The Official Blog of Magnolia Box

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Splash Pages Are Bad

Ten years ago, when you visited a website you may remember having to sit through an animation or intro page before you were allowed to get into the main site. These so-called "splash pages" were all the rage, but these days we've all matured as web users and now only two people tend to care about a splash page: the person who made it and the CEO.

There are lots of reasons why splash pages are such a bad idea. This excellent article explains why, and:

  • Bad for SEO
  • It's futile to get in the way of what the customer wants. Everyone knows how to use the back button - it's easy for people to go somewhere else in a second.
  • Does your beautiful page/animation still create a good impression of your brand when it's viewed over a slower connection or on a mobile device?
  • Most users will skip an intro anyway.
  • Whatever message you want to convey can be done through the homepage much better, within the consistent navigation/layout of the site.
  • Did I mention they're bad for SEO?

Of course, these reasons are compelling enough on an information-based site; on an ecommerce site, all these reasons are magnified...

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