So you want to educate yourself on Splash Pages versus Landing Pages? It’s a common question and if you’re in the work of building websites for people, it’s something you’ll need to brush up on to avoid that awkward silence when anyone asks you. Just kidding, people often use the terms interchangeably so no worries if you say “splash” page when you actually mean “landing” page. Mostly because no one will probably notice or care.
Splash Page
A splash page (or splash screen) is a page on a website that visitors see first before given the option to continue to the actual website. They are full-screen, introductory pages that greet users followed by a “Click Here to Enter”. Splash screens act as a “welcome” screen, rather than allowing visitors to dive right into the content of that website. While these pages can make a sensational first impression, we don’t recommend using one as we feel the cons outweigh the pros significantly.
- They’re outdated. You know, a thing of the past? While they used to be a trend and quite popular, people started to really like the idea of search engines. Which leads us to to our next bullet point.
- Splash pages don’t typically offer great search engine ranking since they don’t offer content, just graphics or animation. And let’s face it, ranking great on search engines is on the top of everyone’s list.
- The JavaScript codes that move customers to the main content of your site may prevent search engines from adding any of your site pages.
- To most, splash pages are annoying, repetitive, and time consuming. Let’s say you do add a SKIP option; You’re still requiring people to take that extra click. Time is valuable and people are busy—or at least they think they are. So the less time they have to spend on an extra step, the more likely they are to stay.
Landing Page
Landing pages are called that because they are most often used as a destination for a link. Landing pages can be used for different purposes. They can either be small, standalone webpages which are designed for a single purpose such as a marketing campaign or a message to viewers telling them “A website is on its way, here’s how to contact/fine us in the meantime“. OR a landing page can be the URL people arrive at after they click a hyperlink from a different webpage. They are a lead generator.
Are you creating a marketing campaign and throwing money at ads? Google published an article on Understanding the landing page experience you will find helpful before you begin.
