, resources and other content, visitors can end up quite a long way from where they started.
A clearly labelled Home link provides another easy route back, especially when the navigation structure is complex.
The Cons of Including a Home Link
1. It takes up valuable menu space
Every navigation item uses space, and that can be an issue on smaller screens or websites with lots of pages.
If your menu is already crowded, removing Home might create a cleaner layout and leave room for more important links, such as Services, Pricing or Contact.
On mobile devices, where space is limited, keeping the menu focused is particularly important.
2. It can be redundant
Most modern websites make their logo clickable, and many visitors already expect it to lead to the homepage.
If your audience is comfortable navigating websites, a separate Home link may offer little additional value.
For a simple website with just a handful of pages, the logo may be all you need.
3. It can make the menu feel cluttered
Good navigation helps visitors quickly identify the most useful pages. Adding unnecessary links can make a menu feel busier than it needs to be.
However, this depends on the overall design. A Home link in a short, well-organised menu is unlikely to cause a problem. The issue is whether the navigation becomes crowded or confusing.
So, Should You Keep Home in Your Website Menu?
There’s no single answer that applies to every website.
If you have a simple website, a clearly clickable logo and an audience that’s comfortable navigating the web, you may not need a separate Home link.
If you run a small business website, serve a broad audience or have lots of pages for visitors to explore, keeping Home in your navigation can be a sensible choice.
My recommendation? Don’t remove it simply because you’ve seen other designers doing without it. Consider your visitors, test your navigation on desktop and mobile, and make sure people can find their way around without having to think too hard.
Ultimately, good website design isn’t just about how a menu looks. It’s about how easily people can use it.