Many web sites open with the home
page (some call it the "main page"). The viewer may
immediately begin to read the information that is on the web
site.
But
there is another opening page that has become popular on web sites
in the last few years. In many cases, this page is
graphic-intensive, and may include sounds and Flash animation or
some other type of visual presentation. The viewer must view
this page before entering the main part of the web site. This
is known as the splash page.
There are some very good reasons why you might
wish to use a splash page on your web site:
You
can make an incredible first impression on whoever is viewing your
web site.
If
your web site uses more than one language, the splash page can
offer a choice of languages for the viewer.
If
your web site has adult material on it, the splash page can allow
you to check the age of the viewer before they proceed into your
site.
You
may be able to exhibit your incredible multimedia production skills
and impress certain people.
Consider, however, some reasons why you
may not want to use a splash
page:
A
splash page can be incredibly slow to load, especially for someone
with a dial-up modem. They may very well get impatient and
leave your site before your presentation even
begins.
If
someone's browser doesn't have the technology required by your
graphics and/or sound, they won't be able to view or hear your
splash page. If you haven't provided a link so that they can
skip the presentation, they won't even be able to enter your
site!
The
sounds of your splash presentation can be very annoying to those
who want a quiet environment -- and to those around
them.
The
choice is yours. If you do decide to use a splash page on your web
site, here a few suggestions:
Put
a link on the splash page which allows people to skip the
presentation and enter your web site. Repeat visitors to your
site don't want to wait through your fancy Flash show on every
visit -- they've already seen it. And visitors who are using
a text-only browser or who have graphics turned off on their
browser can't see your presentation anyway. (Many people on
slow dial-up connections turn off the graphics on their browser to
save time.)
Keep
the presentation as short as possible, and make it something worth
viewing. In other words, your presentation should be there to
serve a definite purpose, not just because "everyone else is doing
it" or because it makes you feel good. (Remember that YOU are
not your web site's customer.)
Rather than requiring people to "click to
enter," considering automatically taking them into the web
site. (They have already clicked once to get to your
site. Why ask them to do it again?)
Consider again whether or not your site really
needs a splash page. (Here's something interesting -- at this
writing, the web site of Macromedia, the company that created
Flash, DOES NOT use a splash page!)
