Navigating the Pros and Cons of Website Splash Pages

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Welcome back to the business ignite podcast, where we light the fire

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for business growth and marketing success.

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Your hosts, Ethan Walker, Samantha Reed,

bring you the latest trends, expert

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insights, and actionable strategies

to fuel your business journey.

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Let's ignite your potential.

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Samantha Reed: Hey, everyone.

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Welcome back.

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Ready to dive into something that

seems simple, but can totally make or

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break a website's first impression.

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Ethan Walker: I'm in.

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Let's do it.

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Samantha Reed: Today, we're

tackling splash pages.

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You know, those pages that pop up

before you get to the main site.

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Ethan Walker: Often with like a

big logo, maybe some graphics.

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Samantha Reed: Exactly.

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We're using an article from

95 Visual as our guide today.

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Ethan Walker: Love their stuff.

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Always good insights.

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Samantha Reed: For sure.

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So, to splash or not to splash?

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That is the question.

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We'll break down the pros and cons so

you can make the call for your own site.

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Ethan Walker: Music to my ears.

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There's actually a lot to

unpack, even though it seems

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like such a basic design element.

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Samantha Reed: Right.

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Don't be fooled.

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It has a huge impact on how

visitors experience your site.

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But before we get to the potential

downsides, I gotta admit, the

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article did highlight some good

arguments for using splash pages.

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Ethan Walker: Yeah, in certain

cases they make a lot of sense.

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Samantha Reed: Like, for example, they

highlighted time sensitive announcements.

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Makes total sense when you think about it.

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Ethan Walker: Absolutely.

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If you've got a big product

launch, a limited time offer,

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A splash page is like BAM.

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That's the first thing people see.

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Samantha Reed: It's like your friend

who bursts into the room with huge news.

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You can't ignore him.

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Okay, that one clicked.

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But then they mentioned

speed as a potential benefit.

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And I was like, huh, help me out here.

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Ethan Walker: So think about it.

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Some websites, especially image heavy

ones, they take time to fully load, right?

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A splash page, being

simpler, loads super fast.

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Samantha Reed: Ah, so it's

like holding page almost.

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Yeah.

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While the rest catches up.

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Ethan Walker: Exactly.

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Exactly.

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It manages expectations in

those crucial first few seconds.

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Mm

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Samantha Reed: hmm.

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Ethan Walker: No one wants

to stare at a blank screen.

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Samantha Reed: Totally.

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And speaking of managing expectations, uh,

the article also mentioned using splash

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pages for sites with multiple sections,

almost like mini sites within a site.

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What's the thinking there?

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Ethan Walker: Alright, so say

you're a freelance writer, you've

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got your portfolio, your blog.

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Mmm.

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Instead of dumping visitors on

a generic homepage, a splash

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page acts like a directory.

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Click here for this, here for that.

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Samantha Reed: Streamlining

things from the get go.

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Ethan Walker: Precisely.

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Especially on content heavy sites,

that clarity can be really valuable.

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Samantha Reed: Okay, so splash

pages can help people navigate a

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complex site, I'm getting that.

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But, and I know you're gonna

bring the honesty here, there's

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gotta be a downside, right?

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Like, when I think splash

page, part of me flashes back

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to those early 2000s websites.

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Oh,

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Ethan Walker: you mean the ones

with like the Starburst graphics

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and the auto playing MIDI music?

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Yeah, we've all been there.

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Samantha Reed: Exactly.

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Is that part of the problem, or are

there other reasons people might not

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be so hot on splash pages these days?

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Ethan Walker: So it's a few things.

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Firstly, the article mentioned a

study, and this is kind of a big deal.

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25 percent of people, when they

hit a splash page, they bounce.

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Gone.

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Samantha Reed: Wait, seriously.

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A quarter of people just leave.

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Ethan Walker: That's

what the study showed.

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They get that extra page,

and they're out of there.

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Samantha Reed: Ouch.

