When, if ever, should you use the back to top link?

Question

I've seen a lot of website designs with frequent back-to-top links, and I'm just wondering when can they ever be justified? What use cases require a "back top top" link and what are the implications for usability?

Answer 1

They are useful on long pages if they are not too frequent, although by a certain size it is probably best to split the page into smaller section pages. See the One-Page HTML5 Specification for an example of why this is necessary (this is about 1 MB of raw HTML).

I personally like the way the Xfce site is - one arrow icon in the lower right corner that remains on the screen, to the side.

Answer 2

As a user, I never use backlinks because this is what the home key does, but I believe there is a use for them, as people sometimes tend to scrollbars.

Answer 3

I think that they can be useful when there is a table of contents at the top of the page and the content is not consistent - like frequently asked questions.

Answer 4

Many people (including me) will never click the back to top link due to their consistent browsing style. This type of user can use a search engine to research topics and quickly switch from site to site in search results. Their button "Back in the browser" is the key to returning them to the list of sites, and clicking on the link "back to the beginning" pushes them further from the list. This user implements very quickly so as not to use this function even on long pages.

As a developer, I never added back-to-top links, even on frequently asked questions pages. I divide my long pages into several shorter ones to avoid this at all.

Answer 5

I think this is useful when there is a table of contents on the first page of the page, each link of which takes the user to some lower part of this rather long page. A common example is a frequently asked questions page with all the Qs on one page.

Answer 6

Limit links to pages longer than two windows in 1024x768 format or content list, faq, etc. The key, although it keeps them aloof, is visible enough so that the user can see and use them. Smashing Magazine has a really good article regarding this feature / topic: http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/11/27/short-story-about-top-links/

Answer 7

They are more useful for readers with disabilities. Think of a blind user using a screen reader by reading a large page (e.g. FAQ). They want to jump between sections, but they don’t have a visual way to skip content, so links are needed. This structure is quite common:

• To the top of the page - one link goes to the first section "content" (hidden from most browsers via CSS).
• Table of Contents (just a large list of links)
• For each section:
  • Content
  • back to top

Answer 8

I would say that they are useful. But depending on the website, this will depend on how they were used.

On a website like this, the Back to Top button on each post will not be a reasonable use of screen real estate, but rather only at the bottom of the site (perhaps just above the response window and to the bottom).

If the message length was a little longer (4 times the length), I would think about using them in the response headers so that users could not search for them.

Answer 9

Frequently Asked Questions, Big Lists, Links, Chapters

Answer 10

See the Interaction Design Template Library for a more formal processing of the user interface element:

http://www.welie.com/patterns/showPattern.php?patternID=top

Answer 11

You should always provide breadcrumbs in the interface. They can act as above. For example.

Home → Private → Login → Accounts

These breadcrumbs should be easily accessible to users.