| xperienced web designer should know without having | | | | company you represent in a good light. By doing this, |
| to be told that the Back Button is an extremely part | | | | web designers cripple their own web sites because |
| of any web page. Your web design company | | | | they have deprived visitors of the standard controls |
| certainly expects you to understand this fundamental | | | | used to navigate websites and they have also |
| concept of web design. You should realize the truth | | | | ensured that the visitors will leave the web site as |
| of this claim after having surfed the internet and | | | | soon as possible and not return. This is hardly ideal |
| visited various web sites for some time. All too | | | | for either web designers or their customers. So, |
| often, however, web designers take this important | | | | instead of fighting the back button, try using its |
| button for granted. "Back" or "Back to Home/Start" | | | | presence to your advantage. |
| links that are sometimes built into web pages are | | | | How to Take Advantage |
| frequently poorly designed, and do not lead users to | | | | Taking advantage of the back button does not entail |
| the page that they were previously on. Directing a | | | | giving your users instructions on how to use the |
| user to the exact page that they were on before | | | | button. They already know this. Instead, you want to |
| they were linked to the current page requires more | | | | take advantage of the fact that the visitors to your |
| than a little programming knowledge. When they do | | | | web site are thoroughly predictable in that they will |
| not function properly, these “Back” | | | | inevitably head for the back button after some time. |
| links reflect poorly upon you site and often | | | | Try to take advantage of this constant attention |
| discourage visitors from exploring more of your site. | | | | paid to the back button. Here are some ways that |
| How People Browse the Web | | | | you do this: |
| A large number of people online visit web sites with | | | | • Any advertisements or branding elements |
| no specific purpose in mind other than to gain a | | | | that you put on your web site could be placed in the |
| general idea of what that web site contains. If what | | | | upper left hand corner of the site, near the back |
| they see in the first few seconds on the site does | | | | button. They are likely to receive more attention |
| not interest them, then their cursor immediately | | | | here from visitors using the back button than |
| moves to the Back button in the upper left hand | | | | anywhere else on the page. |
| corner of the screen to bring them back to their | | | | • Make your branding elements or |
| previous page. Some people use this button so often | | | | advertisements links to other pages. By doing that, |
| that they fail to realize how much they rely on the | | | | you create the chance that visitors might just link |
| Back button for their convenience. They visit one site | | | | themselves to another one of your pages if they |
| after another, scrolling up and down each one, and | | | | miss the back button of if you are branding elements |
| after determining that the site contains nothing of | | | | catch their attention. |
| interest to them, head straight for the back button | | | | • Make use of the server logs to obtain |
| and away from the site. | | | | information about the pages that visitors to your site |
| Do Not Try To Impact This Negatively | | | | were on before they were linked over. This will |
| Web designers all over the world have a common | | | | provide your web design company and clients with |
| reaction to this phenomenon – they do their | | | | important information that they can make use of. If |
| best to prevent it. Regardless of which web design | | | | you know what sites visitors to your site usually |
| company you work for, or what programs and tools | | | | return to, you could provide a direct address to |
| you use to create your web sites, you do not want | | | | those sites from yours. If, for example, visitors are |
| visitors to simply skim your web page before leaving. | | | | coming from a search engine, then you could provide |
| No, you want them to stay. And some web page | | | | visitors from there with an object that will connect |
| designers take extreme measures to try to prevent | | | | them with that search engine and also help them |
| visitors from leaving their sites. | | | | search your site. It is important to remember that |
| Some program the page to open in a window that | | | | one of the most helpful things designers can do for |
| does not have a back button, others make their | | | | visitors is to include details on how to search your |
| page open in a new window and cause the old | | | | site. This is likely to earn you the appreciation of not |
| window to close. It is not difficult to see that web | | | | only your visitors, but also of clients and your web |
| users will quickly become annoyed with this, and it | | | | design company. |
| definitely does not present you or the web design | | | | |