Linking page title block to home - best practices?

Question

I do most if not all my sites to have the page title block (generally a styled h1 on my pages) to link back to the home page.

Should this be linked on the first page, i.e. the home page? I read that this shouldn't be linked, but one thing I do when I go to a page for the first time is mouseover the title to check the status bar to see if it will send me home.

What I'm asking is best practises for this... should the home page's title link back to itself for future reference for the user?

Answer 1

While I understand the logic behind a page not linking to itself, I personally think the title block is a defensible exception. So I think you should link it to the home page, even on the home page.

Answer 2

See sites such as facebook - the facebook logo always links to the homepage.

It's a strong convention, and I try to utilize it where ever practicable.

Answer 3

There should never be links on the page that link to itself. According to research by Jakob Nielsen, this is a bad idea. Further reading here (#10) and here (also #10 in that list).