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Okay, so aside from potentially driving

away a huge chunk of visitors, what else?

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Ethan Walker: Search engines

don't love them either, which In

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the online world is a problem.

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Samantha Reed: Because

if Google can't find you

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Ethan Walker: You're

kind of invisible, yeah.

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See, search engines, they're all

about indexing actual content.

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And splash pages, often

they're light on that.

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Samantha Reed: So it's like,

you've got a shop, but instead of

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putting your goods on display, it's

just a big door with your logo.

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People might not even realize

you're selling anything.

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Ethan Walker: 100%.

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It's a barrier to both humans

and search engine bots.

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Samantha Reed: Double whammy.

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Anything else to pile on here,

or are we done scaring everyone

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off splash pages forever?

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Ethan Walker: Well, the article

did use the word outdated.

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Like, it's not just the bad old websites.

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Even well done splash

pages can feel a bit: 2005

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Samantha Reed: Oh, tell me about it.

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Especially those ones

with no skip intro button.

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You're just held hostage.

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Ethan Walker: The worst.

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For repeat visitors especially, it's

like, I'm here every week, just let me in.

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Samantha Reed: It's that extra

step that no one asked for.

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So, okay, we've got Annoyed visitors,

confused search engines, and a possible

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error of been there, done that, not

looking great for the splash page so far.

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But, before we write them off

entirely, are there any scenarios

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where they actually make sense?

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Ethan Walker: Okay, so we've seen

the dark side of splash pages,

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but I'm sensing a but coming here.

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There's gotta be a time and a

place where they work, right?

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Exactly.

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It's all about strategy.

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The article gave a good example.

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Artists, photographers,

anyone with a portfolio.

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Samantha Reed: Makes sense, yeah.

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Instead of just words, you're

hit with visuals right away.

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Ethan Walker: It sets the tone, right?

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Like a sneak peek that makes you

want to see more, then boom, you

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guide people to different sections.

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Samantha Reed: So it's less

about bombarding, more like

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curating that first impression.

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Ethan Walker: Yeah.

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Samantha Reed: What about

beyond the art world, any other

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splash page success stories?

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Ethan Walker: Time limited stuff.

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Conferences, product launches,

things with a built in urgency.

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A splash page puts that front and center.

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Samantha Reed: Instead of making me hunt

for it on your about page or whatever.

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Ethan Walker: Plus, think

about the design possibilities.

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You can match the splash

to the event's whole vibe.

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Really draw people in.

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Samantha Reed: Okay, so splash pages,

not going extinct just yet, but sounds

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like the takeaway is they're not for

every website or every situation.

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Ethan Walker: 100%.

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It's all about context.

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What works for a photographer might

not work for, say, an e commerce store.

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Samantha Reed: So if someone's

listening thinking, do I need

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this on my site, what's the most

important thing to consider?

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Ethan Walker: Honestly, put

yourself in the visitor's shoes.

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Will this splash page make their

experience better or just slow them down?

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Samantha Reed: Because we all

know how frustrating it is to be

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held back from the good stuff.

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We want people clicking through to our

content, not clicking away because of

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a splash page that missed the mark.

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Ethan Walker: Couldn't

have said it better myself.

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At the end of the day, a good website

should be easy to navigate, quick to

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load, and focused on what really matters.

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The content.

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Samantha Reed: Words to live by.

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Alright everyone, big takeaway today.

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Splash pages can be powerful,

but only if you use them right.

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Think about your goals, your audience, and

always prioritize that user experience.

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Now, that's our take, but we want to

leave you with something to ponder.

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This article was all about websites,

but what about mobile apps?

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Those splash screens that

pop up while things load?

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Same rules apply.

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Or is it a whole different ball game?

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Let us know what you think.

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Until next time, happy designing.

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Speaker 2: Thanks for tuning

into the Business Ignite podcast,

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where we fuel your business

growth and marketing success.

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Keep the fire burning and remember,

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Until next time, stay ignited.