What is a splash page? Splash pages, also called splash screens, were very popular during the early 2000s. They are not so popular today. Some websites still use them for many purposes, but they can have negative effects on your users and your website.
Splash Pages Defined
A splash page is a page on your website that a user first encounters before entering your main content. Some people confuse these with landing pages, but they are different. You may have seen one before. They are normally full color screens that contain a video or a picture with text that explains more about a business or the website you are about to enter.
Web designers use splash pages to accomplish a goal. The goal can be anything from; collecting email addresses, direct users to certain content, and announce sales and specials. Normally, websites today use pop-ups to relay this type of information, but when the Internet really started taking off in the early 2000s, splash pages were used by most website creators.
Once the goal is accomplished on a splash page, then the user is directed to the main content or the home page of the website.
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Difference Between Landing Pages and Splash Pages
We have explained what a splash page is, but what is a landing page? A landing page is normally a standalone page used as a destination from a link. Many times on a landing page, you will find a place to enter your email or zip code and once you complete the goal, you are directed to the main website.
Sounds a lot like a splash page, correct?.
It is, but a splash page is connected to a website and used as a gate keeper before a user enters a site. It can contain an informative video, collect informaiton, or even provide intro information about the site or business.
A landing page on the other hand, has one goal: to collect your email or other information. It is a stand along page meaning, that it is not a part of the site it directs you to after you fill in the required information.
A splash page is more like a typical pop-up while a landing page is just a page.
Should I Use Splash Pages?
Splash pages are not recommended as good website practice and there are many reasons for this.
According to LiveWire, Studies have shown that 25% of users will leave a website if he or she encounters a splash page
before they can enter the website.
Splash pages normally contain videos or large graphic files that are intended to be eye-candy for users. These large files can cause your website to load slowly and can cause your website to rank lower in search engines because of this fact.
Another reason splash pages are not seo-friendly is, they do not contain a lot of relevant information for search engines. Since search engines use relevant information to rank websites. this lack of relevance and being it is the first thing a search engine bot finds on your website, will cause the search engines to rank your website lower in the search results if they rank them at all.
Splash pages are a thing of the past. If you get an email or see an ad online that is trying to sell you software to easily create splash screens or splash pages, then just avoid it. They are a waste of money and time when building a website online.
Focus your time on creating user and search engine friendly content instead of wasting it trying to build a splash page. If you want to inform your readers about new sales and other promotions, use a line on your page, write a post about it, or use a pop-up window he or she can easily dismiss if they are not interested.
Pop-ups Are Better Than Splash Pages?
Yes and no. Splash pages are unavoidable. A user has to input something into the page before they can continue to the website. It’s the first thing the user sees and it is the first thing a search engine bot encounters. Both are bad experiences.
Pop-ups on the other hand normally are timed to pop-up after the users has been on your site for a certain amount of time or when they attempt to exit. This is better for SEO and for the user. Pop-ups are easily dismissed and don’t require a user to enter information before they can proceed further in the content. They are still annoying, but less intrusive.
Conclusion
Splash pages used to be all the rave. They made websites appear more interesting and they were great ways to relay information to new users. Web creators could show off his or her talents by creating amazing splash pages, but the time for splash pages have gone and went.
People are looking for fast information when they search online and a splash pages slow down and waste his or her efforts. They are bad for SEO and can have a negative impact on rankings in the search engines.
They are a waste on time and money and will probably never give you a return for your effort for creating them.
Once you become a website owner, your email box will fill with companies trying to sell you the next best thing for conversions and traffic acquisitions. They may try to sell you on the benefits of a splash page to attract readers attention, but don’t fall for it. Splash pages are a thing of the past.
==>I would love to hear your experiences, questions, and thoughts about this subject, so please feel free to leave a comment below. I normally respond within 24 hours. Feel free to share this information with anyone you think will benefit from it. Talk with you later, GMack<==
Hi Greg,
That’s really interesting – I’ve never actually heard of splash pages as such before. I’ve seen them sure but I was always under the impression that they were the same thing as landing pages. Good to know the difference and that I should not be using those in my site going forwards. You’re absolutely right that my inbox is always full of people trying to sell me the next best thing and I’ll steer clear of these.
Hi Martina,
Glad I could help you with the information that I provide. They are two different things in the internet marketing world and the splash page is an outdated page that just annoys everyone
Hi GMack, Thanks for enlightening me on this topic and what I should avoid. I am still in the process of building out my website and there are still some important features that I have to include. I will most definitely not be including any splash pages though, nor would I want pop-ups for that matter. I will focus my attention on creating more, I hope, helpful content. Thanks for your very illuminating article. Best regards, Andy
I am glad you found this helpful, Andy. If you are looking for more information about building a website then check out my earlier post Can I Build a Website – Yes You Can
Wow! I’ve learned so much from reading this article. I have heard of splash pages before, but I couldn’t differentiate them from landing pages. You did an excellent job of showing how one is very different from the other. I often visit websites that have a splash page, and it instantly turns me off. I want the website to load, I want to get to the main content, and I want to get to the point. Lol Thank you for taking time to explain this! God bless you!
That’s right, CN.
We want everything now and don’t want to do extra clicks or wait for the darn thing to load. Just avoid splash pages and make your reader and the bots happy. Thanks for your personal example
Thanks for highlighting that Greg. As you explained sometimes things we do on our websites that we think seems attractive to users, could affect SEO negatively, hence reducing traffic. Keep up the great content!
HI Mohammed,
Sometimes we will spend hours doing something on our websites that has little value and many times those thing we spend hours on can even hurt our websites without us knowing it. Thanks for stopping